How to start a radio station
in your town.

"Start a radio station in my town" usually means one of two very different things: get a nonprofit on the air with a small FCC-licensed signal, or actually own and run a station as a business. Both are real. They are not the same path, and most guides blur them together.

Path 1: Low-Power FM (LPFM), the nonprofit route

LPFM is an FCC license category reserved for nonprofit and governmental applicants only — individuals and for-profit businesses cannot hold one. Key facts, as of the most recent publicly available guidance:

• Eligibility: You need a 501(c)(3) or similar nonprofit, with a local tie — typically headquartered within 10 miles of the transmitter (20 miles outside the top 50 markets), or 75% of your board living in that radius.
• Timeline: The FCC only accepts LPFM applications during specific filing windows, which open infrequently. Setting up the nonprofit alone (incorporation, bylaws, EIN, IRS Form 1023) commonly takes 3–9 months before you can even apply. End to end, plan for roughly two to three years.
• Cost: Equipment estimates commonly run $5,000–$25,000, separate from the nonprofit formation costs.
• Revenue: LPFM stations can accept underwriting but cannot air traditional advertising.

Check fcc.gov directly for the current filing window before planning around this path — windows open and close with no fixed schedule.

Path 2: Own and run the station as a business

This is the LocalForge path: an internet or low-cost local station you actually own, not a nonprofit license you apply for and wait on. LocalForge packages the studio, streaming, website, app, training and the sales system together, with a published launch price starting at $2,495.

• Eligibility: None of LPFM's nonprofit/board-residency requirements — you own it.
• Timeline: Days to weeks to get on air, not years, since there's no FCC filing window to wait for.
• Revenue: You can sell advertising directly to local businesses from day one.

Which one is actually right for you

• Want a nonprofit community voice, are comfortable with a multi-year timeline, and don't need ad revenue: LPFM is the real path, and it's worth doing right.
• Want to be on air fast, want to own the business and sell local ads, and don't want to wait on an FCC window that may not even be open: LocalForge is built for exactly that.
• Not sure yet: read the internet radio station guide for the technical side either path eventually needs.