By
Nick Zeckets
Trick-or-treaters will wander from house to house tonight for candy and parties, and cruise in their cars bumping jams from 93.7 FM. At least some people will listen, but for the most part, the mix will consist of Casey Casem's top 40. Thousands of UA students wish their music could get played over the airwaves, but the bastards in the National Association of Broadcasters are keeping low-watt stations like KAMP radio from securing an antenna. Congress needs to save democracy and give antennae to more low-watt stations.
Democracy in the United States rests upon several simple notions, one of the most important being free speech. Currently, the airwaves are dominated by pop music degenerates and oh-so-last-years. William Kennard, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, characterized modern radio as being "marked by the increasing consolidation and homogenization of the industry and the marketplace of ideas."
Smaller stations allow the people to express their personal feelings while better catering to a local audience. Kennard further said that, "Low-power FM will allow schools, churches and other local organizations to use the public airwaves to make their voices heard."
KAMP programming director Andy DePew, a media arts senior, described the station as being "dedicated to the things you don't hear on normal radio." General Manager of KAMP, Michelle Black, a speech and hearing sciences junior, added to DePew's comments saying, "KAMP has always been the student station - the student show."
Kennard has been fighting for low-watt stations like KAMP since assuming his post, but the NAB continues to drop money in Congress to spawn anti-low-watt legislation. DePew said that, "They [the radio conglomerates] pay big money to shut us out."
Members of the NAB have trumped up bogus accusations of what low-power FM stations would do to the bandwidth. Kennard said that, "As a smoke screen for their financial interests, broadcasters have consistently cited the remote possibility of signal interference. But this argument is disingenuous." Even the chairman of the FCC knows that the NAB is full of crap.
Everything in the debate comes down to a matter of money. As the number of listeners decrease for the station conglomerates, advertising fees will have to decrease. Well, that's just too bad, Captain Corporate. Here come the underdogs fighting for freedom of the airwaves. There are no legitimate reasons to keep them off. None.
DePew remarked that "KAMP has a history of striving against oppression, and we'll keep working on getting an antenna no matter what." It seems that big money and pork barrel politics are standing in the way of low-power FM like KAMP, but supporters are determined. The likelihood of success, however, is minimal.
"I think we have a chance at getting an antenna, but it sucks that all we have is a chance," DePew said. Considering the strength of Capitol Hill lobbying by the NAB, the future of KAMP and other small stations is questionable.
Of late, KAMP has found its home on the Internet at kamp.arizona.edu and on channel 20 in any of the dorm rooms. The lack of easy access has definitely left a mark, but DePew said that people still visit them on KAMP on the Internet. Black even noted that a man who had been listening from Connecticut contacted him. Despite some national exposure, DePew found that, "It would be great to have a system more accessible to the students."
Now, Senate Bill 3020 sits in the Senate waiting to be voted upon. The so-called Radio Broadcasting Preservation Act of 2000 introduced on Sept. 7 would "require the Federal Communications Commission to revise its regulations authorizing the operation of new, low-power FM radio stations." Black indicated that, "If the new bill in the Senate [3020] goes through, that will basically shut down small stations," and that includes KAMP.
While the Low-power Radio Coalition, under the direction of Michael Bracy, is fighting to keep low-power stations afloat and get more of them up and running on the airwaves. In January, the FCC voted to create a new class of low-power FM radio stations but later in April, the House succumbed to pressure from incumbent broadcasters and voted to gut the proposal. There's just so much one lobby can do.
Arizona's own John McCain is a supporter of low-power FM and one of the popular leaders of the Senate. Write him, call him, send him a picture of you chilling with the KAMP DJs on the Mall, just do something. Save low-power FM and KAMP - it could save democracy.
