Ashvegas reader: What’s up with independent low-power FM station WPVM?

From loyal reader Jenn:

Hello Jason,

I wonder if you are interested in finding out what’s going on with WPVM?

I’m rather pissed off about the fact that, when going off the air in October, they assured their listeners they would be back in 2 to 4 weeks. I knew that was probably unrealistic but it’s been 3 months now. They did a big fundraiser for their new transmitter and then went off the air and disappeared. You can listen online but I get 99% of my news listening in the car. I can’t listen online while working. I really miss Thom Hartmann and Democracy Now. NPR is like a Republican game show these days.

I wrote to the station on Facebook and got the following message:
“We are still awaiting a response from A-B Tech on whether or not we can re-locate the MAIN-FM transmitter to their campus, which is one of the only locations the FCC has approved.”

I also responded to comments on the MAIN website and got this answer to my question:
“To remain on the air and keep our transmitter at its original location would have required our renewing a contract that would have locked us into that location for at least another year. At that location, the FCC could not permit us to increase our power. The only way for us to increase our power is by moving the transmitter to a new location acceptable to the FCC for a power increase.”

I’d like to know if there is anything the listeners can do to help this process along? Where is the money for the new transmitter being held? And most of all when are they coming back on the air?