He Who Owns the Press

He Who Owns the Press - Good news from the FCC, as Michael Powell appears to be leaning toward approving low-power FM radio licensing.

The licensing - which would allow FM stations with a range of around 3 miles - would open up non-commercial broadcasting for community groups. This was the norm until FCC rule changes (pushed by NPR and the National Association of Broadcasters) changed the rules in the late seventies. It's significant that the "community" radio stations currently active - including KFAI and KMOJ in the Twin Cities - were all started before 1978.

According to Reuters:

Additionally, Powell wants to accelerate the licensing to get more low-power FM radio stations on the air. Low-power FM was launched a few years ago to provide non-commercial programming to audiences in a radius of 3.5 miles.

Good idea or bad? Glenn Reynolds (on whose site I found the story this morning) likes it.

As James Plummer wrote here a while back, ending the suppression of microradio is a better way of promoting diversity than more regulation. If Powell really believes in broadcast diversity, then now that the bogus interference concerns raised by NPR and the National Association of Broadcasters have turned out to be, well, bogus, he should endorse the growth of low-power FM stations.

Who opposes the idea?

The National Association of Broadcasters and National "Public" Radio.

(Via Instapundit)

Posted by Mitch at August 22, 2003 09:58 AM