To the Honorable Members of the Federal Communications Commission.
As a lifelong broadcaster who has fullfilled the dream that most
broadcasters have, that of operating my own radio station,I
feel I must bring to your attention how creation of low power fm
stations will take from the remaining, small market owner-operated,
stations the ability to survive and serve in the increasingly competitive towns
across the USA. Only in past 4 years have I been able to increase the local
news, sport and event coverage that every small town thrives on. If LPFM
operators were allowed to compete in this market, I am certain that I would have
to reverse course, by cutting staff and localization in order to remain a viable
operator. Please understand, my goal is not to keep competitors out of my
market. With 6 local signals, and 3 more full power stations that are expected
to go on the air in the next few years, the competition is already here. But
all of of these operators, including myself, must play by the same rules giving
the best operators the greatest chance of surviving. If LPFM is allowed in this
small market, the signals would be able to cover about 90% of the area's
available audience. And the TOTAL cost for the equipment to get an LPFM on the
air would be about what my power bill is each MONTH. The impact in this small
market would be bad for its citizens, bad for local news coverage and bad for my
many employees. The