Who is going to provide the actual legal definition of "community service" to the city of license? Are some of you saying that no one outside of Brownsburg should listen to this station...or that Brownsburg residents should not listen to Indianapolis stations? How many people who live in Brownsburg do work, shop, attend school, and play entirely within the confines of the corporation limits of Brownsburg? Like it or not, it's a bedroom community that is not self-sustaining without the larger city. Would anyone seriously argue that WASK-FM in Battleground Indiana exclusively serve Battle Ground, even though you can't transmit 6k from Battle Ground and NOT broadcast to Lafayette?
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Suburban Indy radio
- Thread starter Herschel Sills
- Start date
I've heard better arguements from 3rd graders. Studio location has nothing
to do with community service.
to do with community service.
How about this for a definition of community service:
If you are the only station licensed to a hamlet like Battle Ground, and you aren't #1 in the ratings for that locality, you aren't doing enough of it. Granted, there are no ratings just for Battle Ground. But there are county-by-counties, and WKLU, 98.3 Radio Disney, and WEDJ should be the top 3 in Hendricks County.
If you are the only station licensed to a hamlet like Battle Ground, and you aren't #1 in the ratings for that locality, you aren't doing enough of it. Granted, there are no ratings just for Battle Ground. But there are county-by-counties, and WKLU, 98.3 Radio Disney, and WEDJ should be the top 3 in Hendricks County.
PTBoardOp94 said:
Do tell. And what's it like board op'ing in Never Land?
R
radioindy
Guest
RDO said:
NO. The FCC is what should be changed. The premise is RIGHT, the guidelines and consequences are WRONG!
1. A MAJOR step in the right direction would be to REQUIRE both OWNER and GM to LIVE within the COL.
MAKE people like Smulyan, Oasis, et all have to actually LIVE among the population they were suppose to serve when the licenses were issued.
2. You cannot MAKE people listen, and you cannot prevent people in Indianapolis from listening. But power should only be strong enough to cover your county and then some, but not 60 miles and 12 counties.
Those two items would severely limit the damage these people who CLAIM to LOVE radio do. Loving Radio also means loving the WAY IT IS INTENDED TO BE! Which is to SERVE communities - NOT just your wallet.
Profit is fine and dandy, but the MISSION should be serving the people, THEN profit.
I'm not a board op, not an owner, and have no interest in working in a sanitized industry. So I could care less where this is going, but the two items above are what SHOULD be the starting point of licensing PUBLIC airwaves.
R
radioindy
Guest
cold_coffee said:
Agreeing with your premise that 'studio location has nothing to do with the community of service,' can you back that up with some examples of what you've done specifically at WKLU for the community of Brownsburg?
radioindy said:
Good luck with setting that precedent.
R
radioindy
Guest
nedsmith2007 said:
Russ, how many screen names do you have?
Pretty obvious.
radioindy said:
Time and time again, your obsession with Russ Oasis makes you look the fool. I'm not Russ.
What exactly is the argument here???
Are you all suggesting that any radio station operating to appeal to audiences above and beyond of it's primary COL is unworthy to be on the air???
How absurd!
Let's reverse the argument for a moment. How many of these stations survive financially if they don't try to do business in the largest possible geography? These suburb communities cannot support these stations. Do you really think Plainfield or Danville can support a couple of radio stations; even the smaller stations you've singled out are operating on $1mil budgets or more. They employ a lot of folks who wouldn't be in the business otherwise. And how do you keep the Indy stations from dragging revenue out of your suburb? Ultimately, to try to constrain surburbian stations to their COL would mean LESS radio jobs, not more. There would be stations that simply could not survive financially, shrinking the employment pool.
So, what's your point?!
This subject is simply another veiled assault on an owner some of you don't like.
Are you all suggesting that any radio station operating to appeal to audiences above and beyond of it's primary COL is unworthy to be on the air???
How absurd!
Let's reverse the argument for a moment. How many of these stations survive financially if they don't try to do business in the largest possible geography? These suburb communities cannot support these stations. Do you really think Plainfield or Danville can support a couple of radio stations; even the smaller stations you've singled out are operating on $1mil budgets or more. They employ a lot of folks who wouldn't be in the business otherwise. And how do you keep the Indy stations from dragging revenue out of your suburb? Ultimately, to try to constrain surburbian stations to their COL would mean LESS radio jobs, not more. There would be stations that simply could not survive financially, shrinking the employment pool.
So, what's your point?!
This subject is simply another veiled assault on an owner some of you don't like.
R
radioindy
Guest
the FCC is not there to pad the pockets of radio station owners. The FCC is suppose to protect the public and govern the frequency of AM and FM radio. If it's a free for all, where only the priviledged wealthy can participate, then it's an entitlement program, NOT a public service.
Why have a COL? Because the frequencies were issued to serve THAT COL - not to see how many millions you can rack up with a lame product simply because you reach a metro market.
The PURPOSE of COL is to SERVE the community.
If it's truly a free for all, why have ANY limitations regarding ownership, COL, etc?
One way or the other. And while you complain about the select FEW individuals that have control over the vast majority of radio frequencies in this country playing the same garbage and not taking any risks with format or personality, remember you support this!
Why have a COL? Because the frequencies were issued to serve THAT COL - not to see how many millions you can rack up with a lame product simply because you reach a metro market.
The PURPOSE of COL is to SERVE the community.
If it's truly a free for all, why have ANY limitations regarding ownership, COL, etc?
One way or the other. And while you complain about the select FEW individuals that have control over the vast majority of radio frequencies in this country playing the same garbage and not taking any risks with format or personality, remember you support this!
Why then, did the FCC license 50000 watts for the cities of Greenfield and Shelbyville if these signals were not meant to leave the geographical boundaries of those two towns. Was it really so people 70 miles away could hear the Shelbyville obituaries? It would seem some of you would want these stations to be the audio equivalent of cable access stations. So Indianapolis is "in the way" of a 50000 watt signal. Why is that a problem? I would agree on some of the move-ins I'm aware of, if you really want to say that Asheville OH deserves a radio station, fine, it takes about 1000 watts to cover Asheville. On the other hand, are we to assume that all of these allocations that were locked in in the 1940s, 50s and 60s are etched in stone until the end of time,and that NO consideration should EVER be given to changing population centers?
The only way you're going to have a Danville station serving only Danville (aside from changing the laws of physics so the signal can't leave Danville) is if someone runs it from a spare bedroom on a hard drive. Then you have to, I guess, prevent people in Danville from working in Indianapolis, shopping or eating at any chain, or even visiting Castleton let alone shopping there.
The only way you're going to have a Danville station serving only Danville (aside from changing the laws of physics so the signal can't leave Danville) is if someone runs it from a spare bedroom on a hard drive. Then you have to, I guess, prevent people in Danville from working in Indianapolis, shopping or eating at any chain, or even visiting Castleton let alone shopping there.
Amen gr8oldies!
By the way, it's a substantial leap to simply say a station that is not serving it's COL simply because the station also attempts to grow beyond that bedroom community's city limits. There is no "censorship" of COL information coming into these stations; PSAs and other information are given airtime much the same as any other information source.
Oh, and the other absurd leap is that only the largest corporations are doing this, raping and pillaging for every dollar to add to their billions in a vault somewhere. Oasis has fewer stations than I have fingers on my hand; Continental has no other stations in the US other than the Danville- licensed, hispanic- formatted stations; The facts only further support the fact that these moves are necessary to 1) continue operations on a reasonable financial footing in order to 2) keep employing folks and 3) continue to serve the COL as well as the rest of the market. There is no other financial blueprint that keeps these stations operating at such a high standard product-wise.
Finally, there's no sin in driving profit. If you want to argue that serving the public in the COL must be purely delivered without any consideration to the financial model, then the FCC should be granting non-commercial licenses only, in addition to restricted power licensing in these communities. See how many folks rush to bid for those licenses, and how many of those few who actually want them can keep them on the air for any length of time given the financial restraints you suggest should be dictated by the FCC licensing you suggest.
By the way, it's a substantial leap to simply say a station that is not serving it's COL simply because the station also attempts to grow beyond that bedroom community's city limits. There is no "censorship" of COL information coming into these stations; PSAs and other information are given airtime much the same as any other information source.
Oh, and the other absurd leap is that only the largest corporations are doing this, raping and pillaging for every dollar to add to their billions in a vault somewhere. Oasis has fewer stations than I have fingers on my hand; Continental has no other stations in the US other than the Danville- licensed, hispanic- formatted stations; The facts only further support the fact that these moves are necessary to 1) continue operations on a reasonable financial footing in order to 2) keep employing folks and 3) continue to serve the COL as well as the rest of the market. There is no other financial blueprint that keeps these stations operating at such a high standard product-wise.
Finally, there's no sin in driving profit. If you want to argue that serving the public in the COL must be purely delivered without any consideration to the financial model, then the FCC should be granting non-commercial licenses only, in addition to restricted power licensing in these communities. See how many folks rush to bid for those licenses, and how many of those few who actually want them can keep them on the air for any length of time given the financial restraints you suggest should be dictated by the FCC licensing you suggest.
I
imafan
Guest
cold_coffee said:
Hasn't changed my listening habits. People just like to complain. WKLU ROCKS!!
I
imafan
Guest
mouseman said:
oasis has proven he can outlast the jealousy of others.
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