New Shasta County
Community Radio Station?

December 2009:

We have completed the process with the Federal Communications Commission to geographically amend our radio license application so that two other applicants on the coast can have a station. An arts organizaiton in Eureka and Humboldt State University can now both be granted licenses. We have heard the the FCC will be evaluating new applications very soon and espect that in the next six months we will have our permit. We will be applying in late February for a planning grant to help form the foundations of our new station and then use those plans and findings to apply for a grant for a construction permit to build our station. Much work lies ahead!

The posting below is still a fairly good overview of this project though first written in 2007.

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The FCC opened the application process to community-based groups and religious organizations for a small number of available radio channels in 2007. This opportunity will probably not come along again in our lifetimes.

So we applied. With the help of a number of very special donors, we raised over $6,000 to fund a professional application that, we're told, will be the highest ranked once the FCC begins evaluating our category of applications.

Then, the work really begins. A new, non-corporate station is essentially a blank canvas. We will ask for extensive community involvement in what programs will be created and aired. The possibilities are practically endless. Clearly, part of our goal is education and we will seek to air some public interest programs that are not being broadcast locally on the radio such as Democracy NOW! and Air America. We also want to fully engage a wide spectrum of our community. We can create community forums, interviews, opinion/analysis, local author readings, local musician performances -- the canvas is broad and community driven.

Radio is available for everyone! Such a station allows listening access to everyone, regardless of income status and on issues not consistently being covered by other media -- you wouldn't have to have cable, satellite or a computer with DSL in order to access such programming.

People of Progress stepped forward as the best candidate for being granted a license and volunteers from Citizens for Responsible Government (CRG) also helped make it happen.. More funds will be needed in the future when the FCC begins their review. We have no idea when that will be!

The application was a monumental undertaking. A successful community radio station will require the consistent participation of many people -- not just donors.

If you would like to contribute to our community radio fund, checks should be written to:
People of Progress P.O. Box 994431 Redding, CA 96099-4431
(and please write RADIO in the check notes section)

Or, click below to use PayPal

People of Progress has served Shasta County since 1974 with a food bank and resource center providing emergency clothing, blankets/diapers/personal hygiene items, post-disaster assistance, voice mail, rent assistance, emergency shelter, emergency casework/information/referrals, community resource guides, homeless survey information, community gardens and we lead and/or participates in many collaborative efforts. We planted an orchard in 2008 to supply fruit to our food bank.

Annually, we serve 16,000 people with food for over 200,000 meals, 8,000 clothing items, 2,000 bus passes, 500 blankets, 100 shelter nights, 500+ voicemail boxes and we prevent 20 or more households from becoming homeless through our rental assistance program..

We're all in this together.

-- page updated 8/2009 --