skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Future of Community Radio in CT On the Line in DC

play audio
Play

Thursday, December 16, 2010   

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Small community radio stations run by schools, churches and other groups could fade to static if Congress fails to act this session. That's according to groups that say they've faced an uphill battle to keep lower-power FM radio stations in the hands of the people in Connecticut and elsewhere.

It boils down to licenses, says Cheryl Leanza, a policy advisor with the United Church of Christ. She says ten years ago, after a measure allowing such stations was approved by Congress, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) doled out 800 licenses for them, but since then, she claims, media lobbyists have done their best to stop the practice of licensing such outlets.

"And unfortunately, Congress responded to the pressure of large incumbent broadcasters and drastically cut back the program. Now we're working to expand the program back to its original size."

Critics of the low-power FM community radio stations have cited purported technical interference to other FM stations as a reason to halt the licenses. The FCC was ordered to study the issue, and the results showed no risk of such interference.

Leanza says the bottom line is that the airwaves should belong to the public, and not only go to the highest bidders.

"It puts radio right in the hands of ordinary people. So if you're a church organization, you could put your youth group on the air, you could put your perspective, your sermons."

Legislation has been introduced, the Local Community Radio Act, with bipartisan support from Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Senator John McCain (R-AZ), that would clear the way for more licensing. There is concern that if it doesn't come up for a vote before Congress leaves for Christmas break, the measure will be shelved.

The Community Radio Act is S. 592 and H.R. 1147. Other groups asking for a vote on it include: Prometheus Radio Project, United Workers, and Media Action Grassroots Network, along with dozens of local churches.




get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …


Organizations fighting wage theft said it harms affected workers and surrounding communities because the money withheld is not being circulated through the local economy. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

Environment

play sound

A farm group is helping Iowa agriculture producers find ways to reduce the amount of nitrogen they use on their crops. Excess nitrates can wind up …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021