Radio’s Future

Prediction: Public Radio is gone in Chicago. Maybe not tomorrow, maybe not next week, but GONE GONE GONE nevertheless.

The quest to reform low-power FM law actually is moving forward at a good clip this congressional session. The Local Community Radio Act passed the House Energy and Commerce Committee several weeks ago, and a full floor vote is anticipated in the next few weeks. In the Senate, the bill is expected to get a committee markup soon (although obviously health care is dominating everything on that side these days).

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And one final note—I think it’s far easier to maintain a commitment to localism when you’re talking about a low-power broadcast license than when you’re talking about an online station. In the online situation, the temptation is always to go broader since your potential audience is pretty much infinite. You don’t have to give in to the temptation, but it’s certainly there, and I think you hear it in some local stations that have gained national and international followings online.

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