The New Haven Independent seeks to expand its hyperlocal mission to low-power radio

The New Haven Independent, which launched in 2005 amid the first wave of online-only community news sites, may soon expand into radio.

The nonprofit Independent is one of three groups asking the Federal Communications Commission for a low-power FM (LPFM) license in New Haven (CT). If successful, editor and founder Paul Bass says that “New Haven Independent Radio” could make its debut at 103.5 FM in about a year. “It would be a fun thing if we get it. I’m told it’s very hard,” Bass says. “We’re by no means talking as if we’re going to get this license. We thought it would be worth a shot.” He envisions a mix of news from the Independent and La Voz Hispana de Connecticut, the Independent’s content partner (and landlord), as well as music, public affairs, and shows produced by local nonprofit organizations. The station would be on the air at least 16 hours a day. The three New Haven applications are part of the FCC’s great LPFM land rush. Legislation signed by President Barack Obama in 2011 eased restrictions on low-power stations, and the FCC is expected to approve about 1,000 applications sometime in 2014. More than 2,800 applications were received by the deadline in November, according to the website Radio World.