Fayetteville Community Radio plans fundraiser March 16

The air waves in Fayetteville are about to get funkier.

The folks behind Fayetteville Community Radio, a planned low-power non commercial radio station, say they are in the final stages of receiving approval from the FCC to begin broadcasting in Fayetteville, and now they just need a few pieces of equipment to get started.

An event to raise funds for a transmitter, studio equipment, and a other needed items to get the station off the ground is planned for next Sunday, March 16 at Greenhouse Grille.

The new station, spearheaded by local resident and media enthusiast Joe Newman, will broadcast on 97.3 FM and will feature local programming including news, commentary, music, cultural shows, and literary programs.

Newman has led meetings on the project for over a year after the FCC announced it was opening selected frequencies across the U.S. for local broadcast.

“The FCC has rarely offered licenses like this and, as available frequencies are quickly being exhausted by awards to commercial ventures,” Newman said. “We saw this as a golden opportunity for a grassroots “people’s voice” station to prevail.”

Newman said he hopes to have the station up and running in the latter part of this year.

The fundraiser set for next weekend will include live music by singer/songwriters Susan Shore, Michael Cockram, Warren Dietzel and Ginny Garber, a silent auction, food by local chefs, door prizes, and more.

Admission is $10, and all the proceeds benefit the new station. For more information about the fundraiser, check out the Facebook page for the event.

For more information about how to get involved in the project, email [email protected], visit Facebook.com/groups/lpfmradiovoice, or call 479-236-1676.