Programming A Low-Power AM Oldies Format

[cc333]

I want to do something similar to KYNO 940, but as a tiny, 100mW Part 15 station. What I'm envisioning is a sort of hybrid of KYA and KFRC, with a hint of KABL.

I want it to be strictly automated for now.

I have a computer with software, a transmitter and some music. I just need to figure out programming (jingles, etc.) and a good playlist software (I'm using Playit live right now, but it's kind of glitchy and heavy for this computer, and I wouldn't mind finding something else better).

How should I get started?

c

 

[24pulsar]

It's great to see a fellow hobbyist showing interest in running a micro-station. I've been running a Soft Adult Contemporary format FM+AM combination at home for almost a year now. I've learned quite a bit along the way.

For playout/automation, I use RadioDJ. It's a great program with an interface very similar to that of several commercial automation suites. It's even capable of some level of voice-tracking. Due to the fact that it requires a SQL-compatible database server such as MySQL or MariaDB, setup can be somewhat confusing. However, I've found that simply installing MySQL Community Edition works fine. The benefit of this database hierarchy is that the entire database can be backed up and restored in one single go. I had to reinstall Windows on my automation PC, and migrating my radio station was as easy as reinstalling the MySQL server program and RadioDJ, then loading the backup database file I dumped before wiping the hard drive. It's also seemingly quite lightweight. I'm running all of my automation, audio processing, and even MPX generation on an 11-year-old Lenovo with a second-generation i5. It runs very well, provided that I don't shovel too many other background tasks on it.

Programming is fun, too. Seeing as you're focusing on oldies, I highly recommend listening to MeTV FM's stream in your spare time. I've discovered many great songs through that station, which have fit perfectly into my rather diverse Soft AC playlist. The ads are annoying (Attention Medicare Beneficiaries!) but the selection of oldies is fantastic. Skimming through the Billboard charts for a given decade is also a great way to discover tracks. Even YouTube's auto-recommendations when you're listening to a given track can come up with some gems.

Although I personally haven't tried it, there are many VO artists on sites like Fiverr who might be able to assist with, at the very least, the voice-over part of your imaging/jingles. It's also fun to skim through SFX/production music libraries, grab a mic, and see what you can come up with. I managed to find a theme that sticks after much experimentation, and I'm sure you can just as well.

I'm not sure if you've already thought of it, but audio processing is another fun aspect of operating a Part 15 station, at least for me. It's what makes the station sound like, well, a radio station. Stereo Tool is a great program to get started with this, as is BreakawayOne. I've personally found that the built-in presets in Stereo Tool do not achieve my personal processing goals, but they can be easily tweaked.

 

[Oldie919]

Re: audio processing for LPAM.....I'm using the Schlockwood SW-200....
Its creator is Jim Woods of Inovonics....the processor sounds FANTASTIC, once you get it set up correctly.....
FWIW.....Jim is also working on an AM Mod Monitor/Field-Strength Meter...Production has been held up because of parts shortages, but a few units MAY be available in the near future.....Check his website (Schlockwood.com) for more info...
Good luck with your Part 15 AM Oldies station!!

 

[cc333]

@presario425 Thank you! Most oldies from before the 70s (including radio's Top-40 era) are WELL before my time (I grew up in the late 90s and 2000s), but I'm something of a throwback, as it's my most favorite music (the fact that my mother always listened to oldies in the car probably predisposed me to it).

Anyway, I think I'll stay with PlayIt for now, as I discovered why it was so glitchy: I had the buffer on my audio interface (Focusrite Saffire Pro 26, which is probably overkill for Part-15 AM, but sounds REALLY nice) set too low, and PlayIt couldn't keep up. I increased the buffer size from 128 to 512 and the glitches went away!

I would like to look into RadioDJ at some point, however, as I believe it's 100% free. PlayIt is nominally free, but there's some advanced scheduling features and various plugins that one must pay for.

As for imaging, I've been browsing around, and I found posted on YouTube a bunch of old, generic PAMS and PAMS-like jingles that date back to the 50s and 60s, which is perfect! They don't sound quite like KYNO/KYA/KFRC, but they're generic? If anyone can suggest any other places I can look, let me know!

I scan YouTube and Amazon Music for music I like, compile it and put it into PlayIt. I also have a sizeable collection of 45s (many of which were actually from a defunct Top-40 AM station from somewhere back east, believe it or not), so when I can, I copy those and put them up, because despite the record noise (some of these records actually do sound like they were played fairly little, and so aren't tremendously noisy), they actually sound better (some songs which have been remixed, such as Peggy Lee's Fever, just don't sound right!). In particular, some songs off of Amazon Music have this weird phasiness quality that sounds like low-bitrate MP3 to me, despite them being advertised as HD. Maybe I'm just being picky?

As for processing, I'd love to get a Schlockwood SW-200, but my station so far has a very small budget (virtually all of which was spent on the transmitter), so I'll make due with Stereo Tool, which, if properly adjusted, is quite good sounding.

Good luck with your Part 15 AM Oldies station!!

Thank you!

So far, I'm pretty sure I'm the only one listening, which is fair since it's range is effectively limited to my front yard fence. I'm still working on improving that, of course, but it's good enough for me right now.

Perhaps quite ironically for someone wanting to get into broadcasting, I'm very mic shy. Put a live mic in front of me, and I cannot speak! That said, I'll have to have someone else be the station's "voice". I know a couple people who might be willing to help, so hopefully that won't be a problem.

Eventually, I am envisioning this venture becoming a sort of hyper-local community radio, where people in the immediate community contribute to the programming, with local news commentary, and music. Sort of like NPR, but on a neighborhood level. There is precedent for this in the form of Radio Sausalito, so I have something to model it after.

For now, though, an automated oldies station is enough

c