The, Rebirth of Low-Power FM Broadcasting in the U.S.

Abstract

On January 20,2000, the Federal Communications Commission created two new classes of low-powered radio broadcasting licenses. This controversial initiative is studied within the landscape of current and past deregulatory policies. These stations are now on the air and broadcasting to their local communities. A survey was conducted of the first 239 licensed stations to ascertain programming goals, budgets, policies and other baseline information. The study concludes that Low-Power FM has significantly increased ownership diversity and content. Current FCC localism initiatives could bode well for the introduction of more LPFM stations in the United States.