Low-Power FM Radio Coming to Davis

The Federal Communications Commission has at long last issued a construction permit for a low-power community radio station in Davis that will be run by Davis Community Television. They have 18 months to get the 100-watt station on the air, which will be on the frequency 101.5 MHz.

Low-power FM radio has been a battleground for media activists such as the Media Access Project and the Prometheus Radio Project who are trying to maintain local community access to the airwaves. When the FCC put forth a proposal to establish a Low-Power FM Radio service, it was strongly attacked by a coalition of the National Association of Broadcasters and National Public Radio (the latter earning my enmity in the process) and the bill in Congress nearly gutted.

But the proposal did get through Congress, albeit in watered-down form, and LPFM radio stations have slowly been getting licensed. There have been some clear successes, such as Radio Bird Street in Oroville. We are fortunate in Davis in being able to receive three independent radio stations already (KPFA in Berkeley, KDVS the local college station, and KVMR in Nevada City), but it will be great to have our own local community radio station.