Great News -- Community Radio coming to Salem!

Kudos to Karen Holman for all her work!

Salem area receives clearance for FM radio station

Salem is on the way to having a nonprofit, community FM radio station, with the issuance of a construction license to Radio Free Salem.

Karen Holman, a board member of nonprofit Salem Folklore Community and chairwoman of its radio project committee, received the Federal Communication Commission permit last week, the preliminary to the issuance of a license. . . . Radio Free Salem will lease a tower on Wipper Hill in Turner for its antenna, with a signal expected to reach most of Salem, Stayton, Sublimity, Aumsville and Turner. . . . The programming will be 50 percent music, with the rest community-driven programming, such as news and talk, similar to Portland's KBOO. . . . The official city of license will be Turner; being based in a small community helped Radio Free Salem get a license.

Letter of the Month

Return airport funds, protect quality of life

Why on Earth would we want to expand and intensify the use of the
Salem airport? It will benefit a few and will adversely impact the
quality of life for many people who live in the core area of Salem,
some who have lived here for decades.

We already tolerate increasing train noise and traffic congestion.
Increasing air traffic noise and pollution will detract from efforts
to promote the livability of the core area of Salem and discourage
new residents.

I would vote to return the $8 million in federal funds to forgo
improving the existing airport and to protect livability in Salem.

I place a high value on quality of life. I don't like the community
being forced to accept a noisy helicopter school that we don't want
in order to keep money for airport expansion. The expansion is sure
to result in more unwanted air traffic, noise and pollution.

If Salem needs a bigger airport, and I am not sure it does, maybe it
should be relocated — before we invest $10 million of our hard-earned
tax dollars on "improvements."

— Tracy White, Salem