New Public Media

You’re supposed to have made it big when the New York Times runs a feature on you. That must mean that Low Power FM radio is a rock star.

The paper of record ran a feature story, complete with an audio slide show, on LPFM today, showcasing a Low Power station in Creston, Mont. LPFM refers to non-commercial radio stations short on power and range – about 100 watts, with just a few miles’ reach – but long on community benefits.

The article describes LPFM with a tagline that could make a bumper sticker jealous: “Mainstream media it is not.” But the article stops short of telling readers why LPFM is so un-mainstream, and what these stations can do for communities that only have corporate radio on the dial.

Across the country, as companies have gobbled up radio stations in cities and towns they’d be challenged to identify on a map during a geography quiz, radio has lost its community identity. Now, all radio has begun to sound the same, and the music and news that reflect certain towns and regions have been replaced with pre-packaged programming and D.J.s broadcasting from hundreds of miles away.

LPFM stations give communities a way to stop the insanity. These stations are owned locally, and are directly accountable to listeners. Local music, news, entertainment and emergency services – the fabric of communities – can be restored to the airwaves. LPFM offers a means of bypassing the mainstream media and providing the coverage that our communities need and deserve. And because they're nonprofit, these stations can focus on public service, not just on making money.

Not every town or region is fortunate enough to have an LPFM station; there are roughly 800 in the country. But we now have the opportunity to expand LPFM with a new bill in Congress that could double the number of stations throughout the country, and bring community radio back to thousands of people.

Do your part and make sure your representative is co-sponsoring the Local Community Radio Act. The New York Times article says that the LPFM legislation “might be soon about to roar…or at least squeak loudly enough to be heard.” Let’s make it a roar.