Walk into the Computer Deconstruction Laboratory and make a right turn. Keep walking…
Opening the door, your first thought is why is there a radio station hiding in building 9059 at Camp Evans ?
- big studio room, check
- boom microphones with the CDL logo, check
- broadcast audio mixer, check
- large format monitors everywhere, check
- clocks with “on air signs” check
- CD library filling shelves, check
Must be a radio station, right? Nope, CDL is not a radio station….
Why not?
Simply put, there is only so much space on the radio dial!
However to improve access to “local” radio, the FCC approved a new concept called Low Power FM (LPFM) in January of 2000. The filing window to apply for a license in New Jersey was between June 11th and June 16th of 2001.
Despite our best efforts, we had problems engaging partners, and were not allowed to apply. In short, all 22 possible dial locations went to other concerns.
Fast forward to 2020 with the CDL podcast studio coming on line, and news from the FCC that a new filing round for LPFM would occur in 2022, CDL is moving forward to go live as a hyper-local broadcaster serving Wall and the surrounding communities.
Wait! How did a maker space transmogrify into a podcast studio trying to become a radio station?
Well, that’s complicated….
