Starting a New SW Station

[JHrusky]

Well, time to post and get my feet wet -- actually I'm going to jump in head first so here goes:

I am in the process of putting together a business plan to build a SW radio station in central Wisconsin. I do realize it is very costly to build and operation is not cheap, either. But, I am determined and I will have access to what I require for funding so I need to begin building that business plan and estimating what costs will be.

I will need to find an engineer and/or lawyer to assist with the FCC paperwork.
I will need an engineer to design and setup the equipment to operate.
This will be a 50KW SW station.
I am told a solid state transmitter may be the way to go as to lower operation/energy costs. I do not know the important differences when it comes to AM broadcasting between tube and SS equipment. (I know tubes a better for my guitar amp but suspect there may be a difference)?
Backup equipment would be good to figure in as an option. I'm an IT professional so I understand what 'hot-swappable' and 'failover equipment' is and I assume there must be something similar in radio?

The station will operate entirely not-for-profit. Not to get political, but due to there being the current situation where so many do not trust 'mainstream' news any longer, we believe more and more people are going to revert back to shortwave radio for many reasons, bringing AM back a bit as it was in the 80s and 90s. Our station will have a Christian Prepper flair to differentiate it from others.
We have plans for programming so there will be no royalties for content nor salaries for employees -- just for legal, accounting and engineering when needed. Our monthly operational costs will consist mainly of heat, lights, insurance. Operationally, I'm been told somewhere between $6K and $20K a month in electricity to allocate for the transmitter. Energy is .13/kWh here. I do have the option of bringing in 3 phase if that would noticeably lower energy costs.

Being this is brand new, I've heard transmitters cost anywhere from $150K to $500K. I have no clue yet on antenna costs, engineering costs, other equipment costs. Further, I do not know what the FCC applications/permits costs would be. (Again, the IT portion I can do and that won't be a problem. It's the radio setup and operation that is new.)

I already have the building and land to place the station on (I have about 13 acres adjacent to my home in the country where this is located).

So I'll sit back and see what is said (I expect some fire but can handle it)

Thank you, in advance.


JHrusky

 

[Mikey Radio]

One question - Before you go to all the time and expense, legalities and jump through the other hoops required to build out a new SW station, have you considered leasing time on an existing one to see if there are enough listeners to support your planned programming longer-term? If you do a bit of research on RadioDiscussions, you'll see that SW isn't nearly as popular as it was and the band overall is quiet compared to years past. You mention your station would have a "Christian prepper" bent to it, but there's already lots of Christian programming on SW.

@SomeRadioGuy has leased time on a SW station out of Florida as an example. Maybe you should start there to "test the waters" before jumping in with both feet?

 

[davideduardo]

Well, time to post and get my feet wet -- actually I'm going to jump in head first so here goes:

I am in the process of putting together a business plan to build a SW radio station in central Wisconsin. I do realize it is very costly to build and operation is not cheap, either. But, I am determined and I will have access to what I require for funding so I need to begin building that business plan and estimating what costs will be.

I will need to find an engineer and/or lawyer to assist with the FCC paperwork.

This will be a 50KW SW station.

That is, even today with the SW bands almost empty, very, very low power.

I am told a solid state transmitter may be the way to go as to lower operation/energy costs. I do not know the important differences when it comes to AM broadcasting between tube and SS equipment. (I know tubes a better for my guitar amp but suspect there may be a difference)?

The big issue is whether you want a used tube rig or a new solid state.

Tube based transmitters are very inefficient and will use as much as twice as much electricity as a solid state one.

The station will operate entirely not-for-profit. Not to get political, but due to there being the current situation where so many do not trust 'mainstream' news any longer, we believe more and more people are going to revert back to shortwave radio for many reasons, bringing AM back a bit as it was in the 80s and 90s. Our station will have a Christian Prepper flair to differentiate it from others.

The issue is that nobody buys SW radios and there are very few available.

You do know that it is not legal to use SW to broadcast to listeners within the US?

And try to buy a SW radio in Latin America or Europe or Africa at retail. There are none.

We have plans for programming so there will be no royalties for content nor salaries for employees -- just for legal, accounting and engineering when needed. Our monthly operational costs will consist mainly of heat, lights, insurance. Operationally, I'm been told somewhere between $6K and $20K a month in electricity to allocate for the transmitter. Energy is .13/kWh here. I do have the option of bringing in 3 phase if that would noticeably lower energy costs.

You are not going to find a 50 kw transmitter that is not 3-phase.

I already have the building and land to place the station on (I have about 13 acres adjacent to my home in the country where this is located).

13 acres is not much for SW antennas.

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

One question - Before you go to all the time and expense, legalities and jump through the other hoops required to build out a new SW station, have you considered leasing time on an existing one to see if there are enough listeners to support your planned programming longer-term? If you do a bit of research on RadioDiscussions, you'll see that SW isn't nearly as popular as it was and the band overall is quiet compared to years past. You mention your station would have a "Christian prepper" bent to it, but there's already lots of Christian programming on SW.

@SomeRadioGuy has leased time on a SW station out of Florida as an example. Maybe you should start there to "test the waters" before jumping in with both feet?

WRMI is so pleasant and easy to deal with. [email protected] is owner Jeff White's email. If you are an infrequent buyer like me.. 3-4x a year, youll pay about $60 an hour. Buy lots more time and you'll get a good deal.

WRMI has many multiples of frequencies that can be heard across north/south america and western europe. WRMIalso has pretty good audio quality too

There is WBCQ... but while cheaper, their signals don't cover the bulk of the US as well. and they dont have as much bulk time available

@JHrusky to do what you suggest would be financial ruin. You're really better off leasing time from an existing broadcaster, WRMI would be the best bet

 

[b-turner]

The first duck in the row to square away is the money. It will always be much less than projected and it must be ongoing. Get the money coming in and do whatever with that money.

Do you know what percentage of listeners donate? Do you know why it is that figure?

I might soft start with an online start and work your way up.

I don't know you but I must ask, are you choosing SW because you like SW? If yes. Stop and do not pass go. Know what your audience target prefers and be where they are. Then, how do you reach them to make them aware of you?

 

[fybush]

I apologize in advance if this comes off too bluntly, but:

I'm a radio station broker with 30+ years of experience in many aspects of the business. I get a fair number of people reaching out to me wondering how to start a station or how to buy one.

I can usually tell pretty quickly who's thought it through comprehensively and who hasn't.

It seems to me, at least based on your initial post, that you have a LOT more thinking to do if you don't want to end up pouring several million dollars down a hole over a couple of years.

You cannot get a SW station on the air unless you either are an experienced engineer yourself or you have one under contract. There are very few of them these days and they're largely at or near retirement with nobody in line to succeed them. There are even fewer technical consultants left who understand how to get a SW application through the FCC. Most technical consultants (myself included) do FM and sometimes AM, but SW is handled by a different bureau that we don't deal with. I can file to get you a new FM station, but I wouldn't know where to start with SW.

Some of the things you said are big red flags for me. "Unlimited financing" is one. Nobody has unlimited funding. Whoever's backing you should expect to spend well into seven figures getting transmission systems in place, both transmitter and antenna systems, and six figures a year, easily, in operational costs. No revenue coming in? How does anyone sustain that in the long run?

No programming or rights fees is another red flag. Is your idea that you're just going to be leasing airtime to outside programmers? How much do you think they'll pay per hour, and will that be enough to sustain your hourly operating costs? Are you aware of WRMI, WBCQ and the various European SW signals that lease time? Do you have any sense of what they charge and who's out there leasing?

If you really do have unlimited funds, I would very strongly agree with the suggestion that you reach out to Jeff White - and would further suggest you go down to Florida and spend a few days with him at WRMI. Seeing how much work goes into even a leased SW operation should give you some of the perspective you simply don't have right now about just how complex it is, and what's missing from your plans, such as they are right now.

Once you've done that, if you come back here armed with more knowledge and some better questions to ask, I'll be interested to see where things stand. Right now - and again, apologies if I'm blunt - it seems to me you're in a little over your head.

 

[Mikey Radio]

Are you aware of WRMI, WBCQ and the various European SW signals that lease time? Do you have any sense of what they charge and who's out there leasing?

If you really do have unlimited funds, I would very strongly agree with the suggestion that you reach out to Jeff White - and would further suggest you go down to Florida and spend a few days with him at WRMI. Seeing how much work goes into even a leased SW operation should give you some of the perspective you simply don't have right now about just how complex it is, and what's missing from your plans, such as they are right now.

A very small addendum to the excellent responses above.... Since 2 of the folks here alluded to WRMI, keep in mind that even they, an established SW station that leases time, maintains a decent website, etc. are having some difficulty making all ends meet financially. Less than a year ago when a hurricane swept through Florida, Jeff White explained that they didn't have enough money to carry insurance, so he actually started a GoFundMe page to try and get financial help to repair and/or rebuild the damaged buildings and antenna farm:

“Save Our Shortwave,” Says WRMI - Radio World

Shortwave broadcaster WRMI is asking for financial help to rebuild its large antenna facility in Okeechobee, Fla.

www.radioworld.com

 

[KeithE4]

The issue is that nobody buys SW radios and there are very few available.

They're available if you take the effort to look, from the ancient tube-type boat-anchors up to modern C.Crane and Grundig radios. Nobody other than hams and hard-core radio nerds are buying them. And even then, hams already have had general coverage receivers built into our rigs for the last 40 years.

There's no market for consumers because they don't care. They didn't care all that much even in the Golden Age of Shortwave (roughly 1940-1990). How many shortwave radios were sold to non-hams in that era? A few thousand a year?

You do know that it is not legal to use SW to broadcast to listeners within the US?

Was that ever enforced? American stations, commercial, religious, and government (VOA), have always acknowledged US listeners, and have verified them. I have the QSLs to prove it, going back 50+ years.

Besides, the 60 and 90 meter "tropical" broadcast bands have had US stations occupying that space since at least the 1990s. Same with stations that are officially out of the broadcast bands (deja vu Radio Moscow and the other Iron Curtain stations all over again). Are they licensed as "Fixed" stations, or does the FCC just not care anymore? I suspect the latter.

 

[JHrusky]

Lots of good information, thank you.

To answer/address some:

I have not considered leasing time on an existing station to obtain listeners but will be looking into that. Thank you for that suggestion to all who did.

I know there are many other Christian stations, but I believe ours will be unique in that it will have that "prepper" flare, mostly about the "end times", what we believe will be upon us shortly in our world, etc. There is a hungry audience for that from what we see, at least in rural communities of this country that I travel in.

I know the SW bands are relatively empty -- I was an avid SWRLer in the 80s and 90s. However, I do believe it will be slowly coming back as our other sources of information censor so much and most likely will even moreso in the future. That, and the unique prepper flare we will bring is why I believe this can be successful. People are hungry for more news, more views. They no longer trust mainstream media.

I have to assume one can buy a SW radio from Amazon if they live in Africa or Europe or Latin America but I do not know this for a fact.

I have never said I have 'unlimited financing'. Not sure why someone thought I did? I said I have financing and I understand we are talking 7 figures. What I am trying to learn is the cost of setup and operation:

I suspect a SS 50KWatt transmitter is somewhere between 150K and 500K.
I have no idea what the antenna system will cost yet.
I suspect electricity could cost upwards of 20K/mo (but that might be high)
I suspect an engineer will commandeer quite a bit for setup. I do not know what an engineer will require on an hourly basis when needed after setup.
I do know there will be no wages, no salaries.
I did come here to gain more knowledge because this was the best place I could find with knowledgeable people, not just internet armchair warriors who are alleged experts on everything. That's why I'm asking here instead of other venues.

As to the FCC and paperwork, there must be an avenue I can find to fill out that paperwork. I realize SW engineers are retired and aging, but I'll find that someone who has the expertise. If the option is there, it's doable.

BTW, I don't mind the bluntness so no apologies nececssary.

 

[Miss Tuned]

I know there are many other Christian stations, but I believe ours will be unique in that it will have that "prepper" flare, mostly about the "end times", what we believe will be upon us shortly in our world, etc. There is a hungry audience for that from what we see, at least in rural communities of this country that I travel in.

This is very much not unique programming on SW. Take a look at the schedules for WBCQ and WRMI in particular. They are packed with prepper/end times religious stuff.

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

This is very much not unique programming on SW. Take a look at the schedules for WBCQ and WRMI in particular. They are packed with prepper/end times religious stuff.

and hell also find the money wouldnt be there to support a new start up like this

 

[RF101]

You might look at buying the licenses and equipment of WRNO or KVOH. Both stations are limping along these days. KVOH is only on the air four days a week for just five hours per day. WRNO broadcasts very infrequently.

I am sure Pastor Melissa Scott would happily sell the hardware from their former Anguilla shortwave station.

Frankly, why bother? Just rent time on WRMI.

 

[Mediafrog+]

I’ve been a shortwave listener since the mid-1960s. I also worked in the broadcasting and media business my entire career, so I can claim a number of different perspectives.

To the OP: It is clear you have inadequate knowledge of the shortwave broadcast medium, as well as the state it is in today. You also lack a grasp of the expenses involved. Add on top that SW is a dying medium...there will be no revival (no pun intended.) I think any effort to start a new station will just result in setting a huge pile of money on fire, and will reach only a microscopic audience, if anyone.

A single 50kw transmitter will mostly be a DX curiosity, not any effective way to achieve consistent worldwide coverage. The serious international broadcasters have much more transmission capacity, as well as a major presence on the Internet and social media.

I fully agree with the earlier comments regarding buying time on existing stations. WRMI would be the best of the bunch in the U.S., as they have 14 100kw transmitters and a number of available time blocks. Why not purchase some time as a “proof of concept” and see what response you get. If there is interest you can buy more time. WWCR would be a second choice; they also run 100kw on four transmitters, and may have some time available.

Forget about purchasing either KVOH or WRNO. Both facilities are hanging on by their fingernails. KVOH is reportedly being eaten alive by electricity costs. WTWW is apparently up for sale, but the existing transmission facility is in bad shape. I don’t know the current status of WHRI which is also up for sale but has been off the air since 2020.

I don’t understand the “no wages or salaries” idea. The few people left who understand hands-on shortwave engineering will want to get paid.

So to conclude: Lease, don’t build. And understand there is already plenty of programming on those leased stations that sounds pretty similar to what you are proposing.

 

[RF101]

I understand the old Cypress Creek WHRI/WSHB site is being dismantled. Nice gear but no buyer. (Is there any license even left?)

 

[Mikey Radio]

I know the SW bands are relatively empty -- I was an avid SWRLer in the 80s and 90s. However, I do believe it will be slowly coming back as our other sources of information censor so much and most likely will even moreso in the future. That, and the unique prepper flare we will bring is why I believe this can be successful. People are hungry for more news, more views. They no longer trust mainstream media.

I believe ours will be unique in that it will have that "prepper" flare, mostly about the "end times", what we believe will be upon us shortly in our world, etc. There is a hungry audience for that from what we see, at least in rural communities of this country that I travel in.

It seems you're set on this idea, @JHrusky, and hat's off to you for trying to seriously pursue this concept, but there are a few things that have been mentioned above that I think are very important to consider:

- The SW band is an antiquated "mass communications" medium that has little chance of a resurgence. The last time I saw a SW radio in person, aside from hobbyists and DXers, was in my elderly neighbor's house in the 1990s, about a decade before he passed. The reason that band is going increasingly quiet is similar to the AM band - It's expensive to operate and maintain, and both listeners and support funding just aren't there as they once were. The fact that others have told you the engineers who were most able to help you with SW are either retired or no longer alive, should tell you that this is not a medium that's flourishing, or likely to make a return, even among those who "don't trust the media" or who believe we're living in the End Times. There are too many other places, including the internet, for those people to get the news and information that caters to their particular outlook and belief system.

- The most important thing that was mentioned above is to be where your potential listeners / audience is. You're not going to lure new and younger listeners to listen to SW to hear your message and your broadcasts. If large segments of the population are using the internet, streaming content and using apps on their smart phones and mobile devices to listen to the content they're interested in hearing, then that's maybe where you should start. As with AM radio, few people in the USA under age 60 probably listen to the SW band (again, outside of hobbyists and DX'ers) and few under 50 (or perhaps older) have an understanding of what it is or that it even exists. To be blunt, the vision of someone sitting in a cold-war era shelter they built in their backyard with stacks of MREs, canned goods and a shortwave radio is a mental vision that's probably 2 generations old at this point.

- There are ways to dip your toes in the water, including leasing time on existing SW stations. Purchasing a SW station that's up for sale or struggling financially, or one that's gone dark but may have an acceptable technical plant still in place may be another option.

- Starting up a new station from scratch, then maintaining it will cost a lot more than you can fathom. As suggested above, maybe call or visit with those currently operating larger SW stations to get their thoughts and commentary - the last thing you want to do here is to try and reinvent the wheel on your own when you don't have to - there are others already doing what you are proposing to do and can share their ideas and lessons they've learned.

- Again, to be blunt, the fact that you don't have a full understanding of the difference between a tube transmitter and solid-state (or most likely analog vs. digital, etc.) shows that you don't have a firm grasp on how all this needs to be set up to operate - nevermind complex antenna systems and the like.

There are a lot of very smart and experienced people from the Broadcast industry who've posted above and I'm sure will continue to post. Lots of good guidance and even cautionary statements to take away. If you're trying to seriously get your message out to the people you feel want or need to hear it, there are lots of considerations before jumping headlong into the construction of a new SW station.

 

[inari]

This is a very bad idea. You are going to waste so much money to reach very few people on SW.

The flaw in this plan is that people are going to magically flock (back?) to SW radio. SW is on it's death bed with no hope of recovery. You'd do better doing something on AM/FM and the Internet. I imagine you think they will soon either cut off the Internet and/or AM/FM but if they did, wouldn't they also cut off SW radio?

 

[Mediafrog+]

I understand the old Cypress Creek WHRI/WSHB site is being dismantled. Nice gear but no buyer. (Is there any license even left?)

Had not heard about it being dismantled, and really nothing new since the attempt by WBCQ to purchase it failed.

The WHRI equipment is about 40 years old, so likely a maintenance nightmare were it to be reactivated.

 

[b-turner]

I talked with the preppers about airtime when in Houston and I can tell you they typically are Christian, very patriotic to the American way and generally mistrust conventional media. They tend to listen to shortwave (even in-dash SW in vehicles). A common belief is time is short before either total chaos or the end of the world.

If you are not offering anything different I wouldn't bother because it would take programming not found elsewhere to get your niche. For example, is anyone doing home schooling classes on air?

Still, I suggest you crawl, walk and then run. I'd buy time and forge relationships with SW operators, build contacts, friendships and knowledge.

 

[RF101]

Another thought... If your target audience is in North America, perhaps you should consider broadcasting from Costa Rica or some other Central or South American country. You might not have to worry about the 50kw rule, land also should be cheaper. Reliable, cheap electricity might be an issue. You also will have to deal with political issues and bureaucracies of the local telecom laws.

 

[fybush]

I would really like to hear more detail about this "no employees or payroll" concept.

It won't work.

Any SW transmitter plant big enough to make any impact is going to require on-site maintenance engineers. Antenna systems are complicated, transmitters need to be tended to, and who or what is running your programming? Even an automation system (which will also cost you well into five figures) needs an ops manager to keep the programming flowing smoothly.

It can't just be left unattended... so what's your plan? Volunteers? With what experience, training or ongoing commitment?

Tell us more about how you actually plan to operate this very complex thing day to day?