Pittsburgh Public Media asks supporters to back jazz station

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Seeking to revive jazz radio in Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Public Media bought an FM signal in March but now needs to raise funds to begin broadcasting on the station.

The station is turning to the crowdfunding platform CrowdRise to raise $150,000 by the end of the year to pay for the acquisition of facilities, equipment and tower space. The campaign, which began in June, has so far garnered $325 in donations.

“We have a real deadline,” said PPM President Chuck Leavens in a press release. “The FCC has given us until the end of 2016 to build the new 101.1 FM that will cost about $150,000, or lose the allocation. It will allow us to continue the legacy of Jazz radio in Pittsburgh, a deep void that was left when WDUQ left the airwaves in 2011.”

PPM says the new signal of 101.1 FM would reach about 1 million people in greater Pittsburgh.

PPM was founded by former WDUQ staffers. It currently broadcasts on WYZR-FM 88.1 in the Ohio Valley region and on WZUM-AM 1550 in Braddock, Pa., as well as online.

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