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FM Power to the People [Book Review]

This book offers an in-depth look at one particular group of activists, the Prometheus Radio Project. Unlike some academic studies, this book is written from the perspective of both a participant and an observer: The author not only studied the history and accomplishments of Prometheus; she immersed herself in the activities of the group. Back in the ham radio era, the hobby was first dominated by what we would today call “radio geeks,” a large number of whom were middle-aged white males who loved to tinker. They read every technical magazine they could find, and they enjoyed demonstrating the equipment they built for their ham shack. As the author points out in the book, these first experimenters were totally neutral about politics: they avoided discussing current events over the air, and they took no stands on the hot-button issues of the day. Rather, involvement in ham radio was about friendship and camaraderie: talking over the air with hams from distant cities and countries, setting up local ham radio clubs, and getting together at conferences to discuss advances in the technology. But while the LPFM movement had its share of geeks and tinkerers, the Prometheus philosophy was far from neutral. These activists believed that low power radio could be an effective vehicle for political organizing, and could give a voice to those who felt marginalized by the corporate media.