wfn.org | Presbyterians intrigued by potential of low-power FM broadcasting

[PCUSA NEWS <PCUSA.NEWS@ecunet.org>]

Note #5908 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

23-May-2000
00206

	Presbyterians intrigued by potential of low-power FM broadcasting

	First applications to be taken May 30; technology has limitations

	by John Filiatreau

	The first "window of opportunity" for non-profit organizations to apply for
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) licenses to operate low-power FM
radio (LPFM) stations opens on Tuesday, May 30, and closes on June 5.

	Fred Denson, a member of a four-member workgroup appointed by the General
Assembly Council to consider whether LPFM might prove useful to the
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), says interest is "getting fairly intense"
among PC(USA) entities, as the first LPFM deadline draws near.

	"We're anticipating a flurry of applications," Denson said last week. "It's
been sort of short notice for that first group; so we've been trying to
educate them, No. 1, which takes time, and just to make folks aware that
this is happening. Once it (the application window) closes, the opportunity
will be gone."

	Denson, who said he personally has received "a smattering of phone calls"
from Presbyterians interested in LPFM, said the workgroup plans to make
information on low-power FM available during the upcoming General Assembly
in Long Beach, Calif., and may also sponsor appearances there by consultants
on radio technology and programming.

	About a dozen PC(USA) pastors and executives have called staff members in
the Presbyterian Center in Louisville to ask about or seek information on
LPFM.

	Denson, who has a degree in engineering, was involved in the TV business on
a part-time basis in Rochester, New York, for about 10 years, as host of a
weekly magazine program called "Black Dimensions."

	The other members of the LPFM workgroup are: Gary Luhr, the GAC Associate
Director for Communication; Steve Moulton, Associate for Administration; and
Pat Brown, a former GA moderator.

	Denson said the obvious possible uses of LPFM include broadcasts of
religious music, sermons, church services, educational programs and
informational materials such as schedules and bulletins. The rules are
liberal enough to permit creative, even idiosyncratic applications, he said,
adding that several churches may join together in a broadcasting
partnership, or a church may collaborate with other community groups. He
speculated that LPFM stations may turn out to be "good evangelism tools."

	Only groups in the following states and U.S. possessions are eligible for
the first application period: Alaska, California, District of Columbia,
Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Mariana Islands, Maryland, Oklahoma,
Rhode Island and Utah. (States were assigned to groups by the FCC on a
random basis; the order in which they will be invited to apply also was
determined randomly.)

	Applications filed earlier in the "window" will not receive any preference
over those filed later in the window.

	Four other groups of states will have their own five-working-day "windows"
for applications at three-month intervals between now and May 2001.

	Low-power FM radio may turn out to be a useful medium for
"micro-broadcasting" religious and educational programming -- but it has
some serious limitations.

	LPFM is not available (and never will be) in most big and medium-sized
cities.

	That's because urban areas' FM bands are at or near capacity; all suitable
frequencies are already in use, and cramming more in would only create
interference noise on present channels. Louisville, KY, the home of the
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) headquarters, for example, "cannot be used to
apply for a low-power broadcast station on any FM channel due to
interference caused to authorized FM broadcast stations," the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) says. The same is true for Chicago, New York
and Los Angeles. But it's not true for all big cities: Four FM frequencies
are available in New Orleans.

	Why are the FM radio frequencies in most big cities saturated? Because
that's where money can be made -- because that's where the listeners are.

	The best LPFM opportunities tend to be in less densely populated areas.
Elizabethtown, Ky., for example, has lots of potential as a low-power FM
location. It's a smallish town (pop. about 12,500) in a generally rural part
of central Kentucky. Five frequencies are available there: 92.9, 96.3, 99.3,
100.1 and 102.1. A not-for-profit organization in Elizabethtown could apply
for a license to broadcast on any of them. Two channels are available in
Orlando, Fla., two in Anchorage, Alaska, and four in Oklahoma City.

	You'd think very sparsely populated areas -- such as Nevada and North
Dakota -- would be ideal for LPFM. But low-power broadcasting really isn't
suitable for rural areas; it doesn't have enough "reach" to serve widely
scattered listeners.

	 There are two classes of LPFM stations. One has a maximum power of 10
watts; the other has a maximum of 100 watts. The 10-watt stations cover an
area with a radius of between one and two miles; 100-watters reach an area
having a radius of about 3.5 miles. (All 100-watt stations will be licensed
before the FCC begins seeking applications for 10-watt stations.)

	If you went to parts of Alaska or rural North Dakota and cast a circular
net with a radius of 3.5 miles, you might not snare even one human being.
Members of the same Nevada church might live 40 or 50 miles apart.

	The new LPFM stations will be geographically separated from existing
stations on the same channel (92.1, for example), the next channels (91.9
and 92.3), and those two channels away (91.7 and 92.5). New stations will
not have to be separated geographically from stations three channels (91.5
and 92.7) or more away.

	So, if there is a station at 93.5 Mhz, and there are no other stations in
the same geographical area at 93.5 (same channel), 93.7 (adjacent channel),
93.9 (second adjacent) or 94.1 (third adjacent), a new station in the area
could not be located at 93.5, 93.7 or 93.9, but could be licensed at 94.1
(because it is more than two channels away).

	The FCC will provide for an additional 20-kilometer "buffer zone" of
separation between stations on same-channel and adjacent-channel
frequencies, so that existing FM channels can modify their operations
without "adverse effect."

	The new service will be only for non-commercial groups (educational
organizations, associations and governments, plus other non-profit entities
that provide public safety or transportation services). Individuals may not
apply. Current holders of broadcast licenses and parties having interests in
other media -- cable or newspapers -- are not eligible. For at least the
first two years of LPFM licensing, no group will be permitted to own more
than one LPFM station in any single community.

	The FCC has made clear from the outset that its intention is to make these
new channels available to "new voices on the airwaves."

	As with other radio licenses, each LPFM license will be awarded for an
eight-year term and will be renewable.

	If two groups apply for the same frequency, the FCC will choose the winning
station on the basis of a point system that awards one point for having a
two-year or longer record of presence in the community, one point for a
pledge to operate at least 12 hours a day, and one point for a promise to
broadcast eight hours a day of local programming. If two groups end up with
the same number of points, they will be encouraged to share a frequency. If
two groups are tied in points and cannot reach a time-sharing agreement, the
FCC will award one-year, non-renewable licenses to as many as eight
applicants.

	The cost of building and equipping a LPFM station is estimated at $10,000
to $15,000.

	Denson said the workgroup is trying to arrange for churches to obtain
low-cost LPFM loans with pay-back periods of five to 10 years to finance
their forays into broadcasting.

	The FCC has not set a limit on the number of LPFM stations to be licensed
nationwide, but it has estimated that there may be "1,000 or more" 100-watt
stations when the process is completed. It has not made an estimate of the
number of 10-watt stations.

	To find out what FM channels, if any, are available in your area, visit the
Web site of the FCC -- www.fcc.gov -- where you will find lots of useful
information, including a program with which you can identify the coordinates
(in degrees, minutes and seconds) of your location (Louisville is latitude N
38 15 14, longitude 85 45 34) and find out whether there is room on your FM
dial for a new, low-power broadcaster.

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