The tribal station, which will operate within a small broadcast area of 12 to 15 miles, is scheduled to begin operation in February.

It will be one of several new Low Power FM stations licensed by the Federal Communication Commission.

LPFM radio stations were created by the FCC in 2000 and are authorized for noncommercial broadcasting only.

"The opportunity arose all of a sudden," said Debra Croswell, tribal public affairs manager. "We applied in June 2001 and then didn't hear until late September or early October of last year that we had gotten the permit."

The project has received a $20,000 grant from the Wildhorse Foundation, plus a recent matching grant for $5,000 from the Oregon Community Foundation.

"We're trying to piece together the last few pieces of our budget, and then we'll start purchasing equipment," Croswell said.

FCC regulations require the station to broadcast at least 36 hours each week, and most of those hours will be manned by volunteers.

"We're going to rely heavily on community involvement," Croswell said.

Although a programming schedule has not been set, surveys taken over the past year have shown a strong interest in using the station to provide expanded access to tribal history, culture and a language program.