Congress OKs Local Community Radio Act; WPVM hopes FCC will now lift power restrictio­ns

“This is a day we have dreamed of since 2003 when MAIN launched its low-power FM station for Asheville and Buncombe County,” declared Wally Bowen, executive director of MAIN FM (WPVM), after the passage by Congress this weekend of the Local Community Radio Act, which gives FCC the ability to allow low-power stations such as MAIN’s to broadcast at 100 watts, instead of at its current 2 watt level.

WPVM’s interim station manager quits

The interim station manager at Asheville’s low-power FM community-radio station has resigned, likening herself to a Band-Aid stuck on a mortal wound requiring immediate surgery. Kim Clark issued her statement March 2, two weeks after her hiring as WPVM’s interim manager was announced by Wally Bowen, the executive director of the Mountain Area Information Network. […]

Bowen: MAIN’s future lies in wireless broadband

The future of the Mountain Area Information Network, Asheville’s nonprofit Internet service provider, lies in providing mobile broadband and developing a full-fledged news operation. That’s the vision put forth by Executive Director Wally Bowen in a presentation titled “MAIN 2.0.” MAIN hopes to capture $1.8 million from the $787 billion stimulus package that President Barack […]

WPVM dials in new interim director, temporaril­y tunes out nine volunteers

A new interim station manager started last week at Asheville’s low-power FM community-radio station, but the news did little to quell ongoing tensions that have roiled the station since last fall. For months, station volunteers have lobbied to have Wally Bowen, executive director of the Mountain Area Information Network, removed from direct control of the […]