Fox News.Com features a community broadcaster in Florida who was serving the people of his Dunbar neighborhood. Unfortunately, he was on the air without a license. He was recently shut down by the FCC and faces felony charges. Albert Knighten will not be able to get a license because of his arrest.
Knighten's case focuses attention on how commercial radio does not always serve the needs of the community. The Dunbar community is a mostly black neighborhood in Fort Meyers. Knighten saw a need and decided to go ahead with his station in 2009 without a license.
The FCC is trying to address that need with the Local Radio Community Act. The act is being championed by the Prometheus Radio Project.
Communities were better served in the past before the ownership rules were changed allowing owners to buy more than 40 stations in the country. Since the cap was taken off in 1996 there has been a substantial drop in minority stations. There are limits within a market of five or more depending on the market size. According to an article by Common Cause, Clear Channel owns 1,200 radio stations.
The first of the low power stations should be up and running in 2013 or 2014. Commercial broadcasters are worried the low powered stations will cause interference.
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