Statements

Mission

Believing that democracy cannot function if only a few have access to the media, Radio Free Nashville, Inc. (RFN) is a community forum for the music, voices, and viewpoints generally ignored or misrepresented by the corporate media.

Background

RFN, Nashville's first community radio station, signed on April 3, 2005. It is community owned and operated, and in a democratic society, media ownership matters because ultimately it is the deciding factor that determines what Americans are able to consume in news, entertainment and information. It matters to our democracy because an informed public is the bedrock of a free and open society. RFN programs a 60-40 mix of news (information, talk and call-in shows ) and music, consistent with our mission statement. Though each day has some consistent elements, no two days are exactly alike. Some programming is of national origin, but the bulk of programming is locally produced by members of the Nashville community. In the 15 years since sign on, Radio Free Nashville has trained over 400 programmers representing many races and ethnicities, developed a partnership with another local non-profit that allowed youth to broadcast live from a centrally located facility in downtown Nashville, developed broadcast education programs in 5 area high schools, trained community members in media reform and related issues, trained citizens to testify before the FCC (at a 2006 hearing in Nashville on media consolidation, over 600 community members participated), trained community members in news gathering and production, hosted the live national broadcast of the Homelessness Marathon that originated from the Campus For Human Development in downtown Nashville, changed its originating frequency from 98.7 to 107.1 FM , and expanded to a second, city-wide frequency, 103.7 FM. RFN has also provided a forum for radio programming in 10 different languages, programming dedicated to health care, fire safety, cancer and cancer support, introducing children to music, and teaching owners how to outwit their dogs. Since its inception, another aim of RFN has been to provide a space for students and other young people to work with professionals to learn to produce their own programming, learn broadcast technology, and above all, to understand through direct experience that the airwaves belong to them. Our goal is to promote young people's intellectual, creative, and professional growth through training and direct hands-on experience.

Impact

In the past year, RFN has expanded our local politically oriented programming to help combat the lies and disinformation being in corporate media. We added programming in Hindi and Spanish, increased the diversity of programmers and actively sought out marginalized communities and communities of color. We also successfully renewed our license. In the upcoming year, post-Covid, we hope to further expand programming aimed at combatting the hateful, repressive and regressive ideas that have dominated the dialogue over the last years. Some labeled this incredible period of conspiracy theories and lies as the "post truth" era. At RFN we call it a time of ugly propaganda that still demands both unwavering resistance and a strong countervailing voice. We are that voice. We at RFN are deeply concerned about the future of democracy in this country. We started this station because we believed that access to the media and to unbiased news and information was crucial to sustaining our democracy. It is awful moments like we just experienced that remind us of just how important an outlet like Radio Free Nashville is. These moments are the reason why we created Radio Free Nashville and why in 2020 and beyond, our very existence is crucially important. Despite threats and pushback against our programming over the past year, RFN will not back down. We will stand up and speak out and stay true to what is moral and right. Silence allows hate to take root and grow. Radio Free Nashville will never be silent. We are committed to using our incredible resource to educate and inform against any fundamentally anti-democratic policies put forth.

Needs

RFN believes that money or lack thereof should never dictate one's ability to access the media. All RFN's programs and services are provided free of charge, something we are committed to continuing, especially in the current political and economic climate. As such, fundraising is RFN's greatest, most pressing need. Our goals include solar, to reduce our operating costs (panels and installation: $7,500), expanding community training, in both radio production and news gathering, and media reform (location, trainers, training materials: $750 per training), upgrading our mobile recording kit with new computers, mics and editing software. The kit is used to record community events and forums for broadcast. It can also be lent to schools and youth organizations to create their own programming for broadcast ($1,800 per package), and purchasing the land and building adjacent to the station, to assure that RFN does not lose its physical plant.

CEO Statement

The need for a community radio station like WRFN is glaring.In 1945, the Supreme Court declared that 'the widest possible dissemination of information from diverse and antagonistic sources is essential to the welfare of the public, that a free press is a condition of a free society.' As the federal agency charged with regulating the mass media, the FCC long had rules in place to promote 'the widest possible dissemination of information from diverse and antagonistic sources.' But rules designed to foster production of independent news and entertainment have been weakened or eliminated. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 allowed for the consolidation of ownership of the airwaves into a few corporate hands. Now nine corporations control 90% of broadcast media. Weakened rules restricting radio ownership now allow one company like Clear Channel (CC) to own the majority of radio stations in every market. CC has five in Nashville. This lets CC select music based on whether artists pay CC promotional fees or whether CC agrees with their politics or message. CC's 'efficiencies' have eliminated local music and local news, relying on national play-lists, centralized news services, and technology that allows central programmers to add local 'color' at delivery. CC also determines which talk show hosts get syndicated, ensuring carriage of one point of view in every market. Corporate dominance of local markets has translated into less public-interest reporting on consumer, environmental, minority and labor affairs. As a result, the identity, values and informational needs of the local community are at risk. RFN is the antithesis of the corporate media. The local community owns the station, creates the programming, and defines the issues that need to be brought to light. RFN is the tool by which those denied access to the corporate media are given a platform to speak and be heard.Today's highly concentrated media marketplace makes robust competition and ownership diversity all the more essential. In the news and information business, competition and diversity help preserve localism in news coverage, enhance the quality and comprehensiveness of news content, assure a multiplicity of voices from a variety of independent sources and reduce the risk that news will be censored or slanted by a few controlling interests. Maintaining competition and diversity is central to protecting the public's right to information and, importantly, to expanding the public's informed participation in our democracy. The creation of RFN was one small step toward that aim.

Service Categories
Primary Category:	Arts, Culture & Humanities  - Radio
Secondary Category:	Public & Societal Benefit  - Citizen Participation
Tertiary Category:	Public & Societal Benefit  - Telecommunications

Areas Served

Middle Tennessee and Davidson County, including Nashville, Brentwood, East Nashville, Inglewood, and Madison

TN - Davidson