Mountain Area Information Network (MAIN) has warned that its MAIN-FM (WPVM-LP Asheville, NC) will go off the air as of November 1st unless more money comes in to support the community LPFM. It is devoting next week (10/25-30) to a “Save Our Sound!” fund drive.
MAIN’s board of directors voted September 23rd to pull the plug unless a $3,500 monthly operating deficit is covered by listener donations and local business sponsors.
WPVM is hoping to increase its power from the current 2 watts to 100 watts if pending legislation (the Local Community Radio Act) to reduce signal protection for full-power stations is passed by Congress. But the question now is whether the seven-year-old station will still be on the air by the time the law is changed.
MAIN-FM bills itself as “the only radio station in western North Carolina broadcasting progressive news and public affairs programming covering politics, the environment, health and wellness, Latino and Native American issues, arts and culture, and spirituality. The station also broadcasts music shows not available on local commercial radio, including the Putumayo World Music Hour and the locally produced Drop Beats, Not Bombs.”
