Casey Kasem Retires at 77

Online radio stations strike big deal on royalties
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The Death of Traditional Media (same day as MJ)
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Why Should Webcasters Pay 25% Of Revenue To Promote Musicians?
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Pandora Limits Users To 40 Hours Per Month
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Call For Submissions / New Adventures in Sound Art / HOME - Deep
Wireless, Sound Travels & SOUNDplay Festivals / Toronto, ON /

Deadline Date: Wednesday, September 30, 2009

New Adventures in Sound Art invites artists of all ages and nationalities
to submit works on the theme HOME for consideration in 2010 future
programming for the annual Deep Wireless, Sound Travels, and SOUNDplay
festivals, produced by New Adventures in Sound Art in Toronto, Canada.

Artists may submit works in one or all of the following four categories:
1) Radio Art,
2) Electroacoustic Music & Sound Art,
3) Videomusic and
4) Installation Art (Note: please send separate submission forms for each
entry).

Individual interpretations or variations on the theme HOME are encouraged,
but should be realized with sound as the primary component.

All submitted works must respond in some way to the theme HOME in order to
be considered for 2010 NAISA programming.

1) Radio Art (for Deep Wireless)
The Radio Art category is for works conceived for radio or that use radio
and other wireless technology in their creation and that play with the
medium. Works submitted to this category must be less than 60 minutes in
duration. Special consideration will be given to 1 minute radio art pieces
for broadcast as well as 1 page proposals for collaboration on translocal
broadcast performances.

Pieces will be selected for broadcast within Canada and on several
international radio stations in May 2010 as part of the Deep Wireless
Festival of Radio and Transmission Art.

Both Canadian and International radio art submissions will be considered
for inclusion in the following:

-The Deep Wireless 7 radio art compilation CD
-The Radio Art Interventions (1 minute pieces played guerilla-style on
radio stations during the Deep Wireless festival)
-The Radio Art Salon - a listening gallery of radio art works exhibited
for the month of May.

2) Electroacoustic Music & Sound Art (for Sound Travels)
The Electroacoustic Music & Sound Art category is for multi-channel and
stereo works less than 20 minutes in duration and conceived for concert
performance or presentation in the Sound Travels festival of sound art.
Preferred formats for performance presentation include 5.1, octaphonic, 12
and 16-channel formats in both acousmatic (tape), live and mixed formats.
Please indicate in the notes the intended format of presentation and any
required instrumentation or specialized equipment.

3) Videomusic (for SOUNDplay)
The Videomusic category is for works that explores non-narrative
abstraction with equal emphasis on sound and image. Submitted works will
be considered for video screenings with either stereo or multi-channel
playback. Submitted works will be considered for screenings in either a
performance venue or a small-size gallery alongside other works selected
from this call for submissions.

4) Installation Art (for Deep Wireless, Sound Travels or SOUNDplay)
Installation proposals of previously realized works for site-specific and
gallery installations with no fixed duration will be considered for
presentation as part of Deep Wireless, Sound Travels or SOUNDplay.
Site-specific works can be for indoor or outdoor locations. Works can use
multichannel or single channel playback and may incorporate any number of
media, but must feature original sound as a primary element. Preference
will be given to small to medium scale interactive works that appeal to
all ages. Please attach a list of the necessary equipment required to
mount the installation and which of these items can be supplied by the
artist. Submissions should include audio, video or audio-video
documentation of previously realized versions of the work.

Submission Guidelines

Please submit a completed submission form (in digital format if possible)
along with the proposed works on CD or DVD.

For multichannel works, please include a stereo reduction for reference
purposes only. For video works, please include a DVD copy for reference
only. Screening and multi-channel masters will be requested later if the
work is to be programmed. For installation works or performance proposals,
please attach a list of required equipment with indications of equipment
that can be supplied by the artist.

Materials will not be returned. Please don't send original copies.

Submissions must be postmarked no later than September 30, 2009 and mailed
to: New Adventures in Sound Art
601 Christie Street #252
Toronto ON M6G 4C7

Visit http://www.naisa.ca for more information.

By Cory Doctorow in Boing Boing:

This first-hand account of the construction of a clandestine shortwave radio by British POWs in a Japanese camp in Singapore really reminds me of James Clavell's magnificent novel King Rat, my all-time favorite war-novel, which revolves grippingly around the construction, discovery and consequences of a hidden shortwave in the Changi camp (both Clavell and Ronald "St Trinian's" Searle were interned in this camp).

BJ: Can I just ask you - the components for the low voltage battery cells that you produced, where did you get all the components from?

RGW: Well, zinc wasn't hard, there was some sheet zinc lying on the aerodrome and we pinched quite a bit of that because that would be eaten away during the use of the cells for the low voltage. I don't know what would have happened if that ran out. I think someone produced two lantern cells which did for a while, but it was mainly on this home-made cell system, which wasn't efficient but nowhere near as inefficient as the rectifier was. We must have been consuming... Ah Ping said he had to turn up a lot of power to keep the lights what they wanted. We were dispersing such an amount of power in this four test tube rectifier for the high tension.

A variable capacitor was another component we had to bring in. We couldn't make a variable capacitor, it was impossible. We had to take two plates off the one we had to get a high enough frequency. Yes, I can't remember why we didn't go up a bit in inductance; it was largely a trial and error business really. Except that in a regenerative receiver you had some idea when you were near a station because the receiver was so sensitive as all regenerative receivers are.

It had a piece of meat skewer type wood which I had a hole drilled in by a pen-knife, and we glued this in with some of our glue or something, into the capacitor shaft so that we could tune it by holding a little stick across it, fixing it at about six inches because one couldn't get one's hands any closer to the set because it was in a state of very near oscillation where the maximum sensitivity is, just before it bursts into oscillation. With a fairly clear HF band, it wasn't long before we knew roughly, by putting a couple of marks on the stick, where it was. We knew that the Voice of America was due for a transmission and I don't think we ever knew the frequencies because the BBC didn't announce frequencies, they just came on the air and broadcast.

Construction of Radio Equipment in a Japanese POW Camp (via Make).

Twitter Users More Engaged with Music -- and More Likely to Pay for It
NPD

Seven Apps Worth Buying Headphones For
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Lessons Learned From Twitter Windfalls
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Radio stations step up battle against Performance Rights Act
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Licensing issues Shut Down Pandora Oustside US
slashdot

President Obama signed the Webcaster Settlement Act of 2009

The top internet radio stations
telegraph.co.uk

FCC Opening Door for New LPTV and TV Translator Applications
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Wired Editor-in-Chief Chris Anderson on the Future of Free
wired

In Online Music Era, Country Fans Lack a Connection
washington post

By Matt McCormick in CommLawBlog:

Ever want to own your own television station? Your chance is just around the corner, as long as you’re willing to start small with a Low Power Television or TV translator station. The FCC has announced that the welcome mat for applications for new LPTV/translator stations (and major changes to existing stations) will be out as of August 25, if you want a rural station; if you’re looking for Bright Lights/Big City action, though, you’ll have to wait until next January.

In a Public Notice released June 29, the FCC announced a two-phase plan for the filing of applications for new digital-only LPTV and TV translator stations (we'll call them LPTVs collectively) and for major changes of existing LPTVs. Also, any analog LPTVs that didn't pick up a digital companion channel in the last go-round back in 2006 will now get another chance.

Phase 1 begins August 25, 2009, when the FCC will begin accepting, on a first-come, first-served basis, applications for new digital-only LPTV stations, major changes in existing LPTVs and digital companion channels in rural areas only.

What’s a “rural” area? To meet that condition, you must specify a transmitter site at least 75 milers (121 kilometers) from the reference points for any of the top 100 markets. (In an Appendix to the Public Notice, the Commission has helpfully listed not only all of the top 100 markets, but also their respective reference points.)

The geographical “rural only” restriction goes away when Phase 2 begins on January 25, 2010. From that date on, applications for new LPTVs, major changes and companion channels may be filed regardless of the proximity of the transmitter site to a major market.

In both phases, applications will be accepted first-come, first-served, and will be "cut-off" on a daily basis. That means that if you file your application one day after a conflicting application, you're out of luck (unless, of course, the earlier-filed conflicting application gets dismissed, in which case you would get a second chance). If two conflicting applications happen to be filed on the same day, they will be deemed to be “mutually exclusive”, which will entitle them to go through the FCC's auction process.

Applications for new LPTVs and replacement translators must specify an in-core channel (i.e., Channels 2 through 51). Incumbent analog LPTVs looking for digital companion channels should also try to specify an in-core channel, but if nothing suitable is available, a channel between 52 and 59 may be used if the applicant goes through a whole circus full of hoops outlined in the FCC's Public Notice.

(Our colleague Peter Tannenwald raises an interesting question: why would an existing LPTV analog station with an in-core channel apply for a second in-core channel as a digital companion facility, rather than simply applying for a new station on that second channel? The problem with companion channels is that, at some point, that licensee will have to choose between its original channel and its companion channel – that is, in the end the licensee would have only one station on one channel. On the other hand, if the LPTV licensee got an in-core channel as a new stand-alone station – i.e., not a companion channel – and eventually did a flash-cut switch to digital on its original channel, it would end up with two channels, both of which it could keep.)

And on the topic of flash-cuts, the FCC reminds LPTV and Class A licensees currently operating in analog that they can file on-channel digital conversion (i.e., flash-cut) applications at any time – like right now, if they want. The Commission encourages analog LPTV stations that are planning on filing flash-cut applications to do so before the FCC begins accepting first-come, first-served digital applications. Acting sooner rather than later will get you ahead of any tsunami of applications that might develop in, say, August (or January) as far as processing is concerned; it may also prevent other applications from limiting your options in some ways.)

The FCC application filing fee for a new LPTV station or for a major change in an existing station is $705.00. There is no FCC filing fee for flash-cut or digital companion channel applications. All applications must be submitted electronically thought the FCC's CDBS program.

It’s been years since the FCC has flung open the door for new (i.e., non-companion) LPTV stations anywhere. As a result, it is extremely likely, if not an odds-on mortal lock, that some serious demand has built up – demand that we will see unleashed on August 25. In other words, we can probably expect a ton of filings as soon as the door opens. Since the coming opportunity is strictly first-come, first-served, applications which are filed at the first opportunity will block out later-filed applications. That being the case, if you have specific notions of filing for a new station in a particular community, you would be smart to get all your ducks in a row so that you will be able to file on August 25. Otherwise, you run the risk that somebody else will get there first.

The Palais de Tokyo is currently holding a "Spy Numbers" exhibit: On the short waves of our radios, voices read out uninterrupted series of numbers. 2… 11… 58… 35… 23…
Whether they are encrypted instructions intended for sleeping agents, messages exchanged between traffickers, or simple telephone settings, the “Spy Numbers Stations” have been broadcasting for several decades without their precise function becoming known. In the wake of Gakona, the previous exhibit inspired by the work of Nikola Tesla, Spy Numbers continues the exploration of the electromagnetic spectrum and its margins in this second session of 2009. Beyond the visible and closer still to the infra-thin and the spectral, the Palais de Tokyo experiments with forms of art that elude any wistful desire for fixed interpretations. In an exhibition area reduced by half due to renovations, Spy Numbers brings together a variety of artists whose interests include mathematical encoding, the production of aurora borealis, archiving contact lenses, seismic sensors, the disappearance of hanged men and mountain summits.

The Prometheus Radio Project is among the organizers of the day to help bring low-power FM to communities throughout the United States. Join people from across the country to tell Congress to open up the airwaves for more community media!

TAKE ACTION - Tell your Congressional Representative to support HR 1147.

1. Look up your Congressional Representative at Congress.org

2. Find out if they have already supported the Local Community Radio Act.
See a list of cosponsors at govtrack.us and search for Bill number HR 1147.

3. Call the Congressional Switchboard at: (202) 224-3121 and ask to be connected to your Representative's office.

If your representative is not a cosponsor tell he/she to support expanding Low Power FM all across the country and cosponsor the bill.

If your representative is a cosponsor ask him/her to reach out to Congressional Leadership to let them know that this is an important priority around the country.

Background:
In 2000, the FCC established Low Power FM radio service and the same year Congress acted to limit LPFM, pending the results of an interference study. This study was released in 2003, after an expenditure of $2.2 million in taxpayer dollars, and proved that LPFM would not provide interference to existing stations. There are currently over 800 LPFM stations operated by schools, churches, civic groups, and other nonprofit organizations across the country. However, it's time, as the authors of this study and the FCC recommended, to expand LPFM to its intended service parameters. The Local Community Radio Act (HR 1147/S592) would expand Low Power FM radio stations and open the airwaves up to potentially tens of thousands of new community radio stations across the country.

The Miami Herald reported that Neil Rogers, one of the United States' best talk show hosts, took a buyout check and retired today. Rogers, 66, and Miami's WQAM-AM 560 jointly announced that he is leaving his 10 a.m.-to-2 p.m. slot. In 1976 Rogers announced he was gay on the air. His acerbic talk show was biting and hilarious in South Florida, and for a few years in the late '80s he was simulcast on a Tampa radio station that also featured Bob Lassiter. Rogers will be missed.

"Radio Futura," the official FuturePlaces radio station broadcasting live during the FuturePlaces 2009 digital media festival (October 14-17, 2009 in Porto, Portugal), is looking for submissions. "Radio Futura"" is a joint venture between Future Places and Rádio Zero. We are now accepting submissions for Radio Futura, a special one-week radio broadcast during FuturePlaces 2009. FuturePlaces 2009 is an international digital media festival focusing on the potential of digital media to change local cultures and societies. It does so by exploring digital culture in its many forms: from concerts to exhibitions and competitions, from workshops to parties, from conferences to film screenings. During the festival, Radio Futura will be broadcasting a mix of live event coverage and studio programs. We want your participation by submitting proposals for programs to be broadcast during the festival.
You can submit any kind of program, as long as it is connected to radio digital culture and/or local cultures in any way. Preference is given to proposals of live programs, using webstream or at (if you're around at the time) Radio Futura studio, but pre-recorder programs are also welcomed.

SUBMIT YOUR PROPOSALS TO: radiofutura2009 @ gmail.com
Deadline for submitting your proposals is : August 15, 2009
Proposals should be either a short statement of the idea to be developed in the radio program, or an audio file of a draft program. (MP3 or OGG is preferred at this stage, because it is light!). You can find out more on the Future Places digital media festival at http://futureplaces.org.

Last night at free103point9's Noise! festival at the Ontological Theater in Manhattan, Jeremy Slater and Tamara Yadao used the FMjam transmitter in his performance. It is a small transmitter with numerous effects on it, marketed to guitar players and such who want to jam together. Slater and Yadao both played with one, and the FMjam allowed them to both perform on the same radio frequency. Apparently, up to five people can "jam" together on the same frequency with this transmitter.

By Jack Kontney in Broadcast Engineering:

President Obama's nominee for Federal Communications Commission chairman, Julius Genachowski, has emerged from a June 16 Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee vetting with high marks. His nomination now moves to the full Senate for confirmation, which is expected with little controversy. Republican Commissioner Robert McDowell, nominated for a second term on the FCC, was also approved by the committee.

While the audio industry still awaits final FCC rulings and clarifications on white space spectrum allocations and usage by TV band devices, the hearings addressed this issue by implication only. Rather, the nominees were asked for their views on issues like indecency, exclusive mobile carrier arrangements, media ownership rules and broadband integration and infrastructure.

Genachowski, whose technology background includes time as a legal adviser to FCC Chairman Reed Hundt during the Clinton administration and as technology advisor to the Obama presidential campaign, has promised to run a more transparent commission with a strong technology orientation.

In his hearing, Genachowski stated that he plans to use federal economic stimulus money to bring broadband Internet services to underserved, generally rural areas. The Obama administration included $7.2 billion in funds for this purpose.

In addition, a number of other responses may prove enlightening on the future direction of the FCC. Genachowski expressed interest in a proposed Senate bill calling for the FCC to conduct a comprehensive inventory of all available frequency spectrum between 200MHz and 3.5GHz and how it is used for both licensed and unlicensed activities.

Another major hot button is the examination of exclusive wireless carrier deals routinely done by the makers of mobile phones. Noting that traditional phone services are legally required to allow consumers to connect any legal device to their networks, Genachowski has stated that, under his chairmanship, the FCC would review whether mobile handset deals requiring a specific wireless carrier (such as AT&T for the Apple iPhone) are anticompetitive.

The long-standing request for action on this issue originated with the Rural Cellular Association (RCA), which charges that such deals shortchange rural areas. Similar calls to action have come from other grassroots groups. The mobile phone industry feels strongly that exclusivity deals have been a boon to consumers, spurring the development and availability of new technologies. In a written response to a question from Sen. John Kerry, Genachowski said, “If confirmed, I will ensure that the full record on the RCA petition is reviewed and act accordingly to promote competition and consumer choice." Interim FCC Chairman Michael Copps has already instructed the commission to begin planning for such a review.

Genachowski also supports greater diversity in media ownership, expressing his hope to develop strategies to bring more women- and minority-owned representation into the media. It should be noted that both the Senate and the House of Representatives are currently considering laws that would expand the availability of low-power FM radio licenses.

Reading between the lines, it would appear that the combination of a frequency allocation review, white spaces technology development and possible expansion of LPFM license availability may create a “perfect storm” of issues that allows the soon-to-be confirmed FCC chairman to consider a wide variety of rules and policies. With the Obama administration on record as favoring technology development in the white spaces, expansion of broadband availability and Internet neutrality, it seems clear that the FCC will be used as an instrument of the administration’s technology, communication and, to a lesser extent, social agenda.

Considering the extended timeline and limited success of the recent DTV transition, one can only hope that the infusion of fresh blood and a visionary agenda will help the FCC move with more self-assurance than seen in recent years. With the United States lacking a cohesive policy on broadband and wireless communications, the coming years will be critical in defining whether this country will be a leader or follower in broadband availability and mobile communications. The FCC under Julius Genachowski will play a critical role in determining both the direction and success of our nation’s progress in these areas, and whether it can be achieved without crippling existing technologies such as broadcast television and wireless microphone systems.

With never-ending advances in technology constantly challenging the status quo, the FCC must make the transition from “protector of broadcasting in the public interest” to “communications technology consultant for the U.S.” The importance of this critical role cannot be overestimated, and it is hoped that the commission will see the big picture and take decisive action before its too-brief window of political opportunity passes.

From Science Daily:

MIT engineers have built a fast, ultra-broadband, low-power radio chip, modeled on the human inner ear, that could enable wireless devices capable of receiving cell phone, Internet, radio and television signals.

Rahul Sarpeshkar, associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science, and his graduate student, Soumyajit Mandal, designed the chip to mimic the inner ear, or cochlea. The chip is faster than any human-designed radio-frequency spectrum analyzer and also operates at much lower power.

"The cochlea quickly gets the big picture of what's going on in the sound spectrum," said Sarpeshkar. "The more I started to look at the ear, the more I realized it's like a super radio with 3,500 parallel channels."

Sarpeshkar and his students describe their new chip, which they have dubbed the "radio frequency (RF) cochlea," in a paper to be published in the June issue of the IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits. They have also filed for a patent to incorporate the RF cochlea in a universal or software radio architecture that is designed to efficiently process a broad spectrum of signals including cellular phone, wireless Internet, FM, and other signals.

The RF cochlea mimics the structure and function of the biological cochlea, which uses fluid mechanics, piezoelectrics and neural signal processing to convert sound waves into electrical signals that are sent to the brain.

As sound waves enter the cochlea, they create mechanical waves in the cochlear membrane and the fluid of the inner ear, activating hair cells (cells that cause electrical signals to be sent to the brain). The cochlea can perceive a 100-fold range of frequencies -- in humans, from 100 to 10,000 Hz. Sarpeshkar used the same design principles in the RF cochlea to create a device that can perceive signals at million-fold higher frequencies, which includes radio signals for most commercial wireless applications.

The device demonstrates what can happen when researchers take inspiration from fields outside their own, says Sarpeshkar.

"Somebody who works in radio would never think of this, and somebody who works in hearing would never think of it, but when you put the two together, each one provides insight into the other," he says. For example, in addition to its use for radio applications, the work provides an analysis of why cochlear spectrum analysis is faster than any known spectrum-analysis algorithm. Thus, it sheds light on the mechanism of hearing as well.

ISEA2010 RUHR is the 16th International Symposium on Electronic Art, a major conference and exhibition event for art, media and technology, scheduled for 20-29 August 2010 in the German Ruhr region (Dortmund, Essen, Duisburg, a. o.). We invite proposals for conference papers, artist presentations, exhibition projects, live performances, and art projects in public space. Visual artists, musicians, dancers, designers, engineers, software artists, researchers, theorists, media activists, and hybrids of these, working with recent technologies and exploring the artistic, creative and critical potentials of digital and electronic media, should submit their projects or papers online by 15 September 2009. All submissions will be evaluated by an international jury. The results of the jury process and invitations for ISEA2010 RUHR are expected by the end of 2009. Please note that all submitted information can be edited and completed until the submission deadline. Detailed information about the submission process can be found at: http://www.isea2010ruhr.org/submissions. Contact: call@isea2010ruhr.org

By David Pescovitz on Boing Boing:

MIT researchers built a radio chip inspired by the inner ear. The "RF cochlea chip" could be a key component in a "cognitive radio," a device that can determine the appropriate frequency and power consumption required and adjust itself accordingly. Such a universal radio architecture could efficiently handle a wide range of signals, from cellular to WiFi to television. From MIT News:

The RF cochlea mimics the structure and function of the biological cochlea, which uses fluid mechanics, piezoelectrics and neural signal processing to convert sound waves into electrical signals that are sent to the brain.

As sound waves enter the cochlea, they create mechanical waves in the cochlear membrane and the fluid of the inner ear, activating hair cells (cells that cause electrical signals to be sent to the brain). The cochlea can perceive a 100-fold range of frequencies -- in humans, from 100 to 10,000 Hz. Sarpeshkar used the same design principles in the RF cochlea to create a device that can perceive signals at million-fold higher frequencies, which includes radio signals for most commercial wireless applications...

The RF cochlea, embedded on a silicon chip measuring 1.5 mm by 3 mm, works as an analog spectrum analyzer, detecting the composition of any electromagnetic waves within its perception range. Electromagnetic waves travel through electronic inductors and capacitors (analogous to the biological cochlea's fluid and membrane). Electronic transistors play the role of the cochlea's hair cells.

By Cory Doctorow on Boing Boing:

Fitzrovia Radio Hour is a radio-drama performance troupe in the UK who do over-the-top, steampunky stories that pay homage to the golden age of British radio plays. I saw them perform live at one of the White Mischief steampunk nights at the Scala near King's Cross, and they were superb -- full costume, great period-appropriate foley gadgets, and wonderful performances. They've got a podcast, too!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hn8EOnCrp-Y&hl=en&fs=1&]
Performance by Danny Snelson and Joe Milutis for Writing for their Lives @ UW-Bothell. Milton's Paradise Lost, Book I is sampled (Milutis) and translated using Ronald Johnson's Radi Os as lexicon.

Building a Wifi Radio
mightyohm.com

Net gives pirate radio the last laugh
new scientist

Smartphone Rises Fast From Gadget to Necessity
nytimes

Social Networks Eclipse E-Mail
nytimes

Trent Reznor Says No More Social Networking
hypebot

Vinyl sales to hit another high point in 2009
la times

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihSowebyCT0&hl=en&fs=1&]
Above: On June 11, 2009, at a hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet on H.R. 1147, the Local Community Radio Act, Congressman Doyle questioned witnesses from the Federal Communications Commission and the National Association of Broadcasters about whether existing stations would experience significant interference if Congress enacted the Local Community Radio Act, which would allow the FCC to license thousands of new community-oriented low-power FM radio stations across the country. There appeared to be very little justification for concern.

From Radio World:

The push by low-power FM proponents to drop third-adjcacent channel protections for full-power stations, thus allowing more LPFMs on the dial, is gaining more attention from Congress.

The Federal Communications Commission maintains that doing so would result in only a small amount of interference to full-power stations and it supports the expansion of the LPFM service by dropping those protections.

LPFM proponents said at a House subcommittee hearing this week that thousands more of the low-wattage outlets could be on the air if H.R. 1147, the Local Community Radio Act, passes. Opponents said if that happens, the FCC seems to be okay with some interference affecting some full-power stations or their translators, interference that could creep beyond the third adjacents and affect second adjacents as well.

Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., who owned radio stations for 21 years, said he’s received letters from public radio stations concerned about displacement of their translators given the current way the bill is written — language he says would give the FCC authority to affect beyond third-adjacent full-power protections. He’s heard that some LPFMs are airing ads and acting as commercial stations and pressed the commission to make sure LPFMs are serving their communities, as full-power stations do.

But bill co-sponsor Rep. Lee Terry, R-Neb., said of LPFM: “It gives people a voice that they may not have now. Studies have shown we can do LPFM without stepping on the signals of higher-power stations.”

The FCC wants to drop the third-adjacent channel protections. Chief of the FCC’s Audio Division Peter Doyle said 859 LPFMs are licensed and on the air. At the same time, the agency has licensed more than 4,000 new translators with no impact from LPFMs and said, “There’s been no discernible increase of interference during this licensing process.” The FCC remains convinced the impact from dropping third-adjacent channel protections to translators or full-power stations “would be extremely modest,” he said. The FCC expects “enormous interest” in the next LPFM application window.

Cheryl Leanza, representing the United Church of Christ and speaking for LPFM proponents, said, “We know low-power is safe because there are thousands on the air now. They don’t cause interference. The only difference is who owns them, whether they’re a member of NAB or not.”

Testifying for the National Association of Broadcasters was Beasley Broadcasting EVP/CFO Caroline Beasley, who said full-power stations and LPFMs can co-exist but that it’s important to maintain interference guidelines. Broadcasters are concerned about interference, because if a listener hears it in some form, like static, she said, “They will simply change the channel.” The study on potential for LPFM interference done by Mitre years ago recommended a way to mitigate interference to full-power FMs from LPFMs, she said. “There’s still room for tens of thousands of additional LPFMs — even with keeping the third-adjacent channel protections.”

Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Va., chairman of the Communications, Technology and the Internet Subcommittee, said while expanding options for more LPFMs is desirable, Congress must be certain it would be implemented in a way that would not jeopardize full-power stations, emerging HD Radio and radio reading services.

Before the hearing’s conclusion, lawmakers asked the FCC to provide more details later on interference studies that have been done and details of an FCC rule that protects translators. Boucher did not say what the next steps by the subcommittee would be.

From Matthew Lasar in Ars Technica:

Supporters of low-power FM (LPFM) radio won a victory on Friday when a federal appeals court rejected a lawsuit to stop the Federal Communications Commissions from protecting LPFM stations from full power station signal interference.

"This is terrific news for the low power radio community," declared Sakura Saunders of the Prometheus Radio Project, which helps LPFMs. "Now, these stations can focus on serving their local communities, rather than live in fear of displacement due to the whims of their full-powered neighbors."

On the other hand, the advocacy group that defended the LPFM service was circumspect about the win. "The decision in the courts merely protects the status quo," noted the Media Access Project in a statement sent to Ars. "Congress still must pass legislation to allow more low-power FM stations to operate nationwide."

There's also the question of how to ensure the funding these stations need to more effectively serve their signal areas. More about that later, though. First let's look at the nuts and bolts of this case.....

All this is music to the ears of Congressmember Mike Doyle (D-PA), who, along with Lee Terry (R-NE), has a bill pending that would dump that third-adjacent rule once and for all. There's a parallel proposal in the Senate backed by Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and John McCain (R-AZ). No big surprise what Doyle thinks should happen now: "Congress should enact the Doyle-Terry-McCain-Cantwell legislation," he told Ars, "to dramatically expand the number of low-power FM stations the FCC is allowed to license."