At Prometheus, a big part of our mission is to demystify complex technical and media policy issues for regular people. And because some issues are just too wonky for words, this time we've made a video.

In late May, Prometheus welcomed 7 interns who have committed to spending their summer vacations working on Radio Summer and ensuring Prometheus is prepared to help hundreds of groups apply for new community radio stations. They hail from different places and have some very different interests but all share a commitment to media justice and we excited to have them in our midst.  

Celina loves watching documentaries and traveling, and wrestled a shark with her bare hands and won. Roger likes going for hour-long runs, and his favorite meal is lasagna. Beth bikes around frantically in search of free food when not at work. Natty plays accordion, badly, and likes to write political sci-fi... also badly. Margaret is a seasoned long-distance walker who enjoys making clothing in her spare time. April is a seasoned radio activist who enjoys reading Fanon in her warehouse in Chinatown. Lucy enjoys rainy days, long walks on the beach, and immanentizing the eschaton. More about these feisty young go-getters. 

This month, we’d like to offer our condolences to the FCC. The Local Community Radio Act started out as a simple mandate for the FCC to expand low power radio. But during its journey to becoming law, various lawmakers added stipulations to please their state broadcast lobbies, each one exacting a toll before allowing the bill to progress. Most of these additions were harmless, a few were burdensome for low power stations, and some just waste the FCC's time. The upcoming economic impact study is in this last category.

What do hula-hooping sessions, poetry readings, and a social worker have in common?

Low-power radio, of course. 

Meet WRFR-LP 93.3 FM in Rockland, Maine. Representing an entry in the station’s weekly events calendar, a program broadcast on Thursday mornings, and a woman whose promotion airs on the station, this eclectic mix is par for the course at WRFR. (And for the record, the hula-hooping sessions, held on the second and fourth Friday of each month, are not a joke.)

This self-described “on-air voice of the community” in Rockland puts its microphone where its mouth is. The station features 54 programs from 50 volunteers, and it has some 85 sponsors, nearly all of them local.

At the helm of this operation sits Joe Steinberger, WRFR general manager. A lawyer and a former Rockland City Councilmember, Steinberger also helped found the station. During his time on the Council, Steinberger organized a taped debate that was to be broadcast on the municipal government’s cable channel. When the debate was withheld from the air because a councilmember was dissatisfied with the outcome, Steinberger lost interest in what he viewed as an overly restrictive channel.

Then he learned about low-power FM (LPFM).

Just take a glance at the WSCA-LP Portsmouth Community Radio Station program schedule, and you can see it’s packed with local public affairs shows that you won’t hear elsewhere in Portsmouth. Every Monday features All Things Gay, a lively LGBTQ-focused talk show. Tune in Tuesday afternoon to hear in-studio interviews on Don’t Dis My Ability, a show produced by adults with disabilities, and during the evening old-time radio on WSCA Audio Theater. Wednesday airs Parent Talk and Writers in the Round. There are political talk shows throughout the week, an alternative and holistic health show, and even a show all about pets and pet handling.