FM Move-Ins Harm Losing Communities

What is lost when a small-town FM radio station suddenly disappears?

• Advertising that local businesses can afford.
• A 'round-the-clock voice for local public safety and government organizations.
• Radio coverage of local news and events.
• Live broadcasts of high school sports.
• Public service announcements for youth groups, civic clubs, and churches.
• Agricultural market news.
• An on-air venue for local music and musicians.
• Radio swap shops.
• ... and, perhaps worst, an old reliable friend.

What would your community lose?

But a commercial radio station is a privately-owned business, isn't it? Shouldn't the owner – maybe your neighbor – be able to make the most profit possible on his or her investment? Well, not quite. Of course a commercial station has to make a profit to stay on the air, but it's not quite like a dress shop or a plumbing contractor.

Because radio signals can interfere with each other, only a limited number of stations can be on the air in any given area. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) sets technical standards to ensure stations don't interfere with each other. Based on these rules, the FCC then distributes the limited number of licenses available to deserving communities as fairly as possible.

Anyone who holds a broadcast radio license knows that it's a special kind of business – a temporary, Federally-granted privilege that's held in trust. Every licensee is required by law to operate their station in the "public interest, convenience, and necessity." Should they make a profit? Sure! Should they abandon the community to which this scarce resource was allocated? Only if that's truly in the public interest – and therein lies the rub ...