There have many complaints on this board about translators, mostly run by Religious Stations interfering with the fringe of your favorite FM stations .LP FMs of course have the same effect. While the original idea of these stations , providing local community service ,seemed good we all know this is not what has happened .The majority of the are satellite fed by the Bible Thumpers , who couldn’t find a given city with a map. The Following article which I copied from Radio-Info’s own commentator and news provider Tom Taylor’s
News letter, Taylor on Radio- Info, to subscribe click here http://www.radio-info.com/newsletter/register.php
"Reps. Mike Doyle and Lee Terry are poised to drop a bill into the hopper which would authorize the Federal Communications Commission to open up much more of the FM dial to low power community radio - presumably by letting the agency strip away full-power broadcasters' third-adjacent channel protection. Only Congress can do that, and that's the only way I can think of to accomplish this, technically speaking. We'll know more after this morning's press conference, led by the Future of Music Coalition. Why is it interested in Low Power FM? The Coalition believes that licensing more stations is a way around "corporate radio." Some other folks also think that putting more LPFMs up for grabs, especially in larger markets, might discourage pirates.
This isn't a Democratic/Republican issue, but a power-to-the-people thing, and I suspect representatives from both parties will find it easy to enlist. (And besides, it won't cost the government anything.) Just as I speculated yesterday, the House and Senate bills would kill the third-adjacent channel protection that full-power broadcasters have enjoyed for years. That means there could be a 100-watt Low Power FM licensed just three clicks away from a current licensee, and this is yet another call-to-arms for the National Association of Broadcasters. NAB managed to avoid this at the very end of the Clinton presidency with a compromise that let the FCC license some Low Power FMs, but mostly in smaller markets and rural areas. Now Nebraska Republican Rep. Lee Terry says there's "solid engineering" from the FCC to allow community stations on third-adjacent channels, and that means stations in big markets.”
.If this bill passes get ready for much more interference mess on the FM dial .While I dearly wish for the return of local radio the only way to do that is to change ownership rules to something similar to the way it used to be ,one AM & one FM station per market. While that will never happen because the big boys have to much money to throw around , the FCC need to seriously rework the ownership cap rules .These low power stations could never compete with the big corporate stations even if they were permitted commercials , which there is no mention of happening .Whatever service is provided would in most cases be provided by satellite , ( religious or not) unless there is a provision in the bill that local means the programming must originate locally , and for the most part that would not be financially viable given the limited audience . What we will be stuck with is just more interference and a much shorter range for existing stations.
News letter, Taylor on Radio- Info, to subscribe click here http://www.radio-info.com/newsletter/register.php
"Reps. Mike Doyle and Lee Terry are poised to drop a bill into the hopper which would authorize the Federal Communications Commission to open up much more of the FM dial to low power community radio - presumably by letting the agency strip away full-power broadcasters' third-adjacent channel protection. Only Congress can do that, and that's the only way I can think of to accomplish this, technically speaking. We'll know more after this morning's press conference, led by the Future of Music Coalition. Why is it interested in Low Power FM? The Coalition believes that licensing more stations is a way around "corporate radio." Some other folks also think that putting more LPFMs up for grabs, especially in larger markets, might discourage pirates.
This isn't a Democratic/Republican issue, but a power-to-the-people thing, and I suspect representatives from both parties will find it easy to enlist. (And besides, it won't cost the government anything.) Just as I speculated yesterday, the House and Senate bills would kill the third-adjacent channel protection that full-power broadcasters have enjoyed for years. That means there could be a 100-watt Low Power FM licensed just three clicks away from a current licensee, and this is yet another call-to-arms for the National Association of Broadcasters. NAB managed to avoid this at the very end of the Clinton presidency with a compromise that let the FCC license some Low Power FMs, but mostly in smaller markets and rural areas. Now Nebraska Republican Rep. Lee Terry says there's "solid engineering" from the FCC to allow community stations on third-adjacent channels, and that means stations in big markets.”
.If this bill passes get ready for much more interference mess on the FM dial .While I dearly wish for the return of local radio the only way to do that is to change ownership rules to something similar to the way it used to be ,one AM & one FM station per market. While that will never happen because the big boys have to much money to throw around , the FCC need to seriously rework the ownership cap rules .These low power stations could never compete with the big corporate stations even if they were permitted commercials , which there is no mention of happening .Whatever service is provided would in most cases be provided by satellite , ( religious or not) unless there is a provision in the bill that local means the programming must originate locally , and for the most part that would not be financially viable given the limited audience . What we will be stuck with is just more interference and a much shorter range for existing stations.