Thursday, July 27, 2006

New Brattleboro community radio on the air soon

BRATTLEBORO, Vt. --A new community radio station has received a permit to install an antenna that will allow it to broadcast talk shows and music without commercials.

Organizers of Brattleboro Community Radio hope to be on the air by the end of the summer.

"We've got 50 program hosts all trained and ready to go. The studio is 90 percent complete," said Ken Brace, a member of Vermont Earthworks, the nonprofit that applied for a broadcasting license five years ago.

The station would be run by volunteers.

Brattleboro Community Radio plans to broadcast from a downtown studio at 107.7 FM.

The community station is intended to be a successor to radio free brattleboro, a 10-watt community station that was shut down by the FCC last year for operating without a license.

The Brattleboro Development Review Board approved the site plan for Brattleboro Community Radio on July 17, said Zoning Administrator Alice Herrick.

The station's 30-foot antenna, the minimum size for broadcasting, will likely be installed on the roof of Brooks House in downtown Brattleboro.

It's costing about $30,000 to set up the station, Brace said.

The station will be funded with donations and members' dues, Brace said.
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(Source: Rutland Herald www.rutlandherald.com/)