[BC] FIRST LPFM BITES THE BUST

[r j carpenter]

There are certainly other LPFMs on the verge of handing in their license 
and others may have done so. See the FCC's [incomplete] list of silent FMs
http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/status/silentFM.html

I suspect there have been three main problems:

1) Stations that pay their help find it's too expensive for the 
perceived benefit to the owning organization..

2) Stations run by volunteer enthusiasts run out of volunteers. Keeping 
the station on the air has become a "drag".

3) Station coverage is less than the proprietors dreamed of.  An example 
(still on the air) would be WRYR-LP which dreams it's an Annapolis 
station but the transmitter is located 17 miles away on the other side 
of Chesapeake Bay.   That would be stretching it even for a Class A.

Rich Wood has pretty well covered the fact that IBOC shouldn't be of 
concern to LPFMs for a long time to come.

bob c.