This paper examines the growth of noncommercial FM radio and the service it provides to various regions of the United States and to large metropolitan areas. It concludes that the service provided does not reflect the policies for noncommercial broadcasting set forth by Congress and the Federal Communications Commission and that it does not represent a systematic plan of alternative local and national programming for diverse audiences. The paper points to the need for research into the status of noncommercial FM radio so that policy decisions can be made in keeping with the concept on which the system is based. (GW)