Brack: Library may offer local radio station

The coverage area of the library’s proposed station.

The Charleston County Public Library is looking into offering a new radio station to provide local educational and cultural programming now missing from the Lowcountry airwaves.

In November, the library system, which got overwhelming support from voters in a recent $108 million bond referendum, received approval from the Federal Communications Commission for a construction permit for a low-power FM station based at the main library on Calhoun Street. If it becomes a reality, it would broadcast at 97.5 on the FM dial.

According to preliminary information from the library, the station could reach up to 663,000 residents and more than 4.8 million visitors and commuters. But because Charleston County is a long, skinny county and radio signals are aired in circular patterns, as highlighted by the photo above, it’s likely that people on the ends of the county — Hollywood, Ravenel, Edisto in the south and Awendaw and McClellanville in the north — would have a tougher time getting a clear signal.

Does that make the project less desirable? Not at all, for three reasons:

• First, people anywhere should be able to stream the station online, which will make it available from Adams Run to Zeeland, N.D. (population 86).
• Second, there’s a greater community good at work. If the library can succeed at offering the station, its educational programming and locally-sourced music would reach tens of thousands of people in the Lowcountry. It also would spread the positive message that the library is a community educational leader and a home to lifelong learning.
• Third, a station would provide a great venue for volunteers and local content providers to offer information and music to people throughout the area. There are important programming issues to work out to make sure what could be put on the air is worth it. The station shouldn’t become the radio equivalent of a cable access station.

Still, there may be two concerns about the station: Cost and reach.

The immediate cost for providing a new station would be about $20,000 for hardware, but much of that may be available through sources that don’t rely on taxes. Recurring costs would be an experienced coordinator to run the station, but a current position at the library could be migrated to fill that need.

If possible, the library should explore myriad ways to expand the station’s signal to potentially unreachable areas. You’d think that would be possible by positioning very low-power radio antennas at the far ends of the county. Unfortunately, the FCC no longer allows those kind of “repeater” signals, although a call to former Charleston newspaper publisher Mignon Clyburn, now an FCC commissioner, surely wouldn’t hurt to see whether there’s a way to get special permission.

Overall, a public library radio station is a good idea, just like we hope efforts will continue to move forward with another local station, OHM Radio, a low-power station focused on offering non-corporate programming opportunities in an effort to reform area media. http://mediareformsc.org/ We hear OHM is close to raising what it needs to get started. Maybe the library and OHM can collaborate some too.

• Last year’s piece on WOHM.

DISCLAIMER: Andy Brack is a member of the Charleston County Library Board of Trustees.