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Thursday, September 13, 2007

Brasher Backs Torrance Radio

By Laura Nesbitt
Mountain View Telegraph
    A proposed FM radio station for Torrance County got a big boost last month from Bernalillo County Commissioner Michael Brasher.
    "(Brasher) called a partner with Sanchez Law Firm and spoke with her," said Al Geduld, chairman of the FM station task force created by the Partnership for a Healthy Torrance County. "He had read the article (about plans for a station in the Telegraph on Sept. 16) and offered whatever help he could give. ... It's exciting. Because of their involvement, we can meet the window."
    "The window" is several days— between Oct. 12-19— during which the nonprofit can file an application for a band frequency with the Federal Communications Commission.
    That brief time period is also the first time in seven years that the FCC has solicited new applications for radio station licenses from nonprofits, said Pat Lincoln, Torrance County Project Office coordinator, in a phone interview Monday.
    In August, partnership members had discussed various ways of acting on a Community Health Improvement Plan that ranked community health priorities, and a radio station was among the solutions.
    An FM radio station is an ideal tool for reaching the diverse populations in Torrance County, says a letter the nonprofit sent to state legislators. The station will communicate information and develop an awareness of health-based programs, services and health providers available in the Estancia Valley.
    Since the August meeting the task force has been busy. Members have met with representatives from the Sanchez Law Firm, which specializes in communications law, as well as staffers for Sens. Pete Domenici and Jeff Bingaman and U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson, and were given names of several engineering firms.
    "(Sanchez Law Firm) reviewed for us the whole process involved in filing an application," Lincoln said, adding that the law firm believed Torrance County's application would be received favorably based on the scoring method the FCC uses.
    Geduld said plans for the station also include music and other entertainment. He has no idea how long the FCC evaluation process will take.
    Lincoln planned to ask the Torrance County Commission on Wednesday to enter into a commitment with the Sanchez Law Firm as consultant for application services, along with Cavell, Mertz and Associates to perform an engineering study for the proposed radio station.
    For more information, or to offer any kind of expertise, assistance or financial help, contact either Billie Clark or Pat Lincoln at 832-0332.