Grassroots Community Radio is Coming to Moscow

Community Radio: Hear it Now!
By Bob Hoffmann, from the April 2004 Newletter

KRFP volunteers hard at work renovating the new station.

KRFP volunteer Shawn Ringo assists in the renovation of the new station.

The pounding of hammers and the buzz of saws; the whine of drills and the wet rumble of rollers applying paint to ceilings and walls. These are not the sounds that you most immediately associate with radio stations, but these are the sounds that careful listeners will hear when they tune their ears to the second-floor windows of 116 E. 3rd. St., the new home of KRFP, Radio Free Moscow, as volunteers busily renovate our newly leased downtown studio space. We’re laying carpet, building studio furniture, configuring computers, and stringing the wiring that will constitute the nervous system of the station. We’re recruiting volunteers, planning programming, designing brochures, and raising funds.

Community radio is happening in Moscow. If it seems like I’ve been saying that for years, it’s because I have. Many people have doubted it would ever happen, and to be honest, there were times that I doubted it myself. The doubt is now no more than a dubious foot note in this historic undertaking. When we flip the switch in June, community members will have an outlet for information and entertainment that are too difficult to come by. One visitor to Moscow told me that he was excited for us. “I’ve seen the difference that a community radio station can make in a town,” he told me, “This will have a big, positive effect on Moscow!”

The new grassroots radio station is already making waves in the nation's burgeoning independent media movement. According to the Independent Media Center, "The station has already demonstrated great promise, by distributing great audio via the Net." So if you can’t stop by and see our station, and even lend a hand with construction, you can go to the Radio Free Moscow Web site and download some of our most recent audio. We have constructed an audio archive featuring recent events concerning racism and human rights, the local Gulf War protest, and more.

A dozen audio files, including the panel discussion on "Southern Slavery As it Wasn't," a speech by Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center, and a speech by Carl Mack, President of the Seattle chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, can be downloaded for free. The RFM audio page also links to sermons by Pastor Douglas Wilson on the Christ Church Web site.

And I can’t let this opportunity pass without making a personal appeal. Could you help make a difference in your community by supporting KRFP? If you have time, then we can find a volunteer job for you. We are also in need of more members, and more donations. We’ve done a great job building our bank account in the past few years, but as we renovate our space and start buying equipment, we are spending a lot of that money in a hurry. If you’ve been thinking of donating to KRFP, this is the time to make your commitment a reality. Your contributions could make the difference between our purchase of used equipment and top-of-the-line electronics. Your contributions can help us assemble a studio that our volunteer D.J.’s find easy to use, allowing them to serve the community better. Your contribution of $100 or more will also mean that your name will be engraved on our Founder’s plaque, which will be permanently displayed in our studio. Please commit to your community station today by sending a check to RMF, P.O. Box 8203-C, Moscow Idaho, 83843. Regular memberships cost $25, and student memberships cost $15. If you would like to help the station through the donation of your time and skills, please call Bob at 883-0642 or Cass at 882-0191.

Bob Hoffmann is a Radio Free Moscow, Inc. board member, a Founder, and invites other Moscow residents to join him on the Founder’s plaque.

by Leigh Robartes, from the December 2001 Newsletter

"A Community that communicates is a healthy community."

Early in January, a small group gathered in a Moscow living room and sketched out a plan to apply for a federal license for Moscow's first community radio station. The group's vision was to build a radio station for the many voices of Moscow and the surrounding areas, a station easily accessible by members of the community for the purpose of sharing ideas, music and art. As designed, station members not only would have a strong voice in programming the station, but actually program the station themselves.

At the meeting, the group formed a Board of Directors as required by the Federal Communication Commission, adopted a name, and adopted articles of incorporation. The group is aiming to eventually be granted non-profit status. And so, Radio Free Moscow, Inc. was born.

Radio Free Moscow, Inc. has applied for a radio-broadcasting license from the FCC to operate a 100-watt station in the city of Moscow. The group has passed some early hurdles in the licensing process and expects the station's construction permit to be approved sometime in early 2002.

After approval, it will take 6 months to a year to gather, install and test equipment and then go on the air.

Radio Free Moscow is a volunteer, cooperative effort to open avenues for individual expression and collective knowledge. Among the programming ideas already suggested:

• plenty of music, the wider the variety the better
• local call-in shows debating issues of importance to the community.
• broadcast of meetings, cultural and artistic events.
• airing programs produced by the growing worldwide grassroots journalism movement
• locally produced news shows put together by a collective of unpaid volunteers whose interest is serving the community
• locally-produced programming produced by or geared towards immigrant and ethnic communities
• commentaries, documentaries, lectures, speeches, interviews
• announcements of upcoming events and ongoing community activities
• participating in program and audio exchanges with other grassroots stations via the Internet

Community members like yourself who volunteer at Radio Free Moscow will create much of the programming. Take a moment to think of what sort of program you would do if you had a time-slot. Would you want 2 minutes or 4 hours a week? Would you simply play music? Would you mix music and talk? Would you take listener call-ins? Would you mix many styles of music or focus on a particular genre? Would you promote activism? Would you teach history? Create sound collages? Give updates about your favorite local non-profit group? Network info and audio found on the Internet?

All of the above are within the range of possibilities. Radio Free Moscow intends to encourage all sorts of creative expression on the radio.

The FCC requires that all stations use transmitting equipment produced by approved manufacturers. We will also likely have to rent space. Initial budgets for getting on the air with basic equipment and first year operation range from $20,000 to $30,000. Some of that might be defrayed through equipment donations. However, once on the air, we will likely want to raise further money for audio and signal improvements.

We will be applying for grants to help with start-up expenses. However, a large portion of the money for the station should come from members. Currently a one-year membership in Radio Free Moscow costs $25, or $15 for students. RFM is trying to keep dues as low as possible to encourage full participation by those with limited incomes. Members are eligible to vote for Board members, may access to all member communications and get early dibs on available timeslots.

Look for signs at the Co-op and around town announcing a Radio Free Moscow community interest meeting in early January. We'll be looking for volunteers to help make community radio happen in Moscow.

For more information, contact Radio Free Moscow at 704 E. 3rd St. in Moscow, at 892-9299, or via email.

Tuning into an Afghanistan Odyssey and other Grassroots Radio Adventures on your Computer

Leigh Robartes is a member of the board of Radio Free Moscow, Inc.

Seeking Local Informational Programming for Community Radio
By Bob Hoffmann, Board Member, Radio Free Moscow, from the September 2002 newsletter

Do you have an area of expertise that you would like to share with the community? Do you have a desire to help others improve their knowledge and their day-to-day lives? Then please consider the exciting opportunity of producing short radio programming for Radio Free Moscow, the new community radio station. Examples of desirable programming include:

• Food safety and dietary information;
• Gardening information;
• Community forestry;
• Reviews of books from local libraries;
• Yolistic health information;
• Human rights issues and milestones of Northern Idaho;
• Ecosystem/environment issues;
• Gun safety;
• Parks & recreation of the area.

The good news is, you don't have to talk for an hour or two at a stretch on your preferred topic. You can produce one or more short (3- to 5-minute) segments. Since Radio Free Moscow is not on the air just yet, radio spots would need a relatively long "shelf life." In the 6-12 months until the station goes live, you can record your own short programming at your own pace. You can produce the pieces at your own computer or in our studio space. We are willing to train you! When RFM hits the airwaves, listeners can tune in to hear your message at your program's scheduled time slot.

This is a great way to share your knowledge, raise awareness, and have fun! For more information on contributing programming to Radio Free Moscow, contact Bob Hoffmann at (208) 883-0642 or by email.

© Copyright on articles, recipes and images are jointly held by the Moscow Food Co-op and the respective contributors, except were otherwise noted.

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