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I want an LPFM license in Madison, Mississippi
- Thread starter Thisi
- Start date
If the FCC's window isn't open, then I will try to get one for a regular NCE FM license. The window is open as of the date I wrote this.
Check https://home.recnet.com/ and look at the LPFM section. This is one of the groups that helps community members to get LPFM licenses.
You must be a non-profit organization for one requirement. Do you have a non-profit and a board?
Do you have an engineering firm to assist you by finding the right frequency? David mentioned RecNet. That is a real good start.
Yes, the NCE window is open until Nov. 9 at 6pm Eastern. It's a little late to try for one. Everyone is scrambling for the hundreds of not thousands that apply in the window. You must have a tower site with approval. Do you have the finances or lines of credit? A couple of months ago would be the time to start.
You might check Pirate Jim's LPFM Directory. It lists every licensed LPFM in the country. If there are existing LPFMs in your area, it might be wise to get in touch to learn from them about what is involved.
There should be a LPFM window pretty soon. Many think within a year but this NCE window might delay things. Regardless, start the ball rolling now.
Non-profits with a community presence for at least two years is a plus with the FCC.
Judging by your post I am guessing you may not have too much radio experience. I've managed a few stations an can help you direct your thinking. To be very frank, many people just don't understand how radio works and how it all happens. Even people in the business.
The most important lesson is the radio station isn't about you and what you want. It's about what your community wants. You are simply the caretaker that makes sure that happens. To cite an example, I worked for an owner that ran a top notch country station. He personally detested country music and figured the average country music listener 40 years ago were uneducated and low class. He wanted his station to be classical.
Do you have an engineering firm to assist you by finding the right frequency? David mentioned RecNet. That is a real good start.
Yes, the NCE window is open until Nov. 9 at 6pm Eastern. It's a little late to try for one. Everyone is scrambling for the hundreds of not thousands that apply in the window. You must have a tower site with approval. Do you have the finances or lines of credit? A couple of months ago would be the time to start.
You might check Pirate Jim's LPFM Directory. It lists every licensed LPFM in the country. If there are existing LPFMs in your area, it might be wise to get in touch to learn from them about what is involved.
There should be a LPFM window pretty soon. Many think within a year but this NCE window might delay things. Regardless, start the ball rolling now.
Non-profits with a community presence for at least two years is a plus with the FCC.
Judging by your post I am guessing you may not have too much radio experience. I've managed a few stations an can help you direct your thinking. To be very frank, many people just don't understand how radio works and how it all happens. Even people in the business.
The most important lesson is the radio station isn't about you and what you want. It's about what your community wants. You are simply the caretaker that makes sure that happens. To cite an example, I worked for an owner that ran a top notch country station. He personally detested country music and figured the average country music listener 40 years ago were uneducated and low class. He wanted his station to be classical.
You're way too late for this NCE window. Most of my clients locked me in to help them several months ago, if not longer. You'd need to have an available frequency and an existing nonprofit entity to serve as the licensee.
Once this window is over and consultants are free to talk again (i'm taking a week off once it's over!), any of us would be happy to look at the prospects for finding an LPFM channel. Availability will be tight in a lot of areas. And again, you'll need a nonprofit entity to hold the license, among other things.
Once this window is over and consultants are free to talk again (i'm taking a week off once it's over!), any of us would be happy to look at the prospects for finding an LPFM channel. Availability will be tight in a lot of areas. And again, you'll need a nonprofit entity to hold the license, among other things.
I should also mention Scott Fybush as a consultant. And he's a friend of no-commercial community radio but with major market experience in commercial radio. Check out Fybush.com.
None of those work for free.
You have mastered the art of the understatement!
Yes!!
A slight counterpoint. Very few people are making a living, let alone a luxurious living from their LPFM license. If you hate the programming you air, it's gonna be hard to stay dedicated to it.
The man b-turner mentions had stacks of Benjamins to remind him why he runs country music.
The man b-turner mentions had stacks of Benjamins to remind him why he runs country music.
YES to all of this.
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You have been given some really great advice. It seems that it may take up to a year for the new NCE apps to clear before the LPFM window opens up. It would be interesting to see how many apps are rejected for even the slightest boo-boo. File 13 can fill really quickly.
The big, important cash-cow radio station in the group I work for is a well-known country outlet.
My wife has a pretty strong dislike of country music. It greatly amuses me when I remind her that country music is paying for the mortgage and groceries and keeping the lights on.
I looked at your website. On the About page you list a music format: the best jazz standards, easy listening, oldies. I also took a look at the demographics of Madison, Mississippi. Median age is 36 years. 8.5% of the population is over 65.
Defining the music styles 'jazz standards', is normally very niche. Only markets with a huge population can afford to play jazz. A jazz station might hit .5 of 1% of radio listeners. When you're reaching 3 million, that half of a percent is substantial enough to do something. Madison, with under 30,000, means you are making a costly mistake. Jazz did have a period when several artists had crossover appeal but then again those artists were popular so many years ago the person that was 18 at that time is now well in their 80s to 90s.
Easy Listening is tricky to define. For some it is what we call Beautiful Music but stations that call themselves easy listening are actually playing top 40 hits mainly from the 1970s and 1980s that lack he hard edge. In either case, most listeners are 65+.
Oldies typically means 1970s and 1980s now but a few go back to the 1950s and some do not include the 1980s. A little simple math tells the story: a person Dancing to Disco in 1975 at age 18 is now 63. A person who was 18 in 1965 is now 73.
Looking at these music choices for a universe of around 30,000 potential listeners with a LPFM, and targeting an audience that is mostly over 65, the idea has failure written all over it. We've gone from 30,000 to 2,580 for a potential reach and what percentage of that 2,580 will listen to you?
You will have a good opportunity with local sports assuming you can get the rights and afford the fee for the rights to broadcast the games. That can be some good money. Businesses love to support the community's youth because their parents are the customer base of that business.
Obituaries are okay, I guess. You are in metro Jackson. Obits are usually a big deal in small towns. Maybe that is important locally. Perhaps local funeral homes will contribute. You can bet they pay to have that obit in the paper.
Next we need to look at funding. How will that happen? Can you sell underwriting to businesses? Do you know what that involves? Most don't have a clue. Do you know FCC restrictions on Underwriting wording? If not it could cost you thousands if you violate the rules. If you think it's like selling cars, you're dead wrong. A dead giveaway is 'they couldn't sell it because the staff was lazy' but in reality it wasn't what the client wanted. In radio you can't sell a thrash metal CD to a lover of Mantovani and his orchestra because it's not for them...lazy has nothing to do with it.
Do you understand the nature of listener supported? When you look at stations that hire consultants to coach the listener contribution portion manage to get a donation from about 1 in 15. Those that don't might manage 1 in 35 listeners averaging about $5 a month. There are many variables such as format and other factors. Some Jazz listeners will pay to hear jazz but very very few Easy Listening and Oldies listeners will.
Do you have a good group of volunteers? You'll need them. You have to establish awareness, goodwill and such. Then your product has to deliver. You have to be a cheerleader for the station and likely it will be a 7 day a week, no vacation deal. Keep in mind people offer excellent lip service but rarely does that convert to actual work. That assumes the volunteer knows what that work is and how to do it.
There is a reason many LPFM stations have an annual budget under $5,000 a year and why quite a few turn in their license in a few years if they manage to get to the point of filing for the license in the first place.
I will tell you of one instance. A radio pro selected the community, hired a firm to find the best frequency and filed the application. He had 'site assurance' on a tower. By the time they were ready to build and sign a contract on that tower lease, the tower company could put them on the tower, just not at the height they needed. In short, the coverage area at the lower height would not reach the right neighborhoods. Negotiations began with the city to use the water tower. 14 months later the plan was rejected. They looked for a new site and decided to begin with whatever they could get. A change in the CP was filed and accepted. After the equipment was ordered, the studio location that was to be rented at 50% cash and 50% donation fell through as the owner rented it to someone else. No volunteer would allow the studio at their place. In short, even with 36 months to construct, the plans changed so much and the changes cost the entity so much money, it was deemed only having the cash to fund the first year was too risky especially given the smaller coverage area that missed key neighborhoods. The station never happened. Until you have tried to launch a station, you have no idea how many times something out of left field can mess with the plan.
This post is very doom and gloom. I wanted to give some reality to the 'I want a station' thing. If you can get there, are passionate about radio and can let it rule your life, then if you can get one and learn all you need to know, you'll love it.
Tip: This is not always the case but generally speaking folks in radio are on one side of the building or the other. I mean a DJ or in Programming or in Sales. A DJ generally has little knowledge of the sales side. The salesperson generally has little knowledge of the on air side of the building. Engineers usually haven't a clue about either side of the building. Certainly there are exceptions but you would be amazed how often I hear things like "Yes, our manager used to have a show on his college radio station. We are so lucky to have someone who knows the radio business managing the station." You want someone who has sales experience and you want someone with programming experience. And you want them if they are interested in serving the community versus doing what they always wanted to do at a radio station (ie: the programming genius that rationalized people bought albums in AOR's heyday so every track on every album was aired. When nobody listened, he blamed the community as the station went broke).
Defining the music styles 'jazz standards', is normally very niche. Only markets with a huge population can afford to play jazz. A jazz station might hit .5 of 1% of radio listeners. When you're reaching 3 million, that half of a percent is substantial enough to do something. Madison, with under 30,000, means you are making a costly mistake. Jazz did have a period when several artists had crossover appeal but then again those artists were popular so many years ago the person that was 18 at that time is now well in their 80s to 90s.
Easy Listening is tricky to define. For some it is what we call Beautiful Music but stations that call themselves easy listening are actually playing top 40 hits mainly from the 1970s and 1980s that lack he hard edge. In either case, most listeners are 65+.
Oldies typically means 1970s and 1980s now but a few go back to the 1950s and some do not include the 1980s. A little simple math tells the story: a person Dancing to Disco in 1975 at age 18 is now 63. A person who was 18 in 1965 is now 73.
Looking at these music choices for a universe of around 30,000 potential listeners with a LPFM, and targeting an audience that is mostly over 65, the idea has failure written all over it. We've gone from 30,000 to 2,580 for a potential reach and what percentage of that 2,580 will listen to you?
You will have a good opportunity with local sports assuming you can get the rights and afford the fee for the rights to broadcast the games. That can be some good money. Businesses love to support the community's youth because their parents are the customer base of that business.
Obituaries are okay, I guess. You are in metro Jackson. Obits are usually a big deal in small towns. Maybe that is important locally. Perhaps local funeral homes will contribute. You can bet they pay to have that obit in the paper.
Next we need to look at funding. How will that happen? Can you sell underwriting to businesses? Do you know what that involves? Most don't have a clue. Do you know FCC restrictions on Underwriting wording? If not it could cost you thousands if you violate the rules. If you think it's like selling cars, you're dead wrong. A dead giveaway is 'they couldn't sell it because the staff was lazy' but in reality it wasn't what the client wanted. In radio you can't sell a thrash metal CD to a lover of Mantovani and his orchestra because it's not for them...lazy has nothing to do with it.
Do you understand the nature of listener supported? When you look at stations that hire consultants to coach the listener contribution portion manage to get a donation from about 1 in 15. Those that don't might manage 1 in 35 listeners averaging about $5 a month. There are many variables such as format and other factors. Some Jazz listeners will pay to hear jazz but very very few Easy Listening and Oldies listeners will.
Do you have a good group of volunteers? You'll need them. You have to establish awareness, goodwill and such. Then your product has to deliver. You have to be a cheerleader for the station and likely it will be a 7 day a week, no vacation deal. Keep in mind people offer excellent lip service but rarely does that convert to actual work. That assumes the volunteer knows what that work is and how to do it.
There is a reason many LPFM stations have an annual budget under $5,000 a year and why quite a few turn in their license in a few years if they manage to get to the point of filing for the license in the first place.
I will tell you of one instance. A radio pro selected the community, hired a firm to find the best frequency and filed the application. He had 'site assurance' on a tower. By the time they were ready to build and sign a contract on that tower lease, the tower company could put them on the tower, just not at the height they needed. In short, the coverage area at the lower height would not reach the right neighborhoods. Negotiations began with the city to use the water tower. 14 months later the plan was rejected. They looked for a new site and decided to begin with whatever they could get. A change in the CP was filed and accepted. After the equipment was ordered, the studio location that was to be rented at 50% cash and 50% donation fell through as the owner rented it to someone else. No volunteer would allow the studio at their place. In short, even with 36 months to construct, the plans changed so much and the changes cost the entity so much money, it was deemed only having the cash to fund the first year was too risky especially given the smaller coverage area that missed key neighborhoods. The station never happened. Until you have tried to launch a station, you have no idea how many times something out of left field can mess with the plan.
This post is very doom and gloom. I wanted to give some reality to the 'I want a station' thing. If you can get there, are passionate about radio and can let it rule your life, then if you can get one and learn all you need to know, you'll love it.
Tip: This is not always the case but generally speaking folks in radio are on one side of the building or the other. I mean a DJ or in Programming or in Sales. A DJ generally has little knowledge of the sales side. The salesperson generally has little knowledge of the on air side of the building. Engineers usually haven't a clue about either side of the building. Certainly there are exceptions but you would be amazed how often I hear things like "Yes, our manager used to have a show on his college radio station. We are so lucky to have someone who knows the radio business managing the station." You want someone who has sales experience and you want someone with programming experience. And you want them if they are interested in serving the community versus doing what they always wanted to do at a radio station (ie: the programming genius that rationalized people bought albums in AOR's heyday so every track on every album was aired. When nobody listened, he blamed the community as the station went broke).
If nobody likes it, then we will try a variety format
Again, these radio experts are sharing lifetimes of information. You are the beneficiary, especially with b-turner giving you demographics and why certain formats may not work. It was suggested that you reach out to LPFM's in your area to see what should and should not be done-benefit from THEIR experience as well. Know what commercial radio owners know only too well..."You want to make a small fortune in radio? Start with a large one!"
Look inside for the real reason(s) you wish to commit. I personally wish you nothing but the best!
Look inside for the real reason(s) you wish to commit. I personally wish you nothing but the best!
Thisi, if you have money to burn do radio your way.
If your format doesn't work I hope you have deep enough pockets to market the heck out of the new format because it is always more costly to eliminate the old image.
In fact, I have a client where two brothers own a company. One brother tried hard to get his brother to not buy my station. He said nobody listened to that 'old country crap' they play. My station was country 12 years ago! And yes, the station was very insignificant 12 years ago. Today with a great programming pro, we have 38% of the 35+ adults and typically are #1 in all dayparts. We work hard every day to earn the success we are currently enjoying.
One broadcaster told me something I always remembered: if I think I can turn radio on it's ear and buck the trends, I'd better start with changing the radio listener's wants first. I say that because I have watched not just a few but likely close to about 100 LPFMers go broke because they chose to do radio their way instead of what their community chose. I hope you don't become one of them. I don't want you to.
If your format doesn't work I hope you have deep enough pockets to market the heck out of the new format because it is always more costly to eliminate the old image.
In fact, I have a client where two brothers own a company. One brother tried hard to get his brother to not buy my station. He said nobody listened to that 'old country crap' they play. My station was country 12 years ago! And yes, the station was very insignificant 12 years ago. Today with a great programming pro, we have 38% of the 35+ adults and typically are #1 in all dayparts. We work hard every day to earn the success we are currently enjoying.
One broadcaster told me something I always remembered: if I think I can turn radio on it's ear and buck the trends, I'd better start with changing the radio listener's wants first. I say that because I have watched not just a few but likely close to about 100 LPFMers go broke because they chose to do radio their way instead of what their community chose. I hope you don't become one of them. I don't want you to.
Yep, there were two definite mistakes right out of the gate. I personally can't stand country music either, but would without hesitation, be ready to launch a new country station if signing the checks. That's assuming the market didn't already have more than one.
Classical isn't a bad choice, because the average listener is used-to, and able to support the format. It's the closest thing to running a religious station that you'll find.
There was talk about this LPFM window not being limited to just nonprofits. I heard veteran and minority owned small businesses were to be added to the list of eligible applicants.
The law has not changed. Only a non-profit organization can be licensed to a non-commercial FM (NCE) or a Low Power FM (LPFM). It would take an act of Congress to change this and quite frankly, if they did, the NAB would go ballistic and make sure the government was drained of huge sums of money defending their position. Originally LPFM was to be 1,000 watts and commercial. Organizations like the NAB certainly had conversations with key people resulting in non-commercial 100 watt stations.
I'm 99% sure that would require an act of Congress.
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