“A broadcaster should be encouraged to be experimental.” —Lorenzo Milam
Lorenzo Milam died July 19 in Pueblo Escondido, Oaxaca, Mexico. He was 86. He was a leader in disability rights, publishing and half a dozen other pursuits.
But in community radio, Lorenzo was a legend in his own time. He inspired hundreds of people to start community radio stations all around the country, myself included, and has left us a raucous and sprawling living legacy.
Lorenzo was one of the most influential and inspiring characters ever to sit behind a microphone. Through his playful genius and uncompromising commitment to the First Amendment right of free speech, Lorenzo was in large part responsible for creating a national movement that launched hundreds of grassroots stations, touched thousands of lives and warped the shape of public broadcasting forever.
