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Show FCC Accepts "Wireless Application. "P.C'irhaye a radio station" The countdown to signing a community radio station on the air in ; Park City , has begun. Last week in Washington, ., D.Cr after six : months' review, the Federal , Com-munications Com-munications Commission (FCC) announced that it had accepted the application by Community Wireless of Park City to construct a ; noncommercial,' non-commercial,' FM station to serve this area on 91.9 Mhz. "What the Commission's action means," explained Blair Feulner, President of the non-for-profit corporation corpora-tion , 'is that our application has been found to be in compliance with all the rules and regulations and they intend to grant us a license." There is still, however, a bit more government red tape before Wireless can go on the air. "The FCC must now publish our application in the Congressional Record, putting put-ting the public on notice they intend to go ahead and grant ; concerning 4 the speed at which the federal government govern-ment gets things done." "We could be on the air close to the first of the. year, but given the" fact that our application will come off the cut-off list right before the Christmas holidays, it is more realistic to shoot for early February." In the meantime, on the strength of last week's approval. Wireless can get down to, as Feulner put it, "the hard-core job of putting ; the radio station together." "We can now move forward with confidence to raise additional funds and get the volunteers working to obtain their FCC licenses and training," he said. Although overall supervision supervi-sion will be the responsibility of the professional broad- casters on the Board of Trustees of Wireless, the radio station will sign on the air with at least 75 volunteer broadcasters from the community. com-munity. ' M together in November," said Feulner. who will announce a construction meeting within the next two weeks. At the same time, the Board of, Trustees will kick off a " Station Creation ' ' campaign to raise funds and obtain members. With 18 hours a day, 365 days a year, of music, news, road reports, ski reports, radio drama, live local sports, talk shows, community commun-ity calendars, programs by and for school children and live broadcasts of public meetings and hearings, the radio station will be an entity that will benefit and involve the entire community. To assure that everyone can get involved, a supporting support-ing membership in Wireless is only $5.00... "the cost of two six-packs of' beer"... notes Feulner. "We need to raise $10,000 by the first of the year to assure we'll get on the air with a good quality signal," hie said: ? A "Station Creation" brochure bro-chure and membership form will be mailed to every box holder in Park City within the next two weeks. "Last January, hundreds of residents came to our first fund-raiser and told us they wanted a community radio station in Park City and last month over 300 supporters turned out for a fundraiser fund-raiser at the Rusty Nail. " "The community support has been tremendous and I think the Board of Trustees of Wireless has re-paid that confidence and. support by doing what no one has ever been able to do before. " And, Feulner concluded, "It's taken longer than we thought, but there is no longer any doubt... Park City will have a radio station." 1he license, if no valid protest is filed," he said. ' The cut-off" date for comment has been ' set for December 14,' after which a - " construction' permit will be issued shortly;' Because of the nature of the station and the fact that the FCC has already determined deter-mined that Wireless ' would not interfere with any existing exist-ing station; Feulner said, he was 99 certain no comments com-ments would be filed against the application: "We've contacted every . educational station in the state; ;even close? to our frequency, and nobody has any- problems with our application... we've done our homework." i But the complicated regulatory regu-latory process not withstanding, withstand-ing, the bottom line for ' residents is when .the mostly volunteer radio station will goon the air. "We have learned, during the past six months, that it is unwise to be too optimistic All those who sign the transmitter logs will have to obtain a liceense from the FCC and the forms and training manuals have been ordered. "As soon as the application applica-tion forms arrive we will announce a general mem- bership meeting for those who want to get involved in the on-air work, showing them how to fill out the applications," explained Feulner. Because the FCC has moved in recent months to ; "de-regulate' ' the licensing ; ' of operators, a test is no longer required and the license costs no money. In the meantime, construction construc-tion will commence on the station's studios at the Memorial Building, with an eye to being able to provide hands-on training of unpaid staff by pecember. "We are badly in need of the assistance of some carpenters, drywallers and painters to get the studio |