Winding Up: West Liberty Group to Start Community Radio

Thank you for your patience in following this series. And thanks to BlogforIowa for giving me space to share one of the pieces of the story of how media degenerated to what it is today.

As most of you know the current shining start in the pantheon known as media is the internet. For my money, the internet is close to what some of the founding fathers envisioned. Low Power FM could add to the variety of voices available in our democracy. As anyone reading this knows, we need more, not less, voices in our democracy.

Besides LPFM, another vehicle exists for not just community radio, but for anyone with a few bucks and a desire to get his or her voice out in the public. That is internet radio. You can be on the net tomorrow with an internet radio.  Instructions can be found by googling “creating an internet radio station.” Basically, you need some simple equipment and money to pay for broadband.  Here is a good place to start:  electronics.howstuffworks.com/internet-radio1
 
The biggest drawback to internet radio is that the receiver at present is a computer.  But technology marches on. I have heard one prediction that receiving internet radio will be just like a regular radio station in a decade or so.

So why spend any money on LPFM? Because at present radio is the only over-the-air medium available. LPFM is relatively cheap.  And the satisfaction of creating something that so greatly benefits your community – however “community” is defined – can be incredible.
  
On Thursday, I will be posting on Blog for Iowa a very distilled version of what may be involved in applying for a license. Prometheus radio (prometheusradio.org) has much more detailed information. They also have experts that you can contact listed on their site.
  
I will also try to answer questions. Understand that I am no expert. We would definitely like to hear from anyone trying to get a group together. And we would like to track their progress.
 
We will be trying to bring a group together in West Liberty. I will give updates as we go. As many of you know, West Liberty is a unique town with some diversity issues. We are looking at radio as a possible way to help forge community spirit.
 
For those of you with questions or updates I can be contacted at radiodavewl@gmail.com

Dave Bradley is a self-described
retired observer of American politics “trying to figure out how we got
so screwed up.”  An
Iowa City native currently living in West Liberty, Dave and his wife
Carol have two grown children who “sadly had to leave the state to find
decent paying jobs.” 

See
Dave's previous articles in this series on the media:

Media Wars: Will LPFM GIve Iowans a Fighting Chance?

Observations
on the Media in Iowa