Further analysis of the applications for new non-commercial/educational FM stations in the Erie area shows that a minority of the 13 apps came from local organizations. By my count, only four of the thirteen have headquarters in Erie County. This information comes from the FCC’s FM Query, which has listed the applicants days before the stated public notice date of November 14, 2007.

Three local concerns applied for 89.3 FM, including the Erie Seventh Day Adventist Church (application for North East), which operates the now dark 95.9 WXNM-LP, which had given fits to FM 96/London, ON devotees. The LECOM medical school applied for Erie on Rocket 101’s tower. To the south, my alma mater Inspiration Time applied for a new FM for Union City. The only other local applicant is the “mystery” Vision IDX, who applied for a 1.8 KW station on 90.1 in Edinboro.

The nine other applications came from out of town. Alabaster, Inc. of Greensburg applied for a monster 27 KW station for North East, and a tiny 225 watt one for Meadville. Their website indicates that they maintain a performing arts ministry and school in the Pittsburgh area, doing assemblies and church performances. It looks like they applied elsewhere in the state, including a station for Lock Haven.

An institution from the State College area, Muncy Hills Broadcasting of Turbotville, applied on 89.3 for Corry. Tucson AZ based Family Life Broadcasting, headed by Dr. Randy Carlson (Intentional Living national program) applied on 89.5 for Erie. They own stations in the southwest, Georgia, and Michigan. They are a different organization than Family Life Ministries of Bath NY, who currently operate a full power station in Jamestown, NY and operate translators in Erie, North East and Corry for their Family Life Network. FLN applied for 89.9 in Cambridge Springs. Both Family Life’s are big ministries with conference centers and many stations. The Bible Broadcasting Network qualifies under that description as well, as the Charlotte NC outfit attempts to reenter Erie at 89.5 (they used to own the Erie translator at 98.7, which FLN now owns…still with me?).

As far as totally random applications go, the owners of WMKL/Key Largo FL, Call Communications hope to build a 50 KW station on 89.5. Their format in South Florida is Christian Rock Alternative. Edinboro Early School seems to have no connection with the Erie County borough, as they own a low-power station in Ocean City, MD, and applied for a 500 watt station on 89.5 for Erie. Finally, a JCM Radio of NY applied for 1.6 KW on 89.5 for somewhere called Fairfield. I know that there’s a Fairfield fire hall, but there’s no incorporated municipality with that name that I know of.

It seems that the aforementioned big hole in our reserved FM band attracted a lot of interest. Unfortunately, the situation with multiple mutually-exclusive applications may keep the people that care the most for our community from improving our broadcasting service for a long time.