Denver Radio is safe. Safe like a preschool toy. No sharp edges. Not too hard, but not too soft. Non-toxic. Non-abraisive. And just a little too much to swallow. So lets change all that. After all. we're adults. We don't need the child proof cap. And I believe that Denver is screaming for something new.

I'll get to the meat, and then let you chew on it a while. Denver needs a new radio station, one that services the Denver community. Not the suburban-neo-california-s.u.v.-pink-polo community, but a station that serves the heart of Denver. A Capitol Hill station that is as musically diverse as the people on 'the Hill', politically active, minority driven, and run on 'the Hill'. Denver needs a station without the preeschool safeguards, where local voices and opinions are as sharp as the skyline, and where the music is not the same eight songs played on the same six stations as if the "Singles" soundtrack was stuck in your tape deck.

The Denver Low-Power Radio Coalition (DLRC) has been set up to create this station in Denver. Our goal is a new station serving and run by the people of Capitol Hill. A Community station that offers not only musical diverstiy, but a forum for minority broadcasting, an arena for political and editorial type commentary, local, neighborhood news and information, and an inexpensive advertising alternative for local businesses.

Think about the type of radio you listen to. When you're in your car. Listening to the news, traffic, or just searching for a station the plays the best song for you to listen to at that point in time. If you are like most people, you have your favorite stations on the presets, and you casually flip through each one until you find something you like. Maybe you are happy with what you get from your car radio, maybe not. But then, you really don't have much choice in what you listen to, do you...

Since the FCC deregulated radio station ownership several years ago, the major corporations have been buying up stations at an alarming rate. Along with a decrease in ownership, comes a decrease in diversity. Localism is broadcasting is almost dead. Consider this; there are basically 16 radio stations on the Denver FM dial, not including some fringe stations that you may pick up from Boulder, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, or Greeley. 13 of those Denver stations are run by four communications corporations, Jacor, Chancellor, Jefferson-Pilot, and Tribune Broadcasting. And we're just talking about the FM dial. Over all, these four corporations operate 25 radio stations along the front range. Now consider the type of programming you are getting. Most of the "conceptual" programming of a radio station; the music format, positioning it as the "light" or "hard" station in the market, the promotional battling between stations, and even the staff is usually done from a corporate headquarters in another city. In other words, 81% of the Denver FM dial is under the control of four Corporations, that aren't even programming from this city.

Now you are ready to ask yourself what you really know about Denver. What have your heard about these Denver service organizations: Urban Peak, Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods, F.A.C.E.S., Safehouse Denver, etc. How many local bands can you name? How many of those have you heard? Have you ever heard your favorite little corner market advertised on the radio? Or one of those little antique shops on Broadway? Does radio cater to these type of businesses, organizations, and individuals? Radio hasn't been used as a vehicle to focus on the Community since the advent of television. It has become a flashy tabloid, driven by ever increasing advertising dollars, and only the biggest news events. Local air talent is driven out by syndication, and advertising costs are so high that only large, well established businesses can afford air time. Religious, political, minority, and other special interest programming can only find minimal air time, at off-peak hours.

What if...there were a radio station run right in your neighborhood, that gave out information about what's going on in your neighborhood. A station run by your neighbors. A music station not corporately programmed. A station that gave air time for public opinion. A station actually dedicated to minority and special interest programming.

The FCC is now trying to license what Pirate Broadcasters have been doing for years. Local, community radio, run by and for small sections of either urban, or rural areas. You can imagine what you might hear on a pirate station. Some mumbling, pseudo-DJ prophesizing some seemingly trivial information, followed by a plug for "Fashion Nation". But he did play a song you liked, and had never heard, and he says they should put more lights around that car wash over on Colfax and Downing (it keeps out the drug dealers). And why not. Who better to tell you what's going on around the corner, than the guy who really lives around the corner. Someone you may actually see on the street, stop and say something about his/her show the night before. Now we're talking about "Community" radio. You hear it and you can see it out your window. It's real, and it affects you, because it's about you. It's where you live.

Community radio is what the Low-Power FM proposal is all about. There are many facets to it. The DLRC has a two-fold purpose. First, lobbying the FCC in favor of the Low-Power FM proposal. The current proposal from the FCC is in a comment period that ends August 2nd. We have been in contact with the Colorado Congressional Representatives, local businesses, charity groups, and hundreds of avid radio supporters to lobby for Low-Power FM. Information can be obtained through our web site (https://www.angelfire.com/co/denverradiocoalition), or at many local business. Second, once licensing becomes available, the DLRC will actively pursue putting a station on the air in Denver's Capitol Hill neighborhood, the community that defines the pulse of what's going on in Denver.

I liked Christian Slater's little fantasy radio station. This may actually be one time when fantasy can become reality. It's also a chance for you to become involved in what you hear, and influence the types of radio programming that effect your life. At a time when public opinion is screaming for more community involvement and support, what could be better than a radio station that is dedicated to serving the community, your community. Pump Up the Volume!