By Elizabeth Tullos
MURFREESBORO,
Tenn. -- Middle Tennessee State University junior Asher Johnson filed an
application with the Federal Communication Commission on Nov. 14, to create a new non-profit radio
station in Murfreesboro, Tenn. with the call letters WOAH-FM.
Johnson, 27,
discovered the once in a lifetime opportunity to bring a new non-profit
community radio station from a "Democracy Now!" podcast on a new filing window
with the FCC. Amy Goodman of "Democracy Now!"
reported on a new campaign to challenge corporate media, led by the Prometheus
Radio Project. The Prometheus Radio Project serves as a non-profit organization formed in 1998 to promote community
radio stations across the country. Goodman reported that the FCC announced a
short filing window for new low-power FM radio stations across the
country.
“I
heard about it and realized I had to do this," said Johnson. “The opportunity
was right there. They announced the filing window in July, and I only had three
months to get everything ready. I never heard of this happening before, and I
knew if I didn’t do it, nobody would. During this
process I haven’t heard of
anyone else in the state doing this.”
Johnson
began the filing process in August 2013 by forming a new non-profit
organization, the Stones River Community Media Alliance in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
The state of Tennessee officially recognized the non-profit in August, allowing
him to continue the application process with the FCC. Johnson submitted the
final paperwork in November 2013, and he expects to receive a reply from the FCC as
early as December 2013.
Once the
application is approved, Johnson intends to begin working on establishing the
station as soon as possible. The Stones River Community Media Alliance has
already scouted a location, acquired a radio transmitter for the station, and begun
benefit shows to raise funds for the station. Johnson intends to establish the
station on the historic Murfreesboro downtown square as a publicly accessible building where the
Stones River Community Media Alliance can host local music showcases, art
classes, workshops, and record music.
“This is a
new way of looking at radio, a way our generation has never seen,” said
Johnson. “We grew up with radio being this thing in the air where pop music was
played. We can use radio to build our community and create culture on a small
scale.”
The
Prometheus Radio Project assisted Johnson and many other applicants across the
country on filing the paperwork for new low-power FM stations. According to
Johnson, establishing a new
Murfreesboro-centric radio station is similar to the Greek Myth of Prometheus.
Instead of taking fire from the gods and giving it to mankind, Johnson wants to
take the airwaves and give Murfreesboro citizens their own voice.
Johnson is a
junior at MTSU studying Music Business in the college of Mass Communications.
He expects to graduate December 2014.
For more
information on the Stones River Community Media Alliance, go to http://www.srcma.org
For more
information on the Prometheus Radio Project, go to http://www.prometheusradio.org
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