My new petition to the FCC at Change.org. PLEASE SIGN!

I have spent the last couple of days creating and tweaking a petition to the Federal Communications Commission that urges them to FINALLY CREATE A LOW POWER AM RADIO SERVICE IN THE EXPANDED BAND (1610 - 1700 kHz). I am urging everyone to read and sign this petition which is now on line at the underlined link above.We need a low power radio service where individuals of modest means (not just "community groups") can become small time media entrepreneurs. We need a low power radio service where local independent businesses are supported and alternatives to corporate programming are provided.

Ten years ago, I was part of a working group that was urging the FCC to create such a class of station. But the LPFM movement was in full swing at the time and it was ignored. Had more people read the fine print and discovered how restrictive LPFM is in regards to who can own a station, and the fact that the majority of America's major urban population will likely never get the chance to hear one, the outcome back then may have been different.

What resurrected my interest in the push for LPAM was a development over the past couple of weeks that changed my prospects concerning my long standing proposed Indiegogo fundraiser. I had hoped it could enable me to lease or eventually buy a licensed facility in north central Massachusetts. Out of several stations examined in the proposed fundraiser text, I had always thought that my best chances would be with the two stations in Orange and Athol, 700 AM and 99.9 FM. But two weeks ago... lo and behold... the owner did an about face and decided to locally program the stations, and each with its own separate format.

Obviously, once an owner makes a commitment to locally program a couple of his marginal "repeater" stations, the last thing he is going to do at that point is sell them or lease them to someone else. So, even if I went ahead with my Indiegogo fundraiser, and even reached my goal, the odds of getting a foot in the door is now seriously diminished. So I started thinking about altering the fundraiser in favor of a network of Part 15 AM stations, simular to my current ones, and how I wanted to build "the nation's largest chain of Part 15 AM transmitters." But the problems and limits of such an undertaking quickly set in. (I'll likely do it anyway if no better option comes along.) And that brought me back to the LPAM effort of a decade ago and how good that proposal was.

Once again, please take a little time to read and sign the petition at change.org. It's for a good purpose that can potentially improve many lives and change our culture for the better.

The "Thom" and "Alex" editions of Liberty & Justice Radio have re-combined into a single station and stream

This is another project that had been proposed for months but is now under way. Several developments over the past year have made this move more and more practical. Most recently, Ed Schultz has abandon his radio show and Randi Rhodes's departure from Priemer Networks may lead to her retirement. That's two fewer options in the commercial "progressive" talk realm. Earlier, the demise of Oracle Broadcasting and American Freedom Radio in the "alternative" talk realm made far fewer options available there. I found barely enough room in a 24/7 schedule to fit the rest... and we have greatly increased our Pacifica offerings in recent months to fill the gaps... but what is left, I feel, is largely the best of the best. Check our program schedule to find when your favorite shows are now airing.

Significant upgrade for Troubadour 1700's AM signal

During the past week, Troubadour 1700 AM's transmitter of the past 10 years, an SSTran model AMT-3000, was retired in favor of the new and improved model AMT-5000. Although still operating at the legal limit of 100 milliwatts, the AMT-5000 is a much more efficient transmitter and the increase in coverage area is quite noticable. The AMT-5000 is also more stable in wet weather than the old AMT-3000, so the severe attenuation in coverage area, especially during wet evenings, is a thing of the past. The daytime signal is now detectable beyond the 2 mile mark, and at night it is usually still readable at the two mile mark. Enjoy the new improved signal!