Christian Radio Project
Every Ministry Needs To Consider Radio
And you thought I was just going to talk about radio? Well guess again! In case you are wondering "who asked for your opinion?", I volunteered! No, the purpose of this article is not to "bash" the powers that be, but rather to instill upon our readers that those who would advocate a "free radio medium" (a medium with MINIMAL or NO regulations) do, in fact, have a valid cause and should be heard! Although the laws regarding radio communication in the United States are considered somewhat generous compared to those of other countries, they have a long way to go before they are perfect! What we need in the United States is more of an equal access to the airwaves. Way too much of the broadcast spectrum has been taken over by large international or multinational corporations which all basically offer the same kind of programming and views in a nutshell. Most of the small locally owned radio stations have been bought out and their frequencies have been taken over by a broadcasting chain. Stations dedicated strictly to local news, events, and Christian groups have become a rarity. In most large metropolitan areas, we can count on our fingers the number of Christian or community radio stations that are on the dial. Even more alarmingly, we see countless stations run by corporate interests which do not necessarily even reflect the views of the community at large, much less the Christian community. As Christians, our voice must be heard in a somewhat dominant fashioned, and with variety. Many old-school listeners will not listen to a Christian radio station that plays up-beat music and would be more likely to listen to a Christian news-talk radio station. The younger crowd would probably shun the whole news-talk thing all together and go for the music. This leaves the secular crowd who may not ever listen to Christian radio. For them, there needs to be stations which broadcast some secular content along with some Christian content to spark their interests. The FCC has only somewhat attempted to address the issues which are present here, and have addressed them by creating the LPFM or Low Power FM radio service, where religious and community organizations can apply for licensing for a low-power community radio station at either 10 or 100 watts of power to serve their immediate communities. While this gesture looks good on paper, it is actually one of the biggest standing jokes of an attempt at free expression that there ever was. The FM Band is crowded as it is, and for every thousand applications the FCC gets to establish such stations, maybe a handful are actually approved, meanwhile, the FCC is doing next to nothing to stop large corporate interests from buying up even more airspace. To make matters even more interesting, across the nation we are seeing that there are becoming fewer and fewer radio stations on the AM dial, even in some of the large metro areas. Despite the fact that there is so much airspace available on AM nowadays, the FCC to this day has not yet initiated a LPAM or Low Power AM service which would allow more applicants to have access to the airwaves. Considering these facts, it is clear that the FCC actually has little to no intention of making the airwaves more community friendly. This is what happens when you allow a branch of our already-too-powerful Federal Government to regulate what used to be freedom of speech in America. For these reasons, it is imperative for us to write our senators and congressmen to request an equal access to the airwaves of America. Another issue is that even for someone to apply to the FCC for a construction permit for a full power radio station, a person or organization must have thousands upon thousands of dollars just to front the application fee. Then after review, the FCC can still turn them down and they are out lots of money. This effectively communicates that only America's rich are entitled to freedom of expression on the airwaves. This is another area in definite need of reform! In America, we expect our Government to be of, by, and for the people instead of being of, by, and for getting more money (and thus more power) for themselves. Actually the views I have demonstrated here are not all that different from the views of many other organizations who would like the FCC to be more friendly to us "little guys". Here is just one of many such examples: http://www.lpam.ws/rrtg_letter.pdf . If only more of us were willing to take such action! The FCC and FM broadcasters were toyting with the idea of making the FM band a digital spectrum capable of supporting many more stations within the same bandwidth. My question then is why can't all the commercial stations just move to FM and go digital and then why don't they just let the public "have" the AM Band with minimal regulation and no licensing?? It would only be fair! Because the FCC has not yet addressed these issues, many radio stations operate illegally as "pirate" radio stations. Although I do not advocate this type of civil disobedience, I and many others whole heartedly believe that changes need to be made in the government's control of radio. Before closing this paragraph, I would like to note one final thaught. This thaught is that the real "owners" of radio are the victims here. The owners or inventors of radio such as Faraday and Marconi and Bell, as well as the other numerous early pioneers (nameless geniuses) who helped pioneer what radio is today are the true owners of the radio spectrum, as well as the many early HAM operators and pioneers of the technology. They were the proud owners of the whole radiio spectrum until the FCC "stole" radio from the public with the notorious Communications Act of 1934, an act which literally ripped the rights of radio away from its true owners. This is why I and many others still hold some mild form of contempt for the term "pirate radio stations". In my opinion and in the opinion of many others, freedom of expression requires an equal access to the airwaves! It would seem that the US government and the FCC are the true "pirates". They acted just like pirates as they took radio by force. These may seem like harsh words, but sometimes harsh words are the only way by which certain injustices can be defined. Sure, the FCC has done some wonderful things by forming regulations which have benefited the broadcast industry and have kept the airwaves clear of interference. All I am saying is they still have a ways to go. I have the freedom of speech and expression, so I have the right to define the situation in terms as I see fit. It is time that we all wrote our senators and congressmen in a team effort to re-claim what is rightfully our as Americans!!
Actually, what I am saying here is the same thing that I have said for years. The US Government as a whole is getting out of control. It is becoming too big and too powerful, and this is making our votes, needs, and desires less and less effective! The government no longer takes the demands of the people seriously. I see no reason why radio broadcast bands should not be governed on a state level wrather than a Federal level. This would allow states to determine wether or not they will allow an LPAM service to exist in rural areas and bedroom communities. It would allow states to be the final governing bodies of any station which lies completely within state lines. It would allow cities and towns to decide wether or not they wish to license the radio endeavors of certain local groups who wish to broadcast to their immediate communities. It would give state and local police the power and authority to track and prosecute violators. At least this way, "We The People" would be in more control of what goes on and what our rights as individuals are. Licenses in many places would all of a sudden become obtainable to ordinary citizens, community, and religious groups. These people would have access to the airwaves with a minimum of red tape to go through. Everybody knows that you can get your way easier with local government than you can Federal Government! Perhaps if the FCC were to relinquish most of its control to state governments, we would once again have equal access to the airwaves! Another point I wish to bring about is that state regulation of broadcast communications would also effectively give citizens a choice of wether they can broadcast or not by what state they choose to reside in! People need choice, not facist rule!! The only broadcasts that the FCC should have any jurisdiction over are the ones which cross state lines and the ones which are dedicated for aircraft, government, military, and civil defense. The people can and should control the rest. Now all we need is a few million more people who feel this way to join and petition. Then then maybe (just maybe) the Government will finally be compelled to do something! This is what my blog is for!! SPEAK OUT! Freedom of Expression, NOT Government Oppression!
On Another Note...
In this next election, make your vote count by voting republican, or even better, libertarian. All Democrats do or have ever done is raise taxes and make it increasingly harder on law-abiding citizens to utilize their right to bare arms. They will do anything to see abortion legalized, and see absolutely nothing wrong with harvesting human fetuses for purposes of stemcell research. If you want to keep ALL the freedoms you enjoy today, tell your local democrats to take a hike, and do it with your vote! The libertarian party is the party that can and will do the most for radio freedom and freedom of speech. If you don't want to have to have a broadcasting license in order to broadcast, vote libertarian. They will actually listen to you! Don't put up with the endless theft of your hard earned money through Federal Government taxation. Ron Paul promises to END INCOME TAXES if we elect him president! Also, he would END THE WAR IN IRAQ. There is nobody over in Iraq worth dieing for, and we owe it to our boys to BRING THEM HOME! If you won't vote for Ron Paul, at least vote for Mike Huckabee!
New Comments added 11/27/08
Well America, you have voted unwisely and will certainly pay dearly for your bad choice of president and other significant leaders. Obama wishes to bring about national conformity of all citizens, and wishes to outlaw anyone and anything that does not "fit into" his mold. You saw how the media ignored many of the pressing issues which would surely have ended his election if discussed openly and honestly. Now you will likely see internet and media censorship like none ever witnessed before. Possibly even the death of talk radio as freedom of speech quickly becomes a thing of the past. Obama has already endorsed many Un-American actions paticularly in the state of Missouri with his "Truth Squad" made up of lawyers and prosecutors which were assembled soley for the purpose of prosecuting and even arresting anyone they felt was "not telling the truth" about Obama during his campaign. Those concerned with preserving freedom of speech are encouraged to start their own low power radio stations here in the US as very soon, only these stations may be the radio voice of truth! Remember, it is main stream media that declares that abortion is not murder. It is main stream media which proclaims that the theory of evolution is an official fact. It is the main stream media who thinks that they decide the morals of our society. It is the main stream media who has been brainwashing us for years, and worst of all, it is the main stream media who's official stance is "there is no God". May God forgive them for their lies and forgive them for their hatred of Christian morals, and even their hatred of God.
