Todd Mundt

Santa Barbara gets a lot of public radio signals… if you count the translators and the student stations. But, as Doc Searls notes, Santa Barbara has no local public radio.

I might be wrong, but I’ll bet Santa Barbara is the largest city in the U.S. with a major university and no local public radio station. This is an embarrassment severely in need of correction. Now’s our chance.

Format switching and the potential sale of some commercial stations leads him to wonder if one of those AM or FM stations might provide the opportunity he and others have been waiting for.

Why local? Some of the public radio station’s that Doc mentions carry the hallmark NPR and other national programs. That experience is important, but  it’s probably readily available. What’s missing is the web that forms around community service - news, talk and music from a city or a region or a state.

Good luck, Doc!