USA: Work moves forward on San Lorenzo Valley radio station

BOULDER CREEK -- Plans are moving forward to launch a radio station that caters to San Lorenzo Valley residents.

It will be the Boulder Creek Recreation and Parks District's task to put together a group interested in getting the concept off the ground.

At Wednesday's meeting, the Board of Directors directed staff to apply for a license from the Federal Communications Commission to operate a low-power FM station. The 100-watt stations can reach within a 3.5 mile radius, and licenses are reserved for nonprofit educational organizations. Applications are due sometime in October.

Janice Wise, a spokeswoman for the FCC, said there is no cost to apply, but details, including how many licenses will be available, are still being worked out.

Once the FCC decides that number, and whether an applicant is eligible, the applicant has up to 18 months to build the station's infrastructure, according to the Prometheus Radio Project, a nonprofit that advocates for community radio. After the FCC is notified that work is complete, the station will receive its license and can begin broadcasting.

Boulder Creek Recreation and Parks District board members will work to put together either a subcommittee or community task force to look into different operating models, according to Tess Fitzgerald, who chairs the board. Once that body is created, community members will be invited to participate, "and the level of community involvement will ultimately either move it forward" or the concept will be shelved, she wrote in an email.

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(Source : Santa  Cruz Sentinel via SCOOPWEB)