One of Common Frequency's first priorities was to work with several independent nonprofits to bring more student and community radio to California's Central Valley.  Home to 6.5 million people, stretching more than 400 miles, the Central Valley often resides in the shadow of California's more promoted metro areas of the Bay Area, LA, and San Diego.  However, the area is composed of ten metropolitan statistical areas, the largest being the Sacramento area (two million people) and Fresno (one million people).  The Valley, primarily known around the world for its agriculture, has a growing diverse population.  Since the coastal metros are limited in growth due to geographic constraints, the Valley holds a vast cache of land for population expansion.  At the same time, the Valley is struggling with an endless list of quality of life issues (transportation, agriculture vs sprawl, water rights, livability, etc).  Additionally, further development of arts, culture, and community is key to making the Valley on-par with other major metropolitan areas in the future. 

There is a sense that uncontrolled suburban development and poor planning often leads to "car culture" cities such as Phoenix and Dallas.  The Central Valley is at a pivotal point to where it could develop into one megalopolis of inefficient suburbs, destroying some of the world's most productive farm land, or in expand in a smart-growth manner such as Portland, OR.  The key to stoking a productive vision includes involving the public to create a sense of community; free flow of information is key. 

There are currently only a few outlets for community and student involvement in radio in the valley.  Through the licensing of both low and full power FM stations, much more can be done to unit and educate the towns, cities, and cultures of the Valley.  If communities had local outlets for participation in radio, the people can have the tools to move the community in positive directions.  Add the final step of uniting the radio outlets of the Valley to produce and share content you then have a productive means of grassroots communication outside the corporate realm of manipulation of facts for profit.