This year we celebrate a remarkable milestone—50 years of NFCB. From a small gathering of passionate broadcasters in 1973 to a nationwide movement of hundreds of community radio stations today, our story is one of resilience, collaboration, and unwavering commitment to local voices.
Community broadcasters first met as a group in the summer of 1973 in Seattle, Washington. At that time, only a half-dozen community-licensed stations were on the air. Representatives from those stations, along with another dozen groups interested in building stations, came together with a shared vision. Two years later, in 1975, the National Alternative Radio Konvention (NARK) convened in Madison, Wisconsin, bringing together representatives from some 40 community broadcast organizations. There, they recognized the need for a national organization to support community broadcasters and provide a voice for non-commercial radio in national policy. Out of that gathering, the National Federation of Community Broadcasters (NFCB) was born!
NFCB’s initial mission was to develop training manuals for stations, to help stations obtain Federal Communication Commission licenses, to promote the participation of minorities and women at all levels of public broadcasting, and to establish the NFCB Program Service, an effort to establish connections among community radio stations across the country and distribute community radio programs through a national cooperative of producers and stations. NFCB also convened the first Native, Rural, African American, Low Power FM, and Latino Radio Summits. NFCB encouraged community media to respond to changes in technology and culture, raising community service and inclusion as core values. As streaming, podcasting and online journalism rose to prominence in the 2000s, NFCB helped organizations understand new tools.
Fifty years later, NFCB has grown into a national force for community radio, supporting stations that serve rural towns, urban neighborhoods, tribal lands, and diverse communities across the country. We have fought for media equity, championed diversity, and adapted to a rapidly evolving media landscape—ensuring that local voices remain strong.
The challenges have been real. NFCB has weathered financial uncertainty, industry shifts, and policy battles. Yet, just as community radio stations find ways to serve their listeners through crisis and change, NFCB has continually evolved—bringing stations together, offering critical resources, and reinforcing the essential role of locally rooted media.
Looking ahead, we double down on our mission. The need for independent, community-driven media has never been greater. As we celebrate this anniversary, we remain focused on the future—helping stations navigate new technologies, reach new audiences, and sustain their impact. Our commitment to inclusion, innovation, and advocacy is stronger than ever.
We invite you to be part of this celebration—through our upcoming Community Media Conference and 50th Anniversary Celebration in Salt Lake City (June 9-11, 2025), through shared stories of your station’s journey, and through the continued work of strengthening our communities, one broadcast at a time.
NFCB has our archives housed at the University of Maryland. We’ll be sharing how to add to the archives this year. Stay tuned!
Thank you for being part of this legacy. Here’s to the next 50 years!
