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The Promise of Low Power FM

The voices aired on low-power stations include evangelists, social critics, tomato pickers and indie rockers—all linked by the credo that radio should reflect the heterogeneity of the communities it serves

By Michelle Chen

The movement to develop alternatives to mainstream corporate-owned radio got a boost recently with a bi-partisan congressional bill to expand low-power FM (LPFM), a class of frequencies devoted to non-commercial community groups. Though LPFM stations only broadcast a radius of three-and-a-half miles, they offer the chance to bring seldom-heard voices on the air. Media activists and reform groups see LPFM as… return to article

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