How do you convince a local freq to return to local broadcasting?

[lilburncommunityradio]

I am just wondering how to convince the powers that be, to return to local broadcasting on the local area in which the station is located. The station was a oldies station in the local Atlanta Market. Then all of a sudden the broadcastingcompany decided to go regional mexican with the format. The only stations in the market are one AM , and One FM. And they are both freakin spanish... Help me please?

 

[Deano]

There is no easy answer to your question. The new owner of 102.3 paid big bucks for the station with the sole intent of taking it Spanish. Unless the new owner's business plan doesn't pan out, there is no argument you could make that would probably matter to them. Sorry for the less than optimistic response but they clearly believe that they can make money with the new format.

 

[lilburncommunityradio]

I guess this is the exact reasoning I left the biz. I think that local community radio stations have a place, and this one should have kept its place in the local area.It just sucks , that when you want to know whats goin on around the community you cant turn here, unless you speak Spanish.. I hate this station owner, and I hate the format period. I think it's time to do something about this before we lose all small community radio stations. Unless we just decide to let our country be given over to those who have not worked for it. Just damn...If I only had the cash, to purchase the station, and change the format. Maybe one day...

 

[dbdigital]

I guess this is the exact reasoning I left the biz. I think that local community radio stations have a place, and this one should have kept its place in the local area.It just sucks , that when you want to know whats goin on around the community you cant turn here, unless you speak Spanish.. I hate this station owner, and I hate the format period. I think it's time to do something about this before we lose all small community radio stations. Unless we just decide to let our country be given over to those who have not worked for it. Just damn...If I only had the cash, to purchase the station, and change the format. Maybe one day...

Yes, many broadcasters are switching to and staying Spanish even though trends indicate that the Spanish market is going flat either because there are too many Spanish stations or the newer generation of Hispanics know English and prefer the content of English-language radio. Reggaeton may be the only exception. That's why I like the British way of regulating radio because Ofcom (the British FCC) does regulate programming with the objective of preventing just the situation you describe. A station cannot change its format without the approval of Ofcom AND the community of license. By contrast, the FCC is only concerned with interference and obscenity.I'm sure you know these but a few options are to: Contact a radio broker and see if they can negotiate a sale with a smaller market but nearby station and then petition the FCC to either move your station or increase its power (provided an engineering study shows that this can be done). This may take an FCC petition to amend the Table of Allotments for your area.Contact a radio broker and see if they can negotiate a time brokerage agreement with a smaller market but nearby station or even a smaller local station. In this way you can program the station as you like but not own anything. You would, of course, be re-selling the time to advertisers. (You don't actually have to have a broker for either suggestion. But they make the process easier).Follow the Radio Sandy Springs model and buy an infinite number of type-accepted transmitters like the Rangemaster and establish your own radio station. Yes, it will be AM and not in stereo but you will have completely circumvented the horrendous FCC licensing process and built your own station to serve the community.db

 

[JasonW]

dbdigital wrote:<...Follow the Radio Sandy Springs model and buy an infinite number of type-accepted transmitters like the Rangemaster and establish your own radio station. Yes, it will be AM and not in stereo but you will have completely circumvented the horrendous FCC licensing process and built your own station to serve the community.>Lilburncommunityradio, the old saying "It is better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness" also applies to radio. Dbdigital's suggestion to start your own community radio station is a very good one.Using a combination of Part 15 AM free-radiating transmitters and Part 15 AM Carrier Current systems, you can cover many square miles Panaxis Productions www.panaxis.com/broadbks.html has two books that are valuable resources for starting legal, unlicensed community radio stations: "Carrier Current Techniques" and "Low Power Broadcasting." Free-radiating and Carrier Current systems are *both* covered in each book, with different emphases in each book--they complement each other quite well. They cover topics such as setting up a hybrid Carrier Current/free-radiate "grid" broadcast coverage area, equalizing telephone lines for delivering high-quality audio to the transmitters, "leaky cable" transmission systems, and much more.Another consideration (not covered in the books) is that you can broadcast in C-QUAM AM Stereo. Chris Cuff, who produces the "Alfredo Lite" and "Micro Lite" low-power C-QUAM AM Stereo transmitters, has used them (with linear amplifiers) for Part 15 AM Carrier Current broadcasting with excellent results.I hope this information will be helpful. -- Jason

 

[dbdigital]

Along with what Jason said, you can download Kyle Drake's extensive guide "The LPAM Handbook", now in pdf form.Get it here:http://www.diymedia.net/db

 

[JasonW]

Along with what Jason said, you can download Kyle Drake's extensive guide "The LPAM Handbook", now in pdf form.Get it here:http://www.diymedia.net/db

I second dbdigital's recommendation. Also, here are additional web site links to suppliers of Part 15 AM free-radiating and Part 15 AM Carrier Current equipment:Radio Systems www.radiosystems.com (Carrier Current and free-radiating AM transmitters)LPB Inc. www.lpbinc.com (Carrier Current AM transmitters)Hamilton PCB www.am1000rangemaster.com (Rangemaster free-radiating transmitter--they can be synchronized to cover a larger area with multiple transmitters)Talking House www.talkinghouse.com , www.actradio.com, www.theradiosource.com/products-infomax.htm (Good, low-cost realty transmitter that works well for Part 15 broadcasting; outdoor ATU/antenna also available for it)TalkingSign www.talkingsign.com (Good, low-cost realty transmitter that works well for Part 15 broadcasting; outdoor ATU/antenna also available for it)The Talking House TH II transmitters (the black, metal-cased units) are constantly available on eBay at low cost. Your community radio station need not cover a huge area all at once. Think of it as grass planted in a pasture, with the roots spreading over time until the whole pasture is green. You could start with just one or two transmitters and add more over time as finances permit, literally building up a "grassroots" radio station whose coverage area continually grows. -- Jason