Boxford pirate's coax cable cut

[Aaron Read]

Garrett Wollman wrote:
> How much do LPFMs have to pay for music licensing?  That's got to be a
> significant annual outlay, since an LPFM transmitter uses next to no
> power and most are located where they pay no rent.  I've occasionally
> thought about applying for one in Framingham, should they ever relax
> the spacing rules sufficiently.
> 

That is indeed a big part of it.  LPFM's pay the same as any other 
non-commercial broadcaster.  It can be a substantial outlay, although in 
most cases it's not more than a few thousand dollars per year.  What can 
kill you is the time/effort spent trying to organize and submit the reports.

As for the paying no rent, it's true that a lot of them get free TOWER 
rent, but I don't know too many that get free STUDIO rent.  And those 
that have gotten free studios have often found them to be problematic; I 
can think of at least one example where a local town government offered 
free studio space in the town hall.  Then an election came and went and 
a new administration came in.  They allowed the station to stay until 
the station started saying things the administration didn't like. 
Suddenly the studio lease was not renewed.  Oops.

I remember this was a significant issue for ABfree as well; the rent was 
cheap by Boston standards but still a few hundred bucks per month. 
ABfree never had the manpower/organization to really go out and sell 
ads, and the listener base was too small to run fundraisers.


> Now that TV channel 6 is effectively gone from most places, I wonder
> if the Commission could be persuaded to open up channel 200 for LPFM?
> There are likely lots of places where an LP10 or LP100 could fit on
> 87.9 that don't have any other channels presently available.
> 

Possibly.  I don't think LPFM's are specifically excluded from Channel 
200 as things are right now...maybe they are, I'm not sure.  But 
realistically I wouldn't get your hopes up.  Between the Oct.2007 NCE 
filing window and the inevitable post-DTV-transition minor/major changes 
that dozens of existing stations in the NCE band are making to expand 
now that TV6 is (mostly) gone...I doubt there will be any room left to 
take advantage of 87.9FM by the time the next LPFM window opens.

In Greater Boston, certainly, there's already too many stations on 88.1 
and 88.3 for anyone to fit an LPFM on 87.9FM.

LPFM is a pipe dream for anyone anywhere near a major city; even with 
the third-adjacent protections removed, it's still impossible to fit a 
new LP100 license anywhere.  LP10?  Maybe...probably not, but maybe. 
But the FCC has shown ZERO interest in ever allowing the LP10 license to 
happen.

Garrett, in your case I'd try and work something out with WDJM.  I 
understand they broadcast the TIC network (if anything) quite frequently 
because there's nobody around to spin records in the flesh.

-- 
----------------------------------------------------------------
Aaron Read                  |  Finger Lakes Public Radio
friedbagels@gmail.com       |  General Manager (WEOS & WHWS-LP)
Geneva, NY 14456            |  www.weos.org / www.whws.fm