In late September 2021, Rhode Island Public Radio, which operates as The People’s Radio across the state, filed an application with the FCC for a new noncommercial education radio station licensed to Bradford, R.I. In the application, The People’s Radio request a waiver of section 73.509(a) of the Commission’s rules to allow an otherwise prohibited contour overlap with a second-adjacent channel noncommercial station — a Class A member of the “Renew FM” family.
Then came an informal objection from the licensee of an FM translator in Providence. It had merit. Al Shuldiner, Chief of the Media Bureau’s Audio Division, has denied the waiver request and granted the objection. As such, he dismissed the NPR Member stations’ application.
