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Originally Posted by Seaver
Do me a favor and scan your AM channels. This is the region in which the Conservative talk shows are, this is also where (I believe) where Air America is. There are VERY few AM channels in comparison with FM, it's not hard to get access to one of them. It's even easier with deregulation (less government interfereance), not harder. The only hard part is raising the cash for towers and expenses in which every station deals with. Fortunately for Air America, they are not the poor helpless, they have millions upon millions donated by George Soros and other contributers.
This is not David being held down in his fight against Goliath. This is people complaining that they can't sell ice to eskimos during the winter.
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The last I heard, the FCC regulates and licenses the AM spectrum. You cant just put up a tower and start broadcasting.
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Potential applicants for radio and television services should be aware that frequencies for these services are always in heavy demand. For example, the Commission received approximately 30,000 inquiries from persons seeking to start radio broadcast stations last year. Where broadcast frequencies remain available, competing applications are routinely received. Thus, you are cautioned at the outset that the filing of an application does not guarantee that you will receive a broadcast station construction permit. You should also be aware that in many areas of the country, no frequencies may be available on which a new station could commence operating without causing interference to existing stations, which would violate FCC rules.
The AM band was recently expanded from 1600 to 1700 kHz after years of international negotiations, however those frequencies are reserved for existing stations which were causing significant interference in the lower part of the band.
The only unlicensed operation that is permitted on the AM and FM broadcast bands is...limited to a coverage radius of approximately 200 feet.
http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/howtoapply.html
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In recent years, the FCC has issues very few new licenses.
I may be wrong, but I believe the FCC is trying to reallocate the low end of the AM spectrum for emergency use by first responders (a recommendation of the 9/11 commission).
BTW, I was never a big fan of Air America myself, but I'm less of a fan of deregulation of the public airwaves to the benefit of a few national telecomm companies.