FAQ
What is CHIRP?
CHIRP is a new non-profit organization seeking to bring a new community radio station to Chicago.
What exactly do you have to do to get a new radio station?
We have to get Congress to pass a bill called the Local Community Radio Act. And we have to get the FCC to make a rule change that would open up more dial space for new low-power FM (LPFM) stations. Both of these things are moving right now, so we feel good about our chances!
Why can’t you just buy a station?
There are no radio stations available in Chicago, and if one were to become available, it would cost tens of millions of dollars. But when you apply for a new low power FM (LPFM) license (assuming licenses are available), it costs almost nothing.
Will I be able to hear your station’s broadcast all over the city? In the suburbs?
No. LPFM is by its nature, low power. Licenses range from 10-100 watts. To give you an idea of that, WLUW is 100 watts. We’re hoping for 100 watts, and we’re trying to figure out a placement that would best allow us to reach the most likely chunks of our audience, but we will not be able to cover the entire city or the suburbs with the broadcast. We will, however, have a webcast.
Then why a Low Power FM station? Why not go for full power?
For much the same reason explained in the question
about buying a station. There are no full power stations available, and if there were, they would cost millions of dollars. Even if licenses were available to apply for, there are large costs involved in applying and setting up a full power station. In contrast, a LPFM station costs nearly nothing to apply for, and can be set up relatively cheaply. Yes, it would be great to have a strong signal that would cover all of the city and suburbs, but it’s not realistic.
Other towns have LPFM stations. Why not Chicago?
As the law governing LPFMs was written back in 2000, no big cities are allowed to have LPFMs because Congress accepted the argument from the National Association of Broadcasters that LPFMs would cause interference with full-power stations in cities, because the dial is too crowded. But the FCC commissioned a major independent study (the MITRE report) after that, which showed that LPFMs do NOT cause interference. Now we need Congress to change the law to allow LPFM stations in cities.
What about translators? I’ve heard they’re an issue as well. And while we’re at it, what exactly is a translator anyway?
A translator is a transmitter and antenna put in place to transmit a signal from a distant station. Translators were supposed to be used to make sure a local radio station wasn’t “jumping over” any of its coverage area. But translator licenses have been misused over the past decade, with stations using them to build national networks.
There are a dozen translators in Chicago, doing absolutely no local programming, and taking up space on the dial that could be occupied by new, local LPFM stations (translators and LPFM stations use exactly the same transmission equipment, yet Congress elected not to regulate translator licenses in big cities, while prohibiting LPFMs!). Most of the translators in Chicago are retransmitting religious programming from a single station in northern California. We are asking the FCC to change this rule, and they are considering ways to do it. They already have decided to reduce the number of translator licenses a company can apply for.
When will you get a station? And where will it be?
We are starting a web version of the station in summer 2008. However, when it comes to a broadcast station, that’s a question we don’t know the answer to. Assuming we get the rule changes we need, the FCC would announce an application window for new LPFMs, and we’d submit our application. We don’t know when that would happen – it depends on what Congress does, and then on how quickly the FCC acts. And as for location, we’re scouting neighborhoods that would make the most sense for us, and investigating where a new signal might be able to fit on the crowded Chicago radio dial.
What’s going on with WLUW? Isn’t it a community station?
Many of the volunteers involved with CHIRP have been involved with WLUW. The reason CHIRP was formed was because in July 2007, WLUW’s owner, Loyola University, announced that they were “taking back” the radio station to make it part of their new School of Communication, and promptly insisted on the dismissal of the two managers who’d been running WLUW for the past decade. Over that time, WLUW had operated as a community radio station, open to anyone with an interest in radio.
No one knows what these changes mean for WLUW’s programming, or for the 100+ volunteers who work there who are not Loyola students. Apparently, the university felt there wasn’t enough student participation at the station, even though more than 100 Loyola students worked at WLUW in 2007, more than at any other time in the station’s history.
Loyola had one meeting with station volunteers, and most who attended found the answers incomplete and evasive, especially questions about what role community volunteers would play at the future WLUW. The university takes over “officially” in July 2008, and while it appears the station probably will sound similar through the end of 2008, once a new station manager takes over in January 2009, no one is sure what will happen to non-student participants. Recommendations from the university’s task force on WLUW seem to indicate that programming without student involvement will no longer be welcomed.
CHIRP won’t have to worry about a large, corporate-style owner who doesn’t understand the nature of community radio – the organization itself will be the license-holder.
Why should I care about radio anymore anyway? There are lots of other options.
The death of radio has been declared many times. But even now, 75% of all Americans listen to the radio at some point every single day. Most people who have left radio entirely, or who have cut back on listening, have done so because of the increase in commercials, the lack of variety, the repetition of music, and the disappearance of localism.
Part of radio’s mission is to serve the local community, and broadcast in the public interest. Radio is intimate – it’s with you in your car, your house, wherever you want it. It’s affordable and accessible. It’s quick, able to tell you what’s going on almost the moment it happens. At its best, radio is connected to a single community in a way that the internet, satellite radio, and even television never can be.
Community radio is all about localism, diversity, and adventurousness in programming, and it’s non-commercial. Many people listening to community radio tell us they had “given up” on radio until they discovered the station. Our goal is to create a station that you’d actually want to listen to, free of commercials and repetition, and replete with great music, a real focus on Chicago, and interesting views you can’t find anywhere else on the dial, all brought to you by people with a true passion for great radio.
If you don’t have a station yet, why are you fundraising?
We need to fund the launch of our web-based service this summer. Costs will include renting space, building out studios, purchasing equipment, and paying bills. Additionally, we need to be in a good position to be able to commission an engineering study to apply for a license once an application window opens. Once our application is accepted, we need to have money in place to purchase a transmitter and antenna, and to transition our web studio to a broadcast studio. We hope to raise $25,000-$30,000 over the coming year.
What can I do to help?
- Call your Congress members and ask them to support the Local Community Radio Act. Visit Congress.org to find contact information.
- Sign up for CHIRP updates.
- Make a donation* to CHIRP to help us in our efforts to start a web station and eventually get a new broadcast station.
*Donations to CHIRP are not yet tax-deductible. We’re still working on tax-exempt status.