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Coming soon (if not already) to an empty FM frequency near you...

R

rickradio

Guest
Hey fellow Part 15ers:

Over on the San Antonio board, they're discussing the apparently recent sign-on of a K-Love translator. Unfortunately, San Antone is nowhere near the only place this is happening. This was my two-cent contribution to the conversation:

"Wonderful. Yet another K-Love or Calvary Chapel Jerkwater Flats translator. Can't tell ya how thrilled I am to hear about that. Sometimes I wonder if their goal is to put at least 852 translators in every top-whatever market they can get their hands on. Do they give a rat's ass that they're clogging up practically every empty (usable) FM frequency in each city they decide to descend upon? Doubt it. Say goodbye to 'em...they're an endangered species. Hopefully somebody at the toothless FCC will put some sort of brakes on this runaway train. Doubt that too. Each of these translators is surely only designed to reach a few thousand more wallets.

This doesn't look good for the Part 15er out there. In Sacramento, I've been chased off of two different frequencies now by K-Love and EMF (the Calvary Chapel Wherever crowd). The FCC website shows ALL empty FM frequencies in the greater Metro area with either a grant (therefore, a signal or soon-to-be one) or an application on file from these frequency gluttons. At the risk of sounding like a crybaby, I was actually serving my neighborhood well in ways the full-power, million-watt FMs can't because of corporate puppetry from headquarters. They (those corporations who own the licenses) don't give a damn about the public, except when their meal tickets (read: licenses) might be in jeopardy. Those licenses are just profit centers. My little station, which offered music, public affairs programming, etc. (and DIDN'T sell airtime) to an appreciative audience...gone...just like that. :mad:

Pardon the cynical sarcastic rant, but I really needed to vent." :(

Your thoughts, everyone...?
 
Go AM. You can still serve your community, but you'll just have to promote a bit harder. And it'll be a bit more work to put an AM signal on the air. But with a bit of creativity, it can be done.
 
Somebody said; Do they give a rat's ass that they're clogging up practically every empty (usable) FM frequency in each city they decide to descend upon?

To which I reply;
Nope. You will note that YOU have the very same opportunity as THEY do - but you are here "crabbing to the "choir" where it doesn't matter."

Go do it yourself. Quityerkrabbin'!

I operate four PART 15 AM'S. i WOULDN'T go NEAR fm, as it is too carefully watched.
 
Keep in mind there really is no "public service" in radio any more. The FCC doesn't keep any kind of data on format. Where as, in earlier times, the entire Part IV of an application for a CP involved describing, in great detail, the proposed format and ways the station would use the air to serve the public interest.

So if the airwaves are full of satellite-fed dreck..well..they don't care.

I also agree that you should steer clear of Part 15 FM. Not worth the trouble.

My best advice: Don't worry about the other stations. Program a format that you enjoy. But
add some local community bulletin board items..lost pets..area news and events..and do it on AM.

During Hurricane Frances in 2004, at one point, my Part 15 was the ONLY AM on the air. The big boys all
got knocked off the air. I went live and ran shelter openings and closings, Red Cross appeals, updated weather..but did play music when there was nothing new to report. I don't know if it was heard or not, but..who knows?

Ironically..the FCC didn't shut my station down..an overnight local thunderstorm did!!

Now I'm looking at buying a Rangemaster in July and starting up again.
 
MY 2 Rangemasters are God's gift to radio. What, um, RANGE and fidelity! Still operateing 3 years later! I also operate a beautiful music station in a nursing home complex and an oldies station from my home.

2 of my 4 stations are LOCAL "Church" stations with assistance from the school they operate. We do school sports, school news, and promotion of school and church events, church services, religious music,"religion classes for 12 hours a day and "homework helper"in English and a syndicated talk show, news, music, religious instruction, novelas, English lessons and health issue programs in Spanish for 12 hours. The stations have not gone off the air since April of 2005. Each station runs about 6 minutes of PAID ADS per hour, all day/all night.

OR - You might go get a REAL license. Then, nobody can stop you.
 
Thanks for all your input, guys. Appreciate it. :)

I agree with you guys about AM...in fact, I want to get a Rangemaster myself from Keith. Just can't afford it yet; as I'm sure you know, they're not cheap. But I've heard nothing but good about 'em. And Keith's a really good guy.

But as for having the opportunity to do the same thing, do I really? First, the LP10 filing window has yet to open, and no one seems to know when it will. But even then, and I have to admit here that I haven't done any research on this, but I really don't see myself being granted an FM license of any sort. I don't have the staff, resources, or financial wherewithal that the frequency pigs have. All I got's me. And that ain't hardly nothing next to them, baby. I realize that I'm "crabbing to the choir," as you put it hammondo, but if I thought it didn't matter, I wouldn't have posted what I did. I really do want to "go do it myself," but do I really have a ghost of a chance? I guess I could at least apply and see what happens, that is, whenever the filing window opens.

It's interesting that the concensus of opinion says to stay away from Part 15 FM. Duly noted.

But as for AM, I have an SSTran which has amazing sound quality, and I have Carl Van Orden's antenna and ground system in place, but because of that, the transmitter's down on the ground in between two houses, not 20 or 30 feet up in the air where maybe it should be. Anyway, as great as the sound quality is, you can regrettably shout farther than the signal travels. And I'm not sure what to do about that. But as Alan said, I do program a format that I enjoy, and that actually fills a hole in the market as our only adult standards station went belly up about a year ago or more.

Now, if only I could scrounge up enough money for that Rangemaster. :'(

Rick
 
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