This story was written by Meng Yi-Lu, a transfer student to the University of Massachusetts from the Phillipines, who served as an intern on the Media Giraffe Project.
NORTHAMPTON, Mass. -- In August of 2005, the Florence section of this small New England city broke from its usual serenity to host an ecstatic group of over 400 radio community enthusiasts.
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They came from all over the country to join the 10th-annual Grassroots Radio Conference, and to complete a “radio barnraising” to put a new low-power FM station, WXOJ, Valley Free Radio, on the air from a basement studio in an old school.
The 10th annual grassroots conference was coordinated by Prometheus Radio Project. Lasting four days from Aug. 4-7, 2005, there were over 80 workshops of 8 different aspects, “on everything about how to build a radio station,” said the coordinator Pete Tridish. He explained further. “…not just physically…in terms of organizational structure, how to fund raise, how to build listener ship, how to produce an audio pieces.”
Also for the radio activists who would like to change phenomenon the conference also provided a series of discussions of issues on media reform such as media ownership, low-power public radio movement, low-power FM legislation. Radio communication should not be a privilege of the wealth. According to conference coordinator Pete Tridish, who is also a founding collective member of Prometheus Project, radio stations should belong to every citizen. “…. [T]here should be a realistic and meaningful amount of aspect from set-aside not for commercial purposes …but for ordinary citizens to use to debate and create culture and so on, wasn’t just devoted to Britney Spears marathon.” Tridish also explained, having a community radio is as important as having a public library.
“…[T]here are a number of public institutions in the United States. For instance, there are public parks can gather people hang out and meet. There are public school where people go for education…there are public libraries sort of store knowledge for everyone and a place where literacy is encouraged…what we think is that communications should be public facilities just like that.” This year, one of the important mission of Grassroots Radio Conference is to draw national attention to the issue of where FCC legislation on community radio/ Low Power FM licenses.
Tridish adds: “what we basically doing is trying to get the rules to be re-written in such a way communities have access to the airwave small non-profit group labor union environmental groups civil right organization and trying to make sure that there isn’t just one voice, the voice of three or four cooperation. but there are all sorts communities and organization can get their access to the airwaves,” says Tridish.
After stopping the issuance of low-power licenses for 20 years, the FCC finally re-opened the opportunities for community radio to officially get hold of the airwaves in the year of 2000. But the chances for community radio stations to get the licenses are still very slim.
“In exchange to be the few people to get the licenses you are supposed to do public services. And you are supposed to operate the radio in such a way that the public becomes more educated, becomes exposed to different cultures and ideas,” said Tridish. Unfortunately in the past few years, a small number of cooperation had managed themselves to catch hold of the mass majority of the radio airwave. The mechanism of Public Services could barely exist in commercial radios under their ultimate goal -- making money. Another mission of the conferences is what the Prometheus Project called “Barnraising” for the establishment of WXOJ.
“All the groups are here, basically represent stations that are very committed to a volunteer bases model,” said Trisidish. If so, would be power proof. Over 50 volunteering technicians from all over the country gathering in radio station to help WXOJ Valley Free Radio getting ready to fly on the air. They works day and night for three days, finished on Saturday.
On Aug. 7, 2005, WXOJ Valley Free radio officially flew on the air in at 2 p.m. After a lively parade accompanied with 30 puppies, all made during the conference, more than 200 people gathered in a contemporary tent to join the ceremony. The cheerful count-down came to the climax when the first sound burst out from the radio at 103.3 mHz.
Around 3:30 p.m., a group also live broadcasting a radio play formed during the workshops. Before Valley Free Radio, Prometheus helped Nashville to set up WRFN Valley Free Nashville this year. Next month, Prometheus Project is going Tanzania, Africa to help build up a community radio station. http://www.prometheusradio.org/
