In 2011, President Obama signed the land- mark Local Community Radio Act into law, opening up the airwaves for the first time in nearly two decades. Local organizers in the Phoenix-metro area formed a coalition of community members to assess the need for a local media outlet and prepare for the LPFM application window. In 2013, we were granted a space on the dial – 102.9FM – transmitting in Downtown, Central City South, and South Phoenix.
We are establishing a community media outlet in a polarized time. While people be- come increasingly connected through technological advances, our public commons are slowly diminishing. Over 90% of media in the US is owned by only 6 major corporations. We hear the rise of hate speech, and watch the political disenfranchisement of our communities. Media is more curated to personal tastes, intensifying the divide between communities. But we cannot forget our history. Radio is accessible to more people around the world than any other mass media. It is easy to produce and near free to consume. Radio is resilient, and often a consistent source of information in moments of tragedy and disaster. Radio builds movements, and has a long history of being used in resistance efforts and fights for social justice. KDIF is getting back to those roots of radio, as a geographically grounded platform for sharing stories that matter and directly engage listeners.
