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The Canary Coalition August 22, 2011 Vote for the Canary Coalition (as best Environment Organization) in the Mountain
XPress "Best Of" contest Headlines 
The Canary Coalition has been selected by the FCC to receive a full-power,
non-profit FM radio license in western North CarolinaBut, Western Carolina University challenges the ruling....MORE
The Canary Coalition depends on your financial support The Canary Coalition depends on the financial support of its members and other voluntary donors. Our independent organization accepts no money from grant foundations that are funded by polluting industries or government agencies. This is a true grassroots organization that exists only because people believe in what we are doing. There are no mandatory membership dues. The amount donated is at the discretion of the donor. Our effective work in public education and advocacy is performed only for the purpose of achieving improved air quality and a healthier environment for this and future generations. Information is the key to effective activism.  In appreciation for a donation of $50 or more you can receive this 2 gigabyte metal-key flash drive, pre-loaded with a library of information about air qualily, climate change, energy and transportation issues. It also includes a 12-minute video about the Canary Coalition and several Power Point presentations that address important topics related to our work. All this information takes up less than 500 megabytes on the flash drive. So, there's still plenty of space for you to store whatever data, music or photos you'd like. And it all fits on your key chain easily- a powerful tool for the 21st century activist!
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The Canary Coalition
But, Western Carolina University challenges the ruling
In 2010, The FCC decided to open new FM frequencies around the nation available for full-power radio stations to be operated exclusively by non-profit organizations. One of the areas included for a new frequency was Dillsboro, in western North Carolina, about a half mile from the office of the Canary Coalition.
After consulting with Wally Bowen, the founder of Mountain Area Information Network (MAIN) and WMAIN, a low-power radio station in Asheville, Avram Friedman (the Executive Director of the Canary Coalition) consulted with his Board and decided to begin the process of making application for the available FCC license.
The organization's leaders view this an opportunity to bring the public educational and advocacy mission of the Canary Coalition to a new level of effectiveness. This will be a radio station that offers programming found nowhere else, delivering in-depth coverage of environmental issues and news.
Currently, the environmental and social progress community has little voice in the corporate-owned mass media. Important events, demonstrations, public hearings, discussions, debates and informational forums are often ignored by the conventional media or relegated to small back page, one-time articles that may even miss the point entirely. Even Public Radio stations have been less than forthcoming with covering the news and events organized by local non-profits.
If the Canary Coalition gains this FCC license it will open the airwaves to the issues of many other non-profits as well, empowering the grassroots in western North Carolina as never before.
The competition was (and is) stiff. Also applying for the same territorial license was Asheville-based Public Radio station WCQS, Western Carolina University (WCU), the Cherokee Boys Club, and a non-profit Christian foundation based in Georgia.
After a long review process, the FCC selected the Canary Coalition because we most closely meet the important qualification of being a local organization. But, WCU has filed a Petition to Deny with the FCC, claiming the Canary Coalition is not really a local organization and that we don't have the necessary funds to start and operate a radio station. We have hired an attorney to fight for us and he feels we will win. The only office of the Canary Coalition has always been located in Sylva, NC, and our mission is to fight for clean air in the Great Smoky Mountains region. What could be more locally focused than that. In addition our members and financial contributors have always come through in the past because people believe in our work and have faith in our determination to follow through on our actions and to be effective in whatever we do.
The Canary Coalition is and always will be a dynamic grassroots resource. If and when we overcome this challenge and gain the FCC license, we look forward to a new era when the Canary Coalition can serve the community in a new and spectacular manner, broadcasting news and information about air quality, climate change, new developments in the renewable energy and efficiency economy transformation. News of the Fukishima catastrophe and other nuclear accidents will not be blacked out in our region, on this station. Listeners will learn about the realities of hydraulic fracturing (or hydro-fracking). There will be no corporate tampering with this news. The facts will be presented, discussed and debated.
If you agree that this will be an asset to our community worth the effort, you can help. We need to raise about $50,000 to buy the equipment and get started.
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