I've been thinking long and hard about this, and I've realized that I should forget any plans I might have had about becoming a guidance counselor.

But since everybody's talking radio and I think that's a fine idea, I'm going to try to inspire you by turning this into the longest comment you've ever received.

- - - - -

http://www.americanfeedmagazine.com/strugglingyoungman/2004_08_01_archive.html#109358682573731314

The New Voice Talks To . . .
David Longsmith
Co-Founder and DJ of Radio Free Brattleboro
By Shaw Israel Izikson

Radio Free Brattleboro (RFB) is a public access and commercial-free community radio station operating out of Brattleboro, Vermont. What separates it from other radio stations is that RFB has operated without an FCC license since July, 1998. David Longsmith, one of the founders of RFB as well as a DJ for the station, insists that the station is not ?pirate radio,? but rather a station licensed and mandated to broadcast by the community, for the community. The station operates purely on donations and employs only volunteers for its DJs and staff. Longsmith recently spoke with The Voice about RFB and how important it is for media resources to be open for access by communities.

The Voice: So, why did you start RFB? What was the motivation behind it?

David Longsmith: The germ of the idea for RFB came from an employee at the Brattleboro Teen Center. That employee, Drew Gradinger, wanted to create an activity for local teens and had an idea to start a radio station.

The Voice: But why a radio station?

David Longsmith: It was one of the things that he wanted to start because teens in many communities are voiceless. The idea was that this would be a free speech radio station and the teens would be able to play and listen to music that they enjoy.

The Voice: How did it turn to a community radio station?

David Longsmith: Drew was a community organizer, but not a radio person. When we both talked about starting a radio station while playing on one of Brattleboro?s Ultimate Frisbee fields, I let him know that I was experienced in radio and that I would love to help out. As soon as we started to meet with a few other like-minded adults and teens in Brattleboro, we realized that the adults were also were relatively voiceless.

The Voice: Why do you think that these people were voiceless?

David Longsmith: I think that they were voiceless in the sense that there were not any outlets for them to express themselves. [In 1998] there wasn?t an open source website that you could post ideas to, there wasn?t a newspaper that people could just send articles to, and there wasn?t a local radio station that could allow people to play the music they liked. You can call any radio stations to make requests, but if you lived in Brattleboro and wanted a radio show, you were out of luck. There was no public access to the airwaves.

So, in the planning, when we realized that our constituents were not just teens, we incorporated the idea that the entire community could gain access. However, the biggest priority would be to encourage the youth to participate, especially in being DJs that could program the station as they saw fit. We welcomed all people to get involved in the operation of the station. Instead of just being a passive consumer or a passive participant, we wanted to give the opportunity for sixteen-year-olds to participate in the station. They could change the direction of the station along the lines that they were interested in.

The Voice: Do you think that one of the reasons why the FCC has been trying to shut you down is because you are giving the people freedom to program the airwaves?

David Longsmith: I don?t think that the FCC is trying to muzzle us. I think they are reacting to shut us down just because we exist. It?s not because of what we?re saying, it?s just because we?re saying it. It?s just that our very existence is the issue for them.

The Voice: What is the history between RFB and the FCC?

David Longsmith: FCC agents visited us in the summer of 2003 with the intention to shut us down. We have since been embroiled in a federal court case. In the interim, we have remained on the air. It?s almost just a matter between the lawyers from both sides. The FCC has not visited us since last September where they were denied access because they did not have a search warrant.

The Voice: Didn?t they threaten to arrest you guys.

David Longsmith: They are quoted as saying that they were going to put our equipment in jail if we continued to broadcast. Despite this, we turned our transmitter back on. They didn?t do anything.

The Voice: So, you guys are not afraid of the FCC?

David Longsmith: Well, they could shut us down tomorrow if they wanted to. We don?t fear their legal prosecution because we think they?re wrong. We welcome the chance to prove this in court. We don?t think we did any real irreparable harm to the government, and we feel that by shutting us down, they have done irreparable harm to the community. We don?t want to be shut down, but the legal argument is something we welcome because we are sure we will win it. In March, the FCC argued in federal court that RFB?s continued operation would do irreparable harm to the U.S. government. The federal judge in Brattleboro agreed with RFB. He believed that the closure of RFB would cause irreparable harm to the community and moved in favor of RFB in court.

The Voice: Why did the FCC argue that the government would be harmed?

David Longsmith: The government believes that if they allow people to break the law and not be punished, that it would encourage further lawbreaking and lawlessness. RFB successfully argued that the service we provide to the community, by presenting news, information and music, as well as the opportunity for citizens to participate . . . that ending that by shutting down RFB would cause damage to the community that would outweigh the damage being done to the federal government.

The Voice: How would it have damaged the community?

David Longsmith: We have 70 people who do a show every week. Those 70 people are suddenly voiceless [if RFB shuts down]. That includes children as young as 9 years-old. Also, it hurts our listeners. It robs them of the only source in town for radio with substance. I?m not just talking about our news and commentary shows, I?m also talking about parents to do their radio shows, as well as music lovers who want to listen to something besides ?classic? rock and classical music.

The Voice: How do you think RFB has improved and changed the community?

David Longsmith: It has empowered hundreds of people to be more open with their personal and musical selves. We are regularly sponsoring events for the community, offered free or on a sliding scale. We have had large scale community events where we bring in speakers or a haunted house party or even a disco party.

The Voice: What do you think has gone wrong with radio in general?

David Longsmith: I think if you ask that to all of the RFB DJs, you would get different answers. However, I think that the lack of diversity on the airwaves, both in music and opinion, is a real problem with radio.

The Voice: How do you think problem can be solved?

David Longsmith: With more community radio stations, licensed or unlicensed. I think that if people lived in a world with no opportunities for freedom of speech, that they can?t appreciate that freedom of speech. They won?t become active participants in their communities.

[Freedom of speech] in radio is currently an impossibility. This is because that, despite the fact that radio was designed for the betterment of citizens, once it was discovered that it could be used to sell ads, it was being used more as a capitalist tool. It became a money-making vehicle more than a society enriching vehicle. Radio is ruined once you start focusing on demographics, and once you start pleasing sponsors and broadcasting to certain markets. I think that?s where radio has its downfall. It has become homogenous instead of diverse speech.

The Voice: How do you think that radio can be changed to get away from commercialism and back to the community?

David Longsmith: There?s room for both commercial radio and community radio. There needs to be a lot more community radio. A community radio station is inexpensive, and, with a supportive community, it?s very possible anyone can do this. We didn?t have a unique group in Brattleboro. Any community has the potential to do what we?re doing.

The Voice: Lots of people might read this interview and ask how they can start their own station. What would you tell them? What the advice you would give them?

David Longsmith: A radio station can be as simple as a transmitter antenna, microphone, and CD player. What is also needed is a group of people who share certain values and are willing to work together to make their project a part of their community. I don?t recommend that anyone buy a transmitter and begin broadcasting from their attic by themselves. That?s not a community radio station. I think that a community radio station needs to welcome all members of the community to participate; it needs to allow people to program what they want to program. If it does that, it will be responsible to its community. If the community supports the station, then to me then it has authority to broadcast.

The Voice: How much longer is RFB going to be on the air for? Ten years is a very long time for an unlicensed station . . .

David Longsmith: RFB will continue to broadcast until such time that a legal low-powered radio station can be given to the citizens of Brattleboro.

The Voice: How much of a possibility do you think that a legal low-powered radio station will ever come to Brattleboro?

David Longsmith: There is a Brattleboro organization that applied for that type of license. They are still waiting for their construction permit. They?ve been waiting for almost three years now.

The Voice: Why do you think that they are still waiting?

David Longsmith: I think that low powered FM is a low priority for the Bush FCC. I think the Bush FCC has an interest in consolidating the media rather than diversifying it. There?s money in consolidation and diversity is a scary to Republicans. It?s scary to Republicans because diversity is not something that is easily controllable. It lends itself to varying viewpoints which may differ from the government?s party line. And it isn?t in step with the capitalist way that radio is run. They?re interested more in private than public interests.

The Voice: What do you think the future of broadcasting is for both radio and television?

David Longsmith: I think that the tools to create television and radio programming are becoming more and more accessible to the average person. As people create more and more independent community media, communities will find a way to distribute and view this material. I think that public access television need to combine with public access radio stations and independent media sources like newspapers and sites like ibrattleboro.com, and a more decentralized mediascape will develop. I think that the satellite broadcasting and the digital television will still happen, but I think that there is a widespread belief around this community for more decentralized media.

The Voice: What the best way to support independent media?

David Longsmith: I think that the best way for people to support these types of media efforts is to patronize them, to help spread the word about it. It?s difficult without a publicity department to let people know that these options are out there. If your community radio station puts on an event on in your town, then you should go to it. It will build the community by gathering them together. They will all get a chance to join the community by a social, fun, participatory way. And for people with deep pockets, financial support is always something independent media always will need. Its usually tax deductible and hugely appreciated, and it is something that really pumps life and it adds life to the organization.

www.rfb.fm