I WANT TO START A HIP HOP STATION IN THE TRI-CITIES / FLINT, MI MARKET

[Human Numan]

I want to start a hip-hop/rap radio station in Saginaw, Michigan and make the signal go down to Flint, Michigan from Saginaw, Michigan like 102.5 FM WIOG do. http://www.wiog.com/

I want to start a hip-hop station in mid-michigan which would belong to my new created radio broadcasting company. The hip-hop station I plan to start in the tri-cities also known as Saginaw, Bay City, and Midland would be a black owned Urban radio station because I am a black/African American man.

Radio One company radio stations are all black owned. http://www.radio-one.com/

I want my station to broadcast with 100,000 watts of hip-hop and r&b music. My new radio station will operate at 95.7 FM or 99.3 FM and the signal will go as far south as northern Oakland County in Michigan and as far north as Tawas City, Michigan at 95.7 FM or 99.3 FM.

My new hip-hop station will be named HOT 95.7 OR HOT 99.3 SAGINAW/BAY CITY/ MIDLAND/ FLINT.

MY NEW HIP-HOP STATION WILL BE JUST LIKE HOT 102.7 IN DETROIT, MI OWNED BY RADIO ONE. http://www.hot1027detroit.com

Look at a map of Michigan and you will see where Saginaw and Flint, Michigan is.

I have the link of a map of Michigan below and you will see:

http://www.mapquest.com/maps?state=MI

 

[DouglasB]

I want to start a hip-hop/rap radio station in Saginaw, Michigan and make the signal go down to Flint, Michigan from Saginaw, Michigan like 102.5 FM WIOG do. http://www.wiog.com/
I want to start a hip-hop station in mid-michigan which would belong to my new created radio broadcasting company. The hip-hop station I plan to start in the tri-cities also known as Saginaw, Bay City, and Midland would be a black owned Urban radio station because I am a black/African American man.
Radio One company radio stations are all black owned. http://www.radio-one.com/
I want my station to broadcast with 100,000 watts of hip-hop and r&b music. My new radio station will operate at 95.7 FM or 99.3 FM and the signal will go as far south as northern Oakland County in Michigan and as far north as Tawas City, Michigan at 95.7 FM or 99.3 FM.
My new hip-hop station will be named HOT 95.7 OR HOT 99.3 SAGINAW/BAY CITY/ MIDLAND/ FLINT.
MY NEW HIP-HOP STATION WILL BE JUST LIKE HOT 102.7 IN DETROIT, MI OWNED BY RADIO ONE. http://www.hot1027detroit.com
Look at a map of Michigan and you will see where Saginaw and Flint, Michigan is.
I have the link of a map of Michigan below and you will see:
http://www.mapquest.com/maps?state=MI

It sounds like you have a goal, but do you have a plan? I wish you well with your endeavor.

 

[artimus]

while all of these wants seem to be great. if you're going to own a station a great signal is very good to have. however your goals sound a bit racist .....please pardon. have you researched the market do you know what percentages of your target audience and where they live? i get the impression the answer would be no. bay county alone has less than 6 percent black population and that gets smaller the farther north you travel. yes it would be great to own a big station that plays your favorite music but that does'nt always make for a solid base for your business plan. perhaps if you focussed more on the business and what the market needs your chances for success would be greatly enhanced. but if you are basing everything begining with race from a business stand point thats a very poor way to make decisions. best of luck to you.

 

[Prais]

Here is an idea; Start an INTERNET station. WORLDWIDE coverage, not just some puny counties around Saginaw.

 

[partyshark]

You are acting like people in Michigan have no idea where Flint is....hahahahaha..tooooooo funny!!!
If you live in Michigan and DON'T know where Flint is, then you just moved in from out of state...

 

[Prais]

When you compare Flint/Saginaw to Chicago, Flint is PUNY, isn't it.

Human seems desperate for coverage and I merely suggested HOW he can get worldwide coverage. His lack of money and radio ownership experience would make the internet a good bet to get started.

 

[partyshark]

I want a radio station too...Like 95.7 WLHT which is white owned and I want 100,000 watts to cover south like Regent "do".
Here is what you need to "do" Human. Go out and get capital backers, if you can find any willing to invest in radio right now.
Then you can "do" like WIOG "do" and put on a station in Michigan near Detroit, a large city in Michigan that has automaker plants there. If you never heard of Detroit, you can google a map to see where Detroit is located, it is in Michigan.

 

[Prais]

Do you want a "real" radio station, or can you "prove yourself" by starting on the internet with less risk and less money.

Yup, MONEY. Find backers. You'll need all you can get. Who is your competition? Wait til they find out. Then you'll need more cash to beat them back. It's a dog eat dog business.

WHO else shares the goal of a hip hop station there? Howe FAT is their wallet. You'll need it!!

You might think you know about music....
but...............
Do you know about dealing with the fcc, dealing with LAWYERS, sales management and sales and promotions? Do you know about ppm and ratings? Do you know a good engineer? and can you do any engineering to make that station LOUD and go far?

If so, that's GREAT.

If not, well...where will you get the money to PAY the people who KNOW that stuff? You'll need that money.

Dreaming is good.

 

[radioman148]

I want to start a hip-hop/rap radio station in Saginaw, Michigan and make the signal go down to Flint, Michigan from Saginaw, Michigan like 102.5 FM WIOG do. http://www.wiog.com/

I want to start a hip-hop station in mid-michigan which would belong to my new created radio broadcasting company. The hip-hop station I plan to start in the tri-cities also known as Saginaw, Bay City, and Midland would be a black owned Urban radio station because I am a black/African American man.

Radio One company radio stations are all black owned. http://www.radio-one.com/

I want my station to broadcast with 100,000 watts of hip-hop and r&b music. My new radio station will operate at 95.7 FM or 99.3 FM and the signal will go as far south as northern Oakland County in Michigan and as far north as Tawas City, Michigan at 95.7 FM or 99.3 FM.

My new hip-hop station will be named HOT 95.7 OR HOT 99.3 SAGINAW/BAY CITY/ MIDLAND/ FLINT.

MY NEW HIP-HOP STATION WILL BE JUST LIKE HOT 102.7 IN DETROIT, MI OWNED BY RADIO ONE. http://www.hot1027detroit.com

Look at a map of Michigan and you will see where Saginaw and Flint, Michigan is.

I have the link of a map of Michigan below and you will see:

http://www.mapquest.com/maps?state=MI

Do you have alot of money? If so, that's step number 1.

 

[radioboy]

As previously stated, first and foremost it takes money to do this.

It would also require an engineering study to determine what, if any frequencies are available in that area.

I'm not knocking your idea at all because I shared a similar dream, just with a different format, for a long time.

I'm doing it the Internet route which gives me freedom to be home with my family. I might pursue LPFM
if there are any frequencies left by the time the next window opens for filing. (The cheapest station available for purchase in my area is a dump, is losing its tower site, has no listeners and no studio, and still carries
a price tag near a half million dollars. It could never pay its way now.)

But make a business plan before doing anything else.

I've been a station manager before. Even smaller stations need a lot of $.

Best wishes.

 

[ChrisInMI]

100000 watts at 99.3? Not gonna happen unless you can buy WATZ-FM Alpena at 99.3, not to mention WFMK 99.1 East Lansing and WYCD 99.5 and take them off the air.

 

[ruger22com]

I would like a 1,000,000 watt fm with a 10,000 ft. tower that covers the whole state of michigan, and plays nothing but Frank Zappa music 24 hours a day commercial free. and that makes just as much business sense as your plan. Go to college, learn about the radio biz and broadcast law...and maybe then you will see why you plan will not work.

 

[bturner]

I'd say to follow your dream. Never plan to fail but determine several paths to succeed.

The best bet is to find underperforming stations in the areas you want to reach and look at purchasing them or possibly leasing them.

There is a fatal mistake most people in radio make: trying to run before you get the crawling part figured out. There is nothing wrong with humble beginnings. Give yourself a chance to crawl, then walk, then run and finally train for a marathon.

Leasing a station or two is a very viable option. Sometimes you can lease a station for less than you'd pay for the monthly note payment if you had bought the station.

The most critical part of the venture is getting the revenue to operate. I think you will find the biggest percentage of your time will be spent on brining in the revenue. The money to operate is sort of like the gasoline for the car. The car can be a beauty with all the features and extras you want but it just won't get down the road without gas in the tank.

Be solid in your programming ideas but not inflexible. Remember, you might pay the bills and make the station happen, but it is the community's radio station. They will ultimately decide what you put on the air. Remember to filter your decisions with the wants of the community. For radio folks like ourselves, it is below us to put anything but our very best effort on the air. Follow me on this one. Our best makes us our biggest fan but the reality is we may not have many listeners that think your best is indeed the best, so be prepared to change your ideas to reflect what the listener wants.

Line up your money, investors and get a plan that pays you a salary you can live on (not poverty wages) and gives you plenty of cash for emergencies and unexpected events. Every financial plan always goes over budget somewhere if not all over the place. Also, while I am not a proponent of 'bad' equipment, resist with every cell of your body to put your studios in that penthouse suite on the freeway with the latest and greatest of everything. Remember to crawl. Keep your eye on that suite for after you set a world record in that marathon. You want your monthly costs low enough to survive the lean months with ease. Just remember, your stage is the listener's radio and you meet them where they gather, not the station. You can be in a travel camper in an RV Park (just like WDVX in the early days) and sound just as good as that showplace rental.

One poster suggested the internet. The internet might be a good place to begin. The internet and streaming are really required tools for a radio station these days.

I wish you the best of luck. I understand the passion of radio and I am lucky enough to live it every day. I cannot imagine working in any other business. So, learn, plan and work to make the dream happen for you.

 

[stormy01]

Agreed with the others to start small... as in internet and through smartphone apps. If that takes off perhaps buy some air time on a local station and see how that goes. Have you taken or seen surveys of how many people would like your proposed music format? Will there be enough people in this demographic to support the advertisers which will promote their products and services to get and keep your station on the air, pay your air talent and purchase the music? (and pay for music licensing fees too)

It will be very advantageous if your station is involved with the community as this is an area that needs to improve economically! Your station needs to become a household "word" if it's to last! Are there potential competitors out there in the area you wish to serve? Study their methods. Can you improve on what they have to offer? If it became possible your company can acquire an existing (or build a new) station, would your company be satisfied with covering the market with an adequate signal? (that is, you can reach, say 90-95% of your target audience)

For example, Flint is about 34 square miles land area. So 2-3 kW ERP on FM on a tall building downtown (looks like there are several buildings around 15-20 stories in height) should cover Flint reasonably well. Putting a tower 'stub' on a tall building may be cheaper than a standalone tower. It looks like on a map that Detroit isn't all that far away, so open frequencies may be very hard, if not impossible, to find. You may need to seriously consider an existing station.

100kW ERP is overkill for what it looks like you're trying to do...do you have any idea what the electric bill would be for a 20kW FM Transmitter? (most likely the smallest transmitter you can get away with multiple bay FM gain antennas to reach 100kW ERP) And you have to account for power losses in the transmission line going up the tower's antennas! A 20kW FM transmitter probably draws at least 25kW and that's at 240 volts! Drawing 25,000 watts per hour off the power grid is a nice expen$ive bill at the end of the month!!! It also occurred to me that you're very likely too close to Detroit to get 100kW ERP anyway.