Community radio station seeks support for setup

Garrett Brewer of Bentonville sits Wednesday in the old projection room in the back of the Meteor Guitar Gallery in Bentonville as he talks about plans for a new local radio station. A group of Bentonville residents are planning on creating a community radio station in the old projection room of the building that used to be a movie theater. For more photos, go to www.nwadg.com/photos.
Garrett Brewer of Bentonville sits Wednesday in the old projection room in the back of the Meteor Guitar Gallery in Bentonville as he talks about plans for a new local radio station. A group of Bentonville residents are planning on creating a community radio station in the old projection room of the building that used to be a movie theater. For more photos, go to www.nwadg.com/photos.

BENTONVILLE -- A local nonprofit group is asking for support to get a community radio station up and broadcasting.

The station, KOBV 103.3, will broadcast community events and an eclectic mix of music that's not on commercial radio, said Garrett Brewer, organizer.

Fundraising

Bentonville Information, a nonprofit group seeking to create a community radio station, will hold a fundraising party at 6 p.m. Aug. 7 at Meteor Guitar Gallery at 128 W. Central Ave. There will be local food and drink and live music.

Organizers are also raising money through a Go Fund Me page at www.gofundme.com/ko….

There is a link to the fundraising page on the station’s website, www.bentonvilleradi….

Source: Staff report

Brewer's ears perked up in 2013 when National Public Radio said the Federal Communications Commission was accepting low-power FM license applications. He saw it as a chance to bring a community radio station to Bentonville.

Brewer said he enjoyed listening to community radio while living in larger cities like Austin, Texas, and Athens, Ga. A station in Bentonville would fill a void in a city that seeks to obtain bigger-city amenities, he said.

Brewer formed the nonprofit Bentonville Information. Creating a nonprofit group was a requirement to apply for the license.

The FCC accepted low-power FM license applications from Oct. 15-29, 2013, according to a 2013 news release on its website. The last time an application window was open was in 2001.

The low power FM service was established in 2000 to create new opportunities for new voices on the radio to serve communities and underrepresented groups, according to the FCC website.

It took about a year and a half before the FCC notified Brewer in April he received a license.

"I was blown away. I couldn't believe it," he said, explaining obtaining the license was the hardest part. "We essentially won the lottery."

Bentonville Information is now working to raise $15,000 to set up the station and become operational. The organization has raised about $3,500, he said, and has launched a Go Fund Me crowdfunding page.

It has to raise the money and build the tower before October 2016 or the license will be revoked, Brewer said.

The station will broadcast out of Meteor Guitar Gallery at 128 W. Central Ave. The gallery started hosting events, including live music, in the back of its building about two months ago, said Les Key, owner.

He said he would like to broadcast some concerts on the radio, but so far it's been too expensive.

"Garrett came along, and I thought it would be a perfect fit," Key said of housing KOBV.

Broadcasting live events is part of the station's long-term vision, Brewer said. Initial programming will include two-hour blocks of music. It will be an eclectic mix of rock, electronic and hip hop.

Programming will also include announcements of the week's activities in Bentonville.

The broadcasting radius will be about seven miles and will go part way into Bella Vista, part way into Rogers and past Rainbow Curve in Bentonville, Brewer said.

Mike Abb, Bentonville native and local DJ involved with the project, said it will be an outlet to promote great music commercial radio is lacking.

"We also think that in a town that's soaked in nostalgia and with [all] that's going on in the revamp of the town square, if we really turned back the clock to 50 years ago, the radio would be a major player for the community, why can't it still be?" Abb said.

NW News on 07/27/2015

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