By Gwen Davis

A new nonprofit community radio station recently approved by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will serve the North Admiral neighborhood in West Seattle, along with parts of Alki, starting in Oct. 2015.

The station will be called “Seattle University Radio / KXSU / 102.1 FM”.

Aside from West Seattle, the station will also serve First Hill, Capitol Hill, Belltown, Queen Anne, Montlake, Madrona, Central District and Mt. Baker.

“Radio is doing incredibly well,” said Sabrina Roach, a philanthropy specialist for Brown Paper Tickets. “Some companies will cry that radio isn’t doing well. But radio listening is still far exceeding digital listening in the U.S.”

Roach said the success of radio is partly due to digital inequity. A large percentage of Seattleites don’t have access to the internet. But radio is cheap and plentiful.

Reducing inequity was one of the reasons why Brown Paper Tickets started the community radio initiative to begin with, Roach said.

“Radio is still the least expensive mass communication available,” she explained. “It’s cheap to produce and receive. A $10 radio from the drug store is so much more affordable than an $800 smart phone with all the data charges.”

Plus, the stations will have a strong foundation in multimedia, allowing listeners to heavily interact with content and with other listeners.

People will love having their own neighborhood radio, Roach stated.

“They can pull in attention on various parts of the city and community,” she said. “They can become community information hubs.”

Roach further speculated that community radio will grow exponentially in the coming years.

“Community media is acting like a magnet,” she said.

Furthermore, there will be ways the public can get involved with the stations. For instance, stations may have youth media workshops where participants can invite friends and family after a workshop to a community center for a listening party.

“You can build a whole community of people who care about your radio station,” Roach said. “You can have an authentic, outreach, grassroots station.”

Three more community radio stations serving other parts of the greater Seattle area will open, as well, including:

“Hollow Earth Radio / 100.3 FM” serving the Central District, Mt. Baker, Seward Park, Rainier Valley, Georgetown, Greater Duwamish, Atlantic, Madrona and parts of Mercer Island.

“KMIH Booster Club / KDXP / 101.1 FM” serving Downtown Seattle, Belltown, Queen Anne, Capitol Hill, Montlake, Madrona, Atlantic, Mt. Baker, additional parts of West Seattle and Fremont.

“Rainier Valley Radio / 105.7 FM” serving Rainier Valley, Dunlap, Rainier Beach, Seward Park, Georgetown, Greater Duwamish, Mt. Baker, Atlantic, and parts of Mercer Island.

According to Brown Paper Tickets, the FCC approved one other new radio station for Seattle. Two additional nonprofit applicants for radio licenses are pending FCC approval. Overall, 13 new community radio stations have been approved across the Puget Sound area.

The process of attaining licenses from the FCC is extensive and takes time. The Seattle groups began applying in Nov. 2013. Some got approval right away whereas others had a longer wait.

Once stations are approved by the FCC, they have approximately 18 months to build their stations and begin broadcasting, according to Brown Paper Tickets.

The stations will be dedicated to the neighborhoods’ people, communities and causes, according to Brown Paper Tickets. Similar to public libraries and community centers, community radio offers connection, education and entertainment that work to strengthen neighborhoods.

“The stations might share content with each other, but they are all independent groups,” Roach said. “I will help them with infrastructure, inspiration and vision.”

Funding for groups wanting to become part of community radio is available.

Visit PugetSoundCommunityRadio.BrownPaperTickets.com for more information.