A newly licensed community motivated radio station, AshevilleFM starts transmitting Monday morning on 103.3. The station has been broadcasting on the internet since 2009. Programming includes both news/talk and music.
From a press release:
103.3AshevilleFM Goes Live on the FM Dial in Buncombe County Beginning on May 18th
Asheville, N.C. (May 12, 2015) – 103.3AshevilleFM, a newly licensed community radio station, will begin broadcasting across Buncombe County on Monday, May 18th, at 10 a.m. The 100-watt signal, as permitted by FCC regulations, will transmit from the station’s antenna, located on top of the Hotel Indigo in downtown Asheville. The transmission will result in a broadcast radius of approximately 10 miles. The station’s Low-Power FM (LPFM) construction license was granted, an opportunity which had not been available since 2000.
103.3AshevilleFM is an all volunteer-run, community radio station created by Friends of Community Radio, a 501(c)3 nonprofit entity. The idea for AshevilleFM was hatched in early 2009, when radio lovers from Western North Carolina who wanted to hear community voices and programming reflective of the concerns and interests of their neighbors organized to start an online radio station with the hope of eventually obtaining a license to broadcast on the dial.
“Freeform radio isn’t being done anywhere else in Western North Carolina. It’s not Pandora. It’s not Spotify. It’s your neighbors choosing what to say and play on the airwaves – not a big corporation trying to sell you something,” says Kim Roney, station manager of AshevilleFM.
“The reason we can put Spanish-language programming on the radio at 6 p.m. on a weekday, is because we’re not focused on target marketing for just one demographic, but on the needs and well-being of our entire community. Freeform radio is a new concept for our community and that means jazz, hip-hop, or a local artist’s newest tape release can be heard in the same hour along with a news piece about immigration reform or a local perspective on world politics. AshevilleFM is a platform for our city to live, work, and play together.”
AshevilleFM has been broadcasting online since September 12th, 2009, and now receives an average of 1.7 million hits to the website each month with a global listenership. The station’s schedule currently broadcasts 52 locally-produced weekly programs, curated and supported by more than 80 volunteers. The broadcast lineup includes:
• The AFM News Hour, which includes city council reports, headlines from The Asheville Blade, nonprofit information, candidate interviews, and policy news from a local, regional, and state level on Thursdays at 7 p.m.
• Ultimate Twang, which spins the best in old-school country music, mostly on vinyl. Whether the year was 1993, 1973, or 1953, the memories return Thursdays from 4-7 p.m.
• The Final Straw, an award-winning, anarchist news program highlighting radical political, social, economic, and environmental issues with music from around the world on Sundays at 2 p.m.
• Stank Free Radio, hosted by Cousin TL who puts together the “coolest playlist” each week, featuring today’s biggest names in Neo-Soul on Saturdays at 8 p.m.
• YAY DJ is a team of DJs, all under the age of 18, on the air Saturdays at 11 a.m.
• Democracy Now! is on AshevilleFM weekdays at 10 a.m.
• The Wild Gardener, a segment with Peter Loewer, is a feature of the AFM News Hour and is a podcast on AshevilleFM.org.
“AshevilleFM hitting the airwaves will be an excellent addition to the music community that it wholeheartedly supports,” says Matt Schnable, co-owner of Harvest Records. “We were lucky to be part of (AshevilleFM’s) first simulcast at our five-year anniversary festival, Transfigurations, and I am very excited to watch and listen to the future endeavors of AshevilleFM as it blossoms!”
The station’s connection to supporters, non-profits, and local businesses are imperative to the success of 103.3AshevilleFM. “Over the last year we raised almost $30,000 from hundreds of folks – from business owners to community members across Western North Carolina– all to support a change in broadcast radio as well as our mission to provide everyone in the listening area a voice on the radio,” says Friends of Community Radio Board president, Erik Mattox. “We’re proud to now be able to share our gift of community radio with more people.”
Based in Asheville, NC,103.3AshevilleFM is a project of The Friends of Community Radio, a 501c3 nonprofit.
I see The Barry Summers Show is gone. I guess the material just kinda dried up there. I was hoping to get regular updates on the city’s ongoing efforts to resist the Water Act. I haven’t heard from Esther either. Come on, man, bring it.