Authored by: javanyet on Thursday, June 26 2003 @ 08:18 PM GMT+4

Becoming a legally licensed station doesn't require membership in the 'homogenized corporate radio' club. It does not control programming or require participation in a network. I knew several independent stations in MA who were no less independent for their licensure.

Likewise I knew more than a few 'pirate' stations who managed to fly under the FCC radar (and FCC does not go hunting for them, believe it or not, without complaint or other red flags) by intelligent decisions such as NOT having a web site! If you knowingly do something illegal, whether or not you agree with the law, you stand a chance of getting busted. If you hoist your own big red flag it will happen that much sooner.

Getting a license isn't the end of the world, nor is it the end of independent broadcasting. If all those trained by RFB got their 3rd class broadcasters' licenses, not a hard thing to do especially since they have a head start, they could go on and make a real career of it and get in on the ground floor of other less commercial radio stations. Or perhaps start their own.

---
"I don't mind a parasite. I object to a cut-rate one."
Rick Blaine, "Casablanca"

Authored by: Anonymous on Friday, June 27 2003 @ 11:21 AM GMT+4

The FCC certainly does hunt for unlicensed broadcasters. Having a website to provide information about programming etc. is just a part of being a responsible community organization.

It is not simple to get a station on the air and the process of getting a 100+ watt station on the air is costly and takes alot of time and energy. I am not disputing that regulation of the airwaves is necessary,b ut unfortunately the FCC regulates the public airwaves for private profit and even so called "public radio" is often little more than propaganda for corrupt politicians who would prefer that there was no public/coomunity radio at all.

Not everyone wants to get a job in radio and make it a career. Some people are rather looking to facilitate communication within their community using the tools most readily available.
Radio is a 20th/21st century broadsheet/pamphlet from our modern day Ben Franklins, Emma Goldmans or Tom Paines.
Given how unfairly the airwaves are administered it seems natural that given our American ingenuity and our Vermonters independent style that circumventing the unjust administration would be a natural reaction.
The first amendment is designed for people not corporations and governments.

Authored by: Anonymous on Friday, June 27 2003 @ 12:11 PM GMT+4

You have much more power against (or for) a system when you work within that system (regardless of if the system is legitimate or not unfortunately) . . . they should get a license and then DESTROY on the air the institution that demands they have such to even be able to speak.

Authored by: Stevil on Friday, June 27 2003 @ 09:43 PM GMT+4

Authored by: Stevil on Friday, June 27 2003 @ 03:12 PM EDT (Due to an embarassing typo I asked for the message to be deleted so I could correct the problem.)


This message is in response to the comments posted above by the pseudonymous "javanyet".

Even though I am an rfb DJ, my comments (like my program) are reflective of my own opinions and interests; I am not speaking for the entire station.

You seem to think that becoming a licensed station is something easily accomplished. It is not. It is an expensive proposition, even for the class of license which is reserved for non-profit interests. It requires tens of thousands of dollars. The low cost alternative was to be LPFM.

When unlicensed low-power broadcasting (often referred to as "pirate radio") became a rapidly growing movement, the FCC created a Low Power FM license for non-profits. Major broadcasters, joined by National Public Radio, brought enormous pressure on Congress to substantially modify the requirements for those licenses. One of the requirements would have forced already operating stations like rfb to go off the air before filing an application. Given the gutting of the original legislation, rfb decided to stay on the air. Vermont's filing date, along with 22 other states and territories, was during a 5 day period in June of 2001. Over a year and a half later, the FCC announced that it would accept "for review" applications in areas which had no competing requests. (Brattleboro had 3 requests, including the Dept. of Transportation.) There have been no further announcements regarding the applications. The legislation for those Low Power licenses omitted potential broadcasters under 100watts. (rfb operated at 10 watts for the last few years.) Such licenses existed until the early 1970s when National Public Radio, attempting to build their network, lobbied Congress to do away with that class of license. Whatever happened to the original mandate of the FCC to ensure -public- access to the "commons" of our airwaves?

The funds which created radio free brattleboro were raised by members of our community. No grant monies were accepted from concerns such as Vermont Yankee in order to not compromise the station's ability to allow citizens to voice their opinions. Its operating expenses are covered by dues paid by its DJs, as well as an endless series of fundraisers - which included a series of popular dance nights at the Common Ground and concerts by local artists.

radio free brattleboro became the local outlet for several alternative news programs thanks to such fund raisers and generous listener contributions. The Brattleboro Public Library, with no room for its extensive record collection, made a gift of it (including the Chelsea House collection) to radio free brattleboro in order to keep the collection together and available to the community.

Your article expressed your opinion, which I respect. What I do not respect is your inclusion of a tag line from 'Casablanca' which, by its presence and juxtaposition implies that we are "cut-rate parasites". What has happened to discourse in this country? Is it really necessary to constantly take cheap insulting shots at anything with which one doesn't agree? This kind of thing is as much of a discussion ender as calling someone a nazi or a racist. Hundreds of local citizens, from 8 year olds to 80 year olds, have been involved in the radio free brattleboro experiment in community. Speaking for myself, I have for nearly five years: attended weekly rfb management meetings, worked on fundraisers, run communications to the disparate staff, hosted monthly information meetings and orientations for those interested in learning more about - or joining - the station, hosted a weekly big band program every Sat. night for almost 5 years, hosted a Friday 6-8am morning show which promoted local events for about 3 years, was one of three hosts for a Sunday Morning Classical program, trained a number of DJs, got calls at home over equipment problems and solutions late at night, maintained the website schedule list of programs, etc. Others have put in just as much energy and dedication to our cause. And you want to label us as "cut rate parasites"? Your nasty little remark insults children, teenagers, seniors, the Public Library's Board of Trustees and it's staff, the memory of one of our DJs, as well as one of our supporters who gave countless hours helping the station with construction; and a few hundred others. All they did was to give of their time, energy and hard earned dollars in an attempt to make their community a better place to live. All they did was to believe in an idea that they had a right, that -you- have a right, to share what you know with your community. All they did to stand up for what they believed in. All they did was to do something about it. And what, may I ask have you done for your community? Aside from passing nasty ill tempered insults, that is. You owe a lot of people an apology.

Steven D. Twiss
--------------------
Ugarte: I thought---
Rick: You thought what?
Ugarte: What right do I have to think?

Authored by: CujoTheSeraph on Friday, June 27 2003 @ 09:33 PM GMT+4

DISCLAIMER: I'm an RFB DJ, an identity that I will not abamdon even in spite of the fact that this community's station has been rendered silent. What follows is my own opinion and not necessarilly that of RFB or the other DJs.

---------------

"Becoming a legally licensed station doesn't require membership in the 'homogenized corporate radio' club."

No, it does not. But as another poster has mentioned it requires that the applicant station go off the air until their petition is acknowledged. Over the course of RFB's time on the air my colleagues have been in contact with many similar stations across the country, and the general story is that getting licensed takes years.

In the years that RFB has spent unlicensed, they could have instead gone off the air and waited to go legit. Instead they chose to train hundreds -- yes, hundreds -- of people in a dying art, the art of community radio. Rather than staying silent RFB has given a voice to a remarkable spectrum of people over those years. Kids and college students, activists and housewives, working Joes (like myself) and older folks...lovers of books and lovers of poetry, lovers of music and dance, lovers of community and being a part of something much bigger than anything any one single person could do.

I may be reading too much into your motives here, but I have a sneaking suspicion that you naively believe that RFB decided to avoid getting a license because it was the "hip, cool, rogue / maverick" thing to do. If that's your assumption you're welcome to think that way, but wouldn't it make a bit more sense if you asked "Why?" instead of assuming "Because!"

"Likewise I knew more than a few 'pirate' stations who managed to fly under the FCC radar (and FCC does not go hunting for them, believe it or not, without complaint or other red flags) by intelligent decisions such as NOT having a web site! If you knowingly do something illegal, whether or not you agree with the law, you stand a chance of getting busted. If you hoist your own big red flag it will happen that much sooner."

I find it wholely amusing that you believe that our website was a thorn in our paw. Foremost, not a damned thing was said about our website; thus it was not one of the "red flag[s]" that sent the FCC our way. Beyond that, our website served the same purpose that our station was meant for: it united people over common interests, goals, ideals and music. I'd hazard to say that of all RFB's DJs I had the largest regular and consistant Net based audience. They called in, made requests, participated in my shows and eventually started listening to other RFB broadcasts as well. Many of them are just as worried about recent developements as I am, because that common love, that common passion...it's in danger. And as part of my community, as part of OUR extended community, they have a right to be worried.

I resent your implication that we were not "intelligent" in chosing to use the web as the remarkable tool that it is for communication. Perhaps you haven't caught on to the way things work, but in today's world the Web is everywhere and at the center of everything. I posit that it would not be "intelligent" to use the Internet to it's fullest potential and for the greatest good.

"If all those trained by RFB got their 3rd class broadcasters' licenses,"

Care to pay for mine? 'Cuz I'm flat broke these days. What about the kids who DJ at RFB...wanna supplement their allowances so that they can get that little piece of paper? Then there's the retired folks, who would just love to fork /more/ money over to the government, after dealing with inadequate medical care and low pensions or social security. And while we're at it, I don't seem to recall a single DJ from every single one of them that I've met who is independently wealthy or even comfortably well off. Gee! Ya know, maybe if we weren't busy paying our dues so that we could have proper equipment, and maybe if we were relying on corporate sponsors instead of our friends, family, co-workers and peers *cough! cough! COMMUNITY! cough!* we could afford those snazzy lil' licenses!

Radio Free Brattleboro gave us --gave everyone! -- a chance to do more than have radio inflicted upon us; it gave us a chance to be a part of radio, regardless of where we came from, how much cash we had, and who gave us a piece of paper saying that we were qualified to do what any one of us could do without said piece of paper.

"I don't mind a parasite. I object to a cut-rate one."

^ In case you were wondering why I seem a bit terse...

Authored by: javanyet on Tuesday, July 01 2003 @ 04:21 PM GMT+4

the signature aka tagline has nothing to do with rfb or anything else I comment on... it was attached to any post I made. It's just a line that amused me from the movie, not referring to anything herein. Sorry if anyone took it personally; I figured readers would know that account signatures are content-neutral. I've since changed my signature, since this has told me that everyone potentially would take it personally.

---
"You don't ask, you don't get."
Edward Charles

Authored by: Stevil on Saturday, July 05 2003 @ 03:25 PM GMT+4

Attn: Javanyet

Thank You for your clairification.
Before writing my response, I checked your other posts and noticed that your taglines were always different, so I jumped tothe conclusion that you had intended to use that specific tag. I remember, and miss, the pre web days of services like ILink and programs like Speed Read. I had a huge database of taglines of my own.

I do't think you need to delete the Casablanca Quote - it is a funny exchange. It was simply in this context that it set me off, and I hope you will understand that circumstances being what they are, I was a little stressed over the fate of the station.

I've been involved with rfb for most of it's existence. I watched it grow into something very special. And I'm proud of my part in that growth.

I'd never expect most folks to be familiar with the ins and outs of non-commercial licenses, nor the hurdles of the recent LPFM legislation or the history and politics behind changes to the original legislation. It takes a bit of time to understand why rfb chose the path it did. Certainly, we didn't spend much time in trying to communicate our reasons for unlicensed broadcasting. The staff seemed to prefer a less confrontational approach on those issues. Instead, they provided what I think was a damn good station.

Again, please accept my apology for flying off at the handle.