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The Future of Music Coalition, a coalition of members of the music, technology, public policy, and intellectual property law communities, has launched a campaign to educate Americans about the role low-power FM (LPFM) radio plays in diversifying the airwaves, particularly since it provides the opportunity for more minority- and female-owned stations to receive licenses.

LPFM stations are non-commercial, community-based radio stations that operate at very low power and have a range of only a few miles.  They provide news and information that address specific interests of local communities and play an important role in broadcasting emergency information.  LPFM radio also supplies a platform for underserved musical genres, minority and religious groups, and offers a forum for debate about important local issues.

The coalition is pushing Congress to pass the Local Community Radio Act of 2009, which will lift the restrictions on the number of licenses the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) can give to LPFM stations.   In a recent report, LCCR said that lifting this restriction will provide an opportunity for greater diversity of ownership and content among LPFM radio stations.

In this video from the campaign, poet and activist Saul Williams talks about how community radio provides opportunities to hear different types of music and community-based information that you don't necessarily get from commercial radio.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is working to collect better data on minority and female ownership of television and radio stations.

In an order issued yesterday, the FCC increased the number of broadcast stations that are required to file ownership reports to the FCC. Previously, many small stations, as well as some owned by individuals rather than corporations, were not required to file, thereby overlooking a potentially significant group of minority and female owners.

"The sad truth is that we simply do not know the precise state of minority and female ownership in this country," acting FCC Chairman Michael J. Copps said in a statement.  "The official term for it is 'we don't have a clue.' We will never get to where we need to go unless we know where we are."

According to the FCC, the new requirements will help the agency assess and promote diversity of ownership in the broadcast industry.

Copps, who was named acting chairman by President Obama in January, has for years expressed his dismay that past efforts to increase diversity in broadcast ownership had been hindered by a lack of accurate data on minority and female ownership.

The deficiencies in the FCC's data collection methods had previously been identified by the Government Accountability Office, as well as by media reform and civil rights organizations.

Today, NPR ran a piece about the success of ethnic media outlets - radio, newspaper and television companies that cater to a specific ethnic or racial minority - despite the fact that many mainstrem media outlets are folding. 

Ethnic media organizations are doing well despite the recession because they have tapped into a growing audience, second- and third-generation immigrants, and are adapting to meet the needs of their growing audiences, like the ability to get news on social networking sites.