Support Community Radio Stations!

Defend Our Rights to Public Communication.

Take Action Now!

Dear friends,

The future of Vietnamese-language community radio stations, which have served close Vietnamese American communities across the U.S., depends on the passage of the Local Community Radio Act, which was passed in the House recently and must be passed by the Senate by the end of the year.

We have a chance right now to keep local radio on the air — but we need the Senate to take action by passing the Local Community Radio Act (S. 592) before the end of the year.

This bill promises to allow more stations on the radio dial, which has been dominated by large commercial radio stations, to thousands of new Low Power FM (LPFM) radio stations across the country -- bringing fresh music, local perspectives and community news to the public airwaves.

Schools, churches, and many civic groups, especially those that serve immigrant communities such as BPSOS' own Mach Song Radio, Saigon Houston Radio, Little Saigon Radio, Vietnam Public Radio, and many other stations, rely on the success of this bill to continue serving their local communities.

You can do something about it.  Contact your Senators and tell them to pass the LPFM bill NOW.

Email Your Senators. (use available letter template or write your own one)

Or

Call your Senators this week and ask them to get the Local Community Radio Act (S592) on the Senate agenda.

Here's what to say:

Senator _______,

I'm calling to ask you to vote 'yes' on the Local Community Radio Act (S. 592), which is headed to the full Senate soon. This important legislation would expand Low Power FM radio and allow locally produced, community radio to continue serving their own communities.

Expanding local radio will help restore needed diversity to our airwaves, bringing forth new voices and viewpoints that are often overlooked by large commercial broadcasters.

{If you live in a district with large Vietnamese American constituencies, add this: The Vietnamese Americans and many other constituents in [your state] rely on these community radio stations for necessary and important public information, especially during emergency situations.}

I ask you to join your many colleagues in voting for the Local Community Radio Act.

Thank you.

***

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ISSUE:

Support Low Power FM Radio

What Is LPFM?

Low Power FM – or LPFM -- stations are community-based, nonprofit radio stations that broadcast at the local level, to neighborhoods and small towns throughout the country.

Run by non-profits like colleges, churches, schools, labor unions and other community groups, LPFM stations provide local coverage, information and perspectives that are not available anywhere else. These non-commercial stations are uniquely positioned to meet local needs by:

·                     Giving a voice to local groups and people who otherwise lack access to the media.

·                     Offering a platform for discussing local issues.

·                     Providing news, information and viewpoints ignored by traditional media.

·                     Offering a training ground for students and others looking for a start in the radio business.

·                     Strengthening neighborhood and community identity.

·                     Issuing vital safety information during local emergencies.

LPFM stations may have a small broadcast range – they operate at 100 watts or less and have a broadcast reach of just a few miles – but their impact on local communities is immense. From the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts to Southwest Florida to the farming fields of the Pacific Northwest, LPFM stations are injecting a much-needed vibrancy into a radio dial gone stale from years of commercial consolidation.

Congress, the FCC and LPFM

After Congress first authorized LPFM stations in 2000, the Federal Communications Commission began to issue LPFM licenses, awarding more than 800 licenses to civil rights organizations, schools and church groups across the country.

Read About LPFM Success Stories

Soon after, Congress – under pressure from Big Media lobbyists – passed a misguided piece of legislation that radically reduced the radio spectrum available to LPFM stations because of claims of LPFM interference with signals from full power radio stations. Since then, thousands of applications for LPFM licenses have been blocked, preventing local communities from launching their own LPFM stations.

Congress ordered the FCC to study the issue, and, in 2003, the FCC released a $2 million study -- known as the "Mitre Report" -- which found that increasing the number of LPFM stations would not interfere with full power stations. The FCC then urged Congress to repeal the LPFM restrictions.

Act Now

The House has passed bipartisan legislation which promises to open the radio dial to thousands of new LPFM stations across the country, bringing fresh music, local perspectives and community news to the public airwaves.

We need the Senate to do the same.

Take action! Click here to stop the static and bring local radio to your community! Sign the letter.

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