Who is eligible for these full power licenses?
When will the licensing window be open?
How long will the licensing window be open?
How do I determine if a frequency is available in my community?
How competitive will the application process be?
What costs are associated with this process?
Is financial support available for expenses incurred during the application process?
A: Consolidation in the radio industry stifles independent voices and threatens public access to information. Many of our communities are simply not represented on the airwaves. Full-power radio under local owenership is our best hope to raise local and diverse voices around the country.
According to Off the Dial, a recent report by Free Press, minorities and women are grossly under-represented in the national media market. Women own just 6 perecent of full power stations whil comprising 51 percent of the population. While minorities make up 33 percent of the U.S. population they own just 7.7 percent of all full-power commercial broadcast radio stations.
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Q: Who is eligible for these full power licenses?
A: Only noncommercial, educational organizations are eligible. You do not need to be incorporated as a 501(c)3 non-profit, but you must demonstrate that your organization has a noncommercial or educational mission. Individuals are not eligible.
Q: When will the licensing window be open?
A: The window is open from October 12th through the 19th, 2007. You need to start preparing now.
Q: How long will the licensing window be open?
A: The window will only last seven days. Your complete application must be submitted during, and not before, the open window to be considered. You need to start preparing now.
Q: How do I determine if a frequency is available in my community?
A: Enter your zip code in the frequency finder at the top right of this page. This will let you know right away whether or not frequency is available near you and get you connected with people who can help you with the next steps. As part of the application process, you will need a broadcast engineer to certify that a particular frequency is available in your area and that it will not interfere with existing stations.
Q: What stations are available?
A: You can apply for any available non-commercial frequency (between 88.1 MHz and 91.9 MHz on the FM dial) in the United States. Only frequencies that do not interfere with existing stations are available — most available stations will be in rural areas as most urban FM dials are already filled.
Q: How competitive will the application process be?
A: It will depend on where you are, but the word is out that this might be the last chance in a long time for acquiring a full power license and that most of the available spots on the dial will be gobbled up during this licensing window. We expect the process to be very competitive.
Q: What costs are associated with this process?
A: Because this is a noncommercial service there is no application fee. However, preparing your application will require the services of a broadcast engineer and very likely a telecommunications lawyer. Depending on how much legwork you are willing to do, you should be prepared to spend five to seven thousand dollars to put together your application. And remember, there is no guarantee that you will get a station.
You also need to demonstrate in your application that you are capable securing the funding necessary to build and operate your station should you be granted the license — you don't need to have the money at this time in order for a license to be granted. These costs will vary widely based on a number of factors, but somewhere between 20 and 200 thousand dollars is a reasonable estimate.
Q: Is financial support available for expenses incurred during the application process?
A: Several groups are working to secure funding to support community organizations in the application process but to date no funds are available so be prepared to raise and spend some money to support your efforts in this process.