Antenna Dilemmas: The Rise of an Indigenous-Language Low-Power Radio Station in Southern California. Issue 2 (3rd July 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Jimenez, Carlos
• Is Part Of: Journal of radio & audio media. Volume 26:Issue 2(2019)
• Page Start: 247
• Page End: 269
• Publication Date: 2019-07-03
• Subjects: Radio broadcasting -- Periodicals; Radio broadcasting -- United States -- Periodicals; Digital audio broadcasting -- Periodicals; 384.54
• DOI: 10.1080/19376529.2018.1481847
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1937-6529

Abstract

Abstract : This article documents the legal and technological struggles of indigenous Mexican farmworkers (Mixtec and Zapotec) and a partner non-profit as they worked to apply for and build a low-power FM radio station in Oxnard, California. While there is much research on the development of U.S. community radio, scholarship rarely captures the experiences of low-income immigrant communities. With a focus on the FCC application, siting the antenna, and establishing Internet radio, this article highlights the limitations of new media (mobile phones and Internet radio) in bridging information gaps for low-income immigrants and argues that the need for FM radio persists.