WAKT LPFM Starts July 1

#toledo #radio #activism #media

After nearly three years in the making, the Toledo Low Power FM Radio Project became Toledo Integrated Media Education, and on Friday, July 1, 2016, the group will launch its non-profit community radio station, WAKT 106.1.

Station links:

• http://waktlp.org and http://www.wakt.fm point to the same location
• Facebook - WAKT Radio
• Facebook - Toledo Integrated Media Education

Elsewhere:

• Toledo City Paper - September 2013 - Good Morning Lucas County - Local radio station planning to hit Toledo's airwaves
• Toledo Talk - September 2013 comment
• Toledo Blade - June 2016 - Community-driven radio station to launch July 1

From the station's website:

We Act is an up-and-coming multimedia news outlet launching soon in Toledo, Ohio committed to bringing a culture of positive engagement to the local media landscape by helping our audience become participants - not just observers - of the community they live in.

Excerpts from the Blade story

The community-driven station begins broadcasting July 1, said Sean Nestor, the station’s founder and treasurer.

The station will feature mostly original, local content as well as some syndicated programming.

Show ideas seem to be split equally between music and talk programs. Important to the radio group is promoting Toledo's music scene, Nestor said.

Station planning began in 2013 when Nestor learned that the Federal Communications Commission would open a window for low-power FM station applications that November.

The station’s governing board of nine people is working to raise additional funds, setting a goal of $25,000 to $30,000 to pay for the studio equipment and the tower. The studio will be housed in the Collingwood Arts Center and the tower will be placed atop the Original Sub and Deli at 402 Broadway.

Once all of the equipment is purchased and the station established, the annual budget will be about $10,000.

The station is not allowed to be a commercial enterprise, so they can’t sell advertising. The station can, however, have underwriting for programs and also have paid memberships — much like NPR or PBS.

WAKT will have its strongest signal within three-to-five miles of the South Toledo tower, and should be listenable throughout Toledo, Mr. Nestor said.

The station's board members plan to do more online, like simulcast programs or post podcasts of each show.

Anyone interested in applying for a radio show, or contributing financially, can do so on the station's website, wakt.fm.

Back in 2005, I had a dream or an hallucination that was inspired by the pirate radio/micro radio session that I attended at the 2005 Allied Media Conference when it was held at BGSU.

Non-profit community radio. Is that possible? Wouldn't need much power. Just enough for Toledo and the immediate surrounding area.

Imagine a show hosted by GuestZero, anonymouscoward, and babbleman? I'd be downloading the podcast for that one, so I could hear it again.

Toledo Talk Radio would be an audio trainwreck, appealing to our natural voyeuristic curiosity. I mean, come on. Who doesn't slow down to view carnage?

Toledo Talk Radio would be controlled madness. Highly intelligent insanity.

"Radio Free Toledo" broadcasting illegally as a 100-watt LPFM.

But when the FCC briefly opened up LPFM applications in 2013, I guess the need for pirate radio has diminished a little. It's probably better to do these things legally.

June 2005 story :

Radio Free Brattleboro is a community-owned low-power pirate FM radio station. Federal marshalls seized RFB's equipment at 6:58 this morning, using a warrant issued in Burlington.

Brattleboro, VT now legally operates an LPFM station.