A new community radio station will debut next month. Art+FM, which will broadcast music, talk programs and performance art, will launch its first broadcast live from the floor of the Idea Festival at the Kentucky Center on September 19 and air interviews and other arts programming throughout the three-day event.The station has applied for a low-power FM broadcast license, but until the FCC approves the signal, Art+FM will stream online. General manager Sharon Scott says a transmitter location has not been selected, but that the broadcast area would likely include downtown Louisville and the surrounding neighborhoods. The station has registered as a nonprofit with Kentucky and is in the process of applying for federal tax-exempt status. Start-up funds for equipment and the station's studio at 829 East Market Street, in the building that formerly housed La Bodega, have come from private donations. General manager Sharon Scott says the station’s mission is art-driven, but she hopes the programming will push the boundaries of traditional broadcast. “Radio is such a powerful medium, and you can do so much with it,” says Scott. “But it’s never really been given the opportunity to open itself to experimentation and to creative uses.”The station has collaborations planned with experimental sound artists and club DJs, and welcomes creative proposals from the community. “We imagine there will be some talk programs, in fact we know there will be a number of interviews happening with artists and intellectuals. We’ll also be doing sound art and sound experimentation. There are several sound artists in town that are already working on pieces for us,” Scott says.Art+FM will hold a public recruitment meeting Tuesday at their studios. The meeting is mandatory for those wishing to participate in the initial Idea Festival broadcasts, and other programming proposals are welcome. All levels of experience are welcome.
