BSR denied in bid for new airwaves

From the BDH:

Brown Student and Community Radio has lost, for now, in its long bid to find a new home on the airwaves.

In one of the longest cases in the history of the Federal Communications Commission, the agency has awarded the low-power FM frequency 96.5 to a coalition of two churches and a Bible college.

Since its 1997 creation, BSR has been broadcasting on 88.1 FM, renting time from a frequency owned by the Wheeler School, the nursery-to-12th-grade school on Hope Street. But the station has been seeking a different broadcast outlet "almost since it began broadcasting," according to its Web site.

In 2000, BSR applied for 96.5 FM, Providence's only low-power FM frequency, in hopes of having its own home. Twelve other groups vied for the spot. The station's hope was that broadcasting from Providence - as opposed to Seekonk, Mass., where the antenna is currently located - would strengthen BSR's ties to the city.

BSR's community relationship has been very important to the organization, General Manager Jenny Weissbourd '08 said.

"Remaining local to Providence is really important to us," said Station Manager Mike Dupuis '08.