DIVERSITY IN RADIO STARTS WITH COMMUNITY ACTIVISM by Yon Lambert, Staff Writer @ The State Making contacts within the Federal Communications Commission's bureaucratic maze once seemed a daunting task to Glenn Austin. Then again, until March, the Minneapolis electrical engineer never had reason to try. That changed when one of the 10 most powerful radio ownership groups in the country bought a Minneapolis radio station, KREV-FM. ABC/Disney, Inc. then abruptly changed the station's format from modern rock to "active rock" (a radio term for hard rock and heavy metal). In response, Austin and hundreds of others in that city formed an activist group: Americans for Radio Diversity. They filed a formal petition with the FCC to deny the sale and tried to haul the new owners into court. That kind of community activism is rare. In fact, ARD is probably one of the first citizen's groups anywhere to seriously challenge a media company's acquisition. Savvy radio operators know that, especially in small markets like Columbia. A 30-day period in which the FCC would accept inquiries about a recent merger here passed with no public comment at the end of May. That means the agency will almost certainly approve Emerald City Radio Partners' sale of WNOK-FM, WMFX-FM and WOIC-AM to Capstar Broadcasting Partners. Capstar is spinning off two stations, WOIC and WMFX, to Clear Channel Communcations. It is the final acquisition in a process that has left 13 of the top 15 commercial stations in Columbia in the hands of three corporations. Members of ARD think the reluctance to tackle federal agencies and media companies must change. "If we don't start spekaing up, if we don't start teaching people they do have a say in this, then listeners and consumers will never have a voice," Austin said. Still, the group knows its battle will likely fail. Austin said the FCC has never overturned a radio station sale based on public comment -- and the FCC almost never intervenes when it comes to formatting decisions. But ARD had redirected its focus to share information with other citizens' groups and promote local competition and community-based programming in radio. If they can get the word out, he said, ARD can try to reverse what it calls the "destructive trend toward the anit-competitive, concentrated radio ownership in mega-media corporations." Austin said the Internet offers the most fertile resource for budding activists and media watchdogs: The FCC has a web page (www.fcc.gov). It's loaded with links, forms and explanatory material. You can also call the FCC's consumer help lines to make inquiries or complaints about radio and TV programming at (2202) 418-1430. There is a complete phone listing for all the FCC bureaus and divisions on the Web. Two web sites offer excellent resources for media activism: The Center for Educational Priorities (www.cep.org/action.html) and the ARD site at (www.radiodiversity.com). .