South Philly is getting its own radio station - provided we fund it
Nearly
15 years of legal action and lobbying by media activists is
paying off with local, non-profit community organizations allowed to
apply for low-power FM licenses with the FCC this October. South Philadelphia Community Radio is prepared to use this extremely rare opportunity to broadcast, we just need a small financial boost.
Rather
than appeal for a grant or donation from one big funder for a media
project, we would much rather appeal for smaller donations from the
community itself.
We have already done the hard work of connecting
to community groups prepared to provide programming, getting our legal house in order, and having our engineering study done by a
professional. Now we're looking to crowd-fund the one-time
costs of our rooftop and studio hardware, and the professional
engineering help required to ensure we operate the station in compliance
with FCC regulations. Programming will be underwritten by served
communities in future in order to pay the bills and keep the project
viable.
Although limited to 'low power' compared to commercial
radio, our signal will blanket South Philly. This allows us to target
local populations with programs of immediate interest which other
broadcast media serving the entire Delaware Valley wouldn't touch. Much
of the programming will be in English, centered on civic association
and other community group airtime, as well as shows focused upon
cultural interest. We will be paying the appropriate licensing
authorities to ensure that music can be played on the station without
worrying about copyright infringement.
We also plan to broadcast
in Spanish, Vietnamese, Khmer, Italian, Bahasa and Lao. Additionally we
are partnering with immigrant services groups to serve the resettled
ethnic Nepali and Burmese ethnic minorities who are being relocated to
South Philly in increasing number. For many communities we will be the
only form of broadcast media their residents fully understand.
That
South Philly flea market, community fundraiser or music event the "local" news
wouldn't ever announce? We will announce that. We might announce it in
five languages. We are also naturally open to carrying programming by
you, if you're in the neighborhood and have a purposeful use for the
signal in mind. This is the power of community radio.
SPCR has 501c3 non-profit status through a fiscal sponsorship arrangement with Resources for Human Development, for decades Philadelphia's premier new non-profit incubator. RHD is also the official license applicant. Additionally the Methodist branch of Jefferson Hospital on
South Broad Street is graciously allowing us to use their roof as a
broadcast platform, at a perfect height and location for the technical
necessities of the project. The hospital is excited to partner with us
to get messages about their health services to the community,
particularly for non-English speakers.
This is a completely viable
project which can change lives for the better in our neighborhoods for
years to come. Don't miss out on your opportunity to contribute a small
amount for huge impact right now, when it counts most. And please do
pass the project along to friends!
From a technical perspective this is a simple project. The greatest challenge comes from the possibly crowded pool of LPFM applicants for the 3 regional frequencies we all suspect are likely to be licensed.
SPCR appears to be miles ahead of similar Philadelphia-based LPFM projects in terms of our groundwork with community groups, our proposed programming schedule and even the superiority of our antenna location. We're in it to win it, and we are the only known applicant with an interest in this section of the city.
Should there be many applicants to our frequency, the issue will be handled through a complex arbitration procedure worked out by the FCC. If on the odd chance this resolves unfavorably for us, we've already developed a more complex but workable 'Plan B' to have a fully legal broadcast radio project functioning for South Philly, with the social function and result of the project nearly unchanged.