Radio

Low power comes to Maine

By Sam Smith

Days after the US Congress dealt a sharp blow to the development of low-power FM stations, the Federal Communications Commission approved its first applications for the small community-based broadcasters, two of which are in Maine.

The Penobscot School in Rockland and Maine Science and Technology in Yarmouth were each given initial approval for a 100-watt radio station. There is now a 30-day public comment period, and if no substantive complaints are raised against establishing the stations, a construction license will be granted to each.

Twelve applications were submitted from Maine in all, and it’s unclear at this point if the other 10 applicants were not approved because of recent Congressional action or because of other factors. In an enormous spending bill submitted to President Clinton two weeks ago, Congress added a provision limiting the number of low-power FM stations the FCC could license. Echoing the concerns of groups like the National Association of Broadcasters and National Public Radio, Congress said concern over interference with established radio stations was too great, so these new low-power stations must be spread further apart on the dial, thus limiting the number that can actually exist.

David Fiske with the FCC said this has cut the number of low-power stations that can be permitted, but said some applications have not yet been approved because more than one applicant is applying for the same radio station. This is the case with five applicants in Maine (including All Inclusive Inc., which was profiled in the July 2000 issue of the Phoenix).

Joe Steinberger, co-founder of the Penobscot School, says their radio station will serve as an extension of the school. “We hope to make foreign-language classes available to the community,” he says. “I imagine we’ll have French hour, Italian hour, with interviews and music.”

Jeff Weinstein, with Maine Science and Technology, a group whose main focus is the future development of a science and technology museum in Maine, says he hopes the group’s low-power station will help further their goal.

“I see the station being a focal point for getting volunteers and raising funds to help build the museum,” he says.

But he says the station will be very much a community forum.

“We’ll offer science and technology programs,” he explains, “but we’ll also do things like broadcast town council meetings, allocate time to the local high school to allow them to program broadcasting. We’ll offer local news. We plan to broadcast live from the Yarmouth Clam Festival. I see us really getting involved in the greater Yarmouth community.”