WPVM-FM (a.k.a. MAIN-FM) shall be returning to the airwaves after ten months. The Progressive View of the Mountains was off the air for “technical reasons.” MAIN is an internet provider that subsidizes the radio station. MAIN is dependent on the City of Asheville for tower space, and it was recently in serious negotiations over a request for an extension of time to raise some money. Years ago, when MAIN asked city council for a subsidy, local conservatives were outraged that their tax contributions should support progressive programming. Most vocal perhaps was local writer/editor Bill Fishburne, who ran a sizeable internet business until he couldn’t compete with MAIN’s subsidized rates. MAIN wants to be clear they have never asked the city for money, just in-kind stuff.
To kick off WPVM’s return to the airwaves, Amy Goodman, hostess of the nationally syndicated “Democracy Now!” will be speaking at AB Tech’s Ferguson Auditorium sometime on September 7. Admission is $10.
