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Archives of the
National Federation of Community Broadcasters
Processed by: Heather L. Moore and Kristi Mashon
July 1996
26.0 lin. ft.
Administrative History | Scope and Content | Provenance | Series Descriptions
The National Federation of Community Broadcasters (NFCB) is a national, grass-roots, non-profit organization which has served non-commercial community-based radio stations since 1975. There are currently some 170 stations, producers, and organizations in the membership of NFCB, representing diverse communities from remote regions of Alaska to densely populated cities, in markets ranging from Native American reservations to large metropolitan areas.
Community broadcasters first met as a group in the summer of 1973 in Seattle, Washington. Only a half dozen community licensed stations were on the air at that time. Representatives from those stations, as well as representatives of another dozen groups interested in building stations, were present.
Two years later, the National Alternative Radio Konvention (NARK) convened in Madison, Wisconsin. Representatives of some 40 community broadcast organizations gathered to discuss the future of community radio. The group agreed upon the need for a national organization to represent community broadcasters. Only through such an organization could community stations have a voice in national policy concerning noncommercial broadcasting. Several months later, the National Federation of Community Broadcasters was founded. Tom Thomas and Terry Clifford were named to head the new organization, and Bill Thomas was confirmed as head of the cooperative program exchange service. Thomas and Clifford opened NFCB's national headquarters in Washington, D.C.
NFCB's initial mission was to develop training manuals for stations, to help stations obtain FCC licenses, to promote the participation of minorities and women at all levels of public broadcasting, and to establish the Program Exchange, a sharing of programming tapes among member stations. Since then, the organization's mission has expanded to promote the ideals and role of community radio in the public broadcasting system, to assist and advocate for the successful operation and funding of local stations and projects, and to facilitate the production of high quality and innovative programming from diverse sources.
In the late seventies and early eighties, community radio expanded rapidly. NFCB grew along with community radio, soon reaching a membership of 75 stations and broadcasting groups. The Public Radio Legal Handbook and AudioCraft, a production training manual, were published in the late seventies. NFCB was instrumental in bringing people of color into community radio in the early eighties. It organized the first Minority Producers Conference in 1982. NFCB also assisted in the development of national policies to enhance local community stations by helping to make it possible for non-National Public Radio (NPR) stations to receive grants from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).
During the eighties, NFCB experienced several changes in administration. In 1984, NFCB President Tom Thomas and Vice-President Terry Clifford both resigned. Later that year, Carol Schatz, former general manager of Bethel Broadcasting in Alaska, became the second president of NFCB. The new president came to NFCB when the organization and many of its member stations were struggling with internal conflicts and financial crises. NFCB survived this period, though staff was reduced from nine full-time employees to four. The Program Exchange was also eliminated.
In the fall of 1986, Schatz resigned. An outside consultant was hired to evaluate NFCB's situation. The consultant described NFCB's future as "in doubt". Lynn Chadwick was chosen as the next president of NFCB in 1987. The period between 1987 and 1990 was a time of reorganization and redefinition for the organization. Due to financial problems, NFCB operated with as few as two staff members at times. In 1987, the NFCB Steering Committee was eliminated and the NFCB Board of Directors was formed.
By 1991, NFCB's financial and operational recovery was well underway. Since then, NFCB has once again become a strong, stable voice for community broadcasters. The organization's membership reached 100 in March of 1994, and has continued to grow. NFCB developed The Healthy Station Project, which was designed to support and create successful local stations. In 1995, the national headquarters of NFCB was relocated from Washington, D.C. to San Francisco, California, where the organization combined operations with Western Public Radio.
The National Federation of Community Broadcasters continues to serve its member stations. The NFCB staff is dedicated to representing the views of the membership in such national arenas as the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Federal Communication Commission, and Congress. NFCB provides information and referral services in all aspects of community broadcasting. Several publications are available through NFCB, including a monthly newsletter. NFCB also hosts an Annual Community Radio Conference, where station representatives can receive training in several areas of broadcasting and can take advantage of networking opportunities.
The Archives of the National Federation of Community Broadcasters includes material from 1975 to 1994, with the bulk of the material dating between 1979 and 1989. Materials in this collection include articles, audio tape cassettes, audio tape reels, correspondence, fliers, legal documents, newsletters, newspapers, pamphlets, papers, press releases, program guides, publications, and reports. A large part of the collection consists of NFCB member station files and materials concerning NFCB's program exchange service.
The Archives of NFCB is divided into the following series:
- Series 1: Administrative Files
- Series 2: Member Stations
- Series 3: Program Service
- Series 4: Publications
- Series 5: Community Radio
The Archives of the National Federation of Community Broadcasters was donated to the National Public Broadcasting Archives, University of Maryland Libraries by Lynn Chadwick in December of 1993 and May of 1994.
Series 1: Administrative Files, 1976-1994 (0.75 lin. ft.)
This series contains the administrative files of the National Federation of Community Broadcasters. This includes internal records, such as annual reports, correspondence, and employee information. Also included are NFCB press releases, NFCB testimony concerning public telecommunications legislation, and NFCB conference materials. Twelve cassette tapes of NFCB Award Ceremonies are also included in this series [located in box 12]. Files are arranged alphabetically, and tapes are arranged chronologically when a date is available.
Series 2: Member Stations, 1975-1989 (16.75 lin. ft.)
This series consists of the files that NFCB kept on each of its member stations. Although the material in each folder varies according to the information sent by the station to NFCB, folders may contain station program guides, newsletters, schedules, annual reports, and other materials. Also included in this series are two 4" audio reels [located in box 16]. Files are arranged in the following manner: letter sized folders and oversized folders are separated, then arranged alphabetically according to station call letters.
Series 3: Program Service, 1975-1984 (7.0 lin. ft.)
This series documents NFCB's program exchange service. Program catalogues, program newsletters, sales records for a book on program resources, and program listings are all included. Series 3 also contains numerous audio cassettes and audio reels [located in boxes 12 through 16]. Files and audio tapes are arranged alphabetically.
Series 4: Publications, 1975-1987 (0.75 lin. ft.)
As part of its service to community broadcasters, NFCB made available many publications. This series contains several such publications, including NFCB's Community Radio Planning Project Report, NFCB Legal Handbook, and the NFCB newsletter. The materials in this series are arranged alphabetically.
Series 5: Community Radio, 1976-1984, n.d. (0.75 lin. ft.)
This series contains articles, papers, and reports concerning community radio in general that NFCB collected. Included are papers on the origin and growth of community radio. Several of the reports address the formation of the NFCB and its role in community broadcasting. Folders are arranged alphabetically by title of paper.
A complete guide in Adobe Acrobat (*.pdf) format can be downloaded here.
