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New Station

Our local ( and only) AM station was bought by a church group and only play's church programs. No local news, sports, weather or music. I have decoded to put a Part 15 station on the air in early spring, with country classic's music and all the rest that the local AM no longer provides to the community. I have purchased a new Rangemaster transmitter, an Inovonics 222 processor and already have the audio equipment ( A BE console, tape decks, computers, CD decks and such) The location will be near the center of the small town in Ohio. I plan to put up a 40 foot steel tower with 10/15 ground radials. I need 2 miles of coverage in order to cover the city. I am a long time broadcaster.. but not much experience with AM radio. Any thoughts?
 
I'd like to do this in a couple of small towns - afraid of getting it started with a bunch of promotion and "hoopla" - only to be shut down. I went as far as putting together an internet-only station for a county, but the success was limited to the high school sports (because it was internet, we did as many as 10 games a night on a Friday night).

Reasonably successful, but having an honest-to-goodness "real" radio signal would have lended the instant credibility to move those on the advertising fence to our side.

Please keep us (me) updated on your progress. Best of luck!


> Our local ( and only) AM station was bought by a church
> group and only play's church programs. No local news,
> sports, weather or music. I have decoded to put a Part 15
> station on the air in early spring, with country classic's
> music and all the rest that the local AM no longer provides
> to the community. I have purchased a new Rangemaster
> transmitter, an Inovonics 222 processor and already have the
> audio equipment ( A BE console, tape decks, computers, CD
> decks and such) The location will be near the center of the
> small town in Ohio. I plan to put up a 40 foot steel tower
> with 10/15 ground radials. I need 2 miles of coverage in
> order to cover the city. I am a long time broadcaster.. but
> not much experience with AM radio. Any thoughts?
>
 
> I'd like to do this in a couple of small towns - afraid of
> getting it started with a bunch of promotion and "hoopla" -
> only to be shut down. I went as far as putting together an
> internet-only station for a county, but the success was
> limited to the high school sports (because it was internet,
> we did as many as 10 games a night on a Friday night).
>
> Reasonably successful, but having an honest-to-goodness
> "real" radio signal would have lended the instant
> credibility to move those on the advertising fence to our
> side.

Yes, and why would those good CCCCChristians want to step on your feet with advertising?

Where county in Ohio is this in, btw?
 
> > I'd like to do this in a couple of small towns - afraid of
>
> > getting it started with a bunch of promotion and "hoopla"
> -
> > only to be shut down. I went as far as putting together
> an
> > internet-only station for a county, but the success was
> > limited to the high school sports (because it was
> internet,
> > we did as many as 10 games a night on a Friday night).
> >
> > Reasonably successful, but having an honest-to-goodness
> > "real" radio signal would have lended the instant
> > credibility to move those on the advertising fence to our
> > side.
>
> Yes, and why would those good CCCCChristians want to step on
> your feet with advertising?
<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by isr on 01/03/06 06:11 AM.</FONT></P>
 
> Our local ( and only) AM station was bought by a church
> group and only play's church programs. No local news,
> sports, weather or music.

Not to step on anyone's theological toes, but my personal opinion is that religious broadcasting is fast becoming the cockroach of the broadcast spectrum. If it's not Clear Channel or Infinity, then chances are it is a religious station. It breaks my heart to see a town's only radio outlet swallowed up like this.
 
> > Our local ( and only) AM station was bought by a church
> > group and only play's church programs. No local news,
> > sports, weather or music.
>
> Not to step on anyone's theological toes, but my personal
> opinion is that religious broadcasting is fast becoming the
> cockroach of the broadcast spectrum. If it's not Clear
> Channel or Infinity, then chances are it is a religious
> station. It breaks my heart to see a town's only radio
> outlet swallowed up like this.
>

Case in point, K-Love paying big bucks to swallow up smaller commercial FM's and then pleading poverty to get main studio waivers to run them as oversized satellators. (And of course pleading poverty during fundraisers too...)

Was this WBLL-AM that was sold or LMA'd? Just guessing based on where WRPO-LP is.
 
> > Our local ( and only) AM station was bought by a church
> > group and only play's church programs. No local news,
> > sports, weather or music.
>
> Not to step on anyone's theological toes, but my personal
> opinion is that religious broadcasting is fast becoming the
> cockroach of the broadcast spectrum. If it's not Clear
> Channel or Infinity, then chances are it is a religious
> station. It breaks my heart to see a town's only radio
> outlet swallowed up like this.
>
You're Right! And the laws were written to FAVOR religious broadcasting, now the balance has went WAY too far. I'm a christian and proud of it, and the business of religious radio has to interest any radio entrepreneur, however, anything this limited (AIRWAVES) and regulated by the government, is NEVER going to be fair!

Who suffers? The small radio man and small town America.
 
Ecumenical Part 15 religious stations?

I too lament the monopolization of the airwaves by Christian (and particularly conservative Protestant) voices. I'm not against them being heard--I'd just like to see other branches of Christianity and other faiths have media outlets as well.

Has anyone ever tried ecumenical Part 15 radio stations (either free radiating or Carrier Current), perhaps combined with an internet audio feed? Such stations would provide media outlets for Christian Mystics, Coptic Christians, Druids, Jews of all schools of thought, Pagans, Shamans, Sufi Muslims, Wiccans, and members of other spiritual paths and minority faiths. -- JasonW
 
Re: Ecumenical Part 15 religious stations?

> I too lament the monopolization of the airwaves by Christian
> (and particularly conservative Protestant) voices. I'm not
> against them being heard--I'd just like to see other
> branches of Christianity and other faiths have media outlets
> as well.
>
> Has anyone ever tried ecumenical Part 15 radio stations
> (either free radiating or Carrier Current), perhaps combined
> with an internet audio feed? Such stations would provide
> media outlets for Christian Mystics, Coptic Christians,
> Druids, Jews of all schools of thought, Pagans, Shamans,
> Sufi Muslims, Wiccans, and members of other spiritual paths
> and minority faiths. -- JasonW
>

These "godcasters" eating up available channels are worse then the 10 plagues of Egypt (to use a biblical metaphor).

Hopefully, if the LPAM service is ever granted an application window, the FCC will regulate the number of apps religious organizations can file.

As it is, they are way out of control.

db
 
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