Minority Radio

Dennis Ross wants to put the voice of Portland's marginalized communitieson the airwaves, and he will if Congress doesn't stop him

by Sam Smith

RADIO STAR Dennis Ross wants Portland minorities to have a voice.

Six years ago, Dennis Ross left his job at a radio station in San Diego, California, and moved to Portland so his 7-year-old son could be closer to family. "The quality of life here is great," he says. "And you couldn't ask for a better place to raise a child."

But there's always a period of adjustment for a transplant, and that was the case with Ross. There was the cold weather, Portland's much smaller than San Diego, the beaches are different, the fruit at the grocery store seems a lot fresher in California -- oh, and there's a hell of a lot of white people here.

"It was a culture shock," says Ross, who isn't white. Having worked as sales manager for the only minority-owned radio station in San Diego, which focused on news and issues of concern to minority communities, Ross was especially taken aback by the lack of similar attention paid by Portland media.

"It's obvious Portland is trying," he says. "But it still has a ways to go. Minorities get overlooked. The Portland media does cover issues [of concern to minorities], but their primary focus is on the mainstream, which is understandable. But you're even really hard-pressed to find a reporter of color in town. I'd just like to give minorities a voice."

With that in mind, and with his background in radio, Ross jumped at the opportunity to get in on the FCC's new low-power FM radio station permits. Announced last January, the creation of a class of radio stations with a range of up to 3.5 miles was an attempt on the FCC's part to offer more localized, community-oriented content on the airwaves in answer to corporate monopolies expanding over much of commercial radio since the passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

The permits were only open to nonprofit organizations, and the stations were only available at frequencies far enough from existing stations to avoid interference. Ross's All Inclusive Inc., his own nonprofit organization dedicated to "serving the educational needs of Portland's minority communities," applied for a permit. All Inclusive was the only nonprofit in Portland to apply, but one of 12 in the state. Maine was one of the first states drawn from a lottery, so those 12 are the first to go through the permitting process. The FCC has said the permits should be issued next week but because of local and national lobbying from broadcast interests the status of those permits is in question.

If he does secure a permit, Ross says he hopes to follow the model of a public-access radio station for which he sold sponsorships in California, enlisting volunteers to help fill the required 36 hours of broadcasting per week.

"I want to air the issues," he says, "whether it's for the immigrant community, the African-American community, the gay and lesbian community, whatever, all inclusive. I want to get things out in the open, have people held accountable for their actions."

In addition to original reporting, he hopes to offer a roundup of news of interest to minorities already reported in Portland's mainstream media, and he hopes to offer gospel music on Sundays.

But since Ross and others filed for applications, a number of roadblocks have cropped up on the path to low-power FM. Even in this final week before permits are supposed to be issued, national and local critics are attempting to quash the effort. Maine Public Broadcasting and the 130-member Maine Association of Broadcasters have been critics since the FCC first made its announcement. Suzanne Goucher, executive director of the association, says the group is opposed to low-power FM because, contrary to what the FCC says, the MAB believes there will be interference with existing stations.

"The low-power FM station being applied for in Augusta [by All That Is Catholic Ministries at 94.7 MHZ] is only two clicks away from WHOM," she says. "People trying to tune in to 94.9 will experience interference. For most consumer radios, car radios, interference can happen at even three clicks."

Interference with existing signals is the concern the National Association of Broadcasters has as well. The NAB has enlisted the support of Representative Michael Oxley (R-Ohio) and Senator Judd Gregg (R-New Hampshire), who are sponsoring bills that would overturn the FCC's low-power FM guidelines.

The FCC maintains its regulations for low-power FM radio are conservative and its tests show there will be no interference. Keeping these nonprofit stations two clicks from existing signals, the FCC points out, has actually barred any low-power stations in many large markets because the dial is already full. Even Portland has only enough room for one low-power frequency, 105.1, which poses another obstacle to Ross and All Inclusive radio. All Inclusive is the only group in Portland that has applied for a permit, but two groups out of Westbrook, Voice of Freedom and Calvary Chapel of Portland, have also applied, and the only frequency open to them is also 105.1. If the FCC's regulations make it through Congress, a process of elimination will be made based on the needs of the community, and 105.1 will be awarded to one of the groups. So even though permits are supposed to arrive next week, Ross isn't getting anxious.

"It would be great for immigrants coming into to Portland to know what services are out there for them," he says, "for minorities to have a voice. That's what I'd like to provide. Right now, though, I'm just sitting tight, waiting to see what happens."