On Mission Statements
Every radio station, website, and organization is defined by its "Mission Statement", an essential declaration of the main business goals and objectives.
When first planning to write a mission statement, it can be helpful to view the mission statement of another organization, to use it as an example.
Let's view a few mission statements, starting with my favorite:
Mission Statement of The Initiative
“Eliminate slogans and exhortations for the work force asking for zero defects and new levels of productivity. Such exhortations only create adversarial relationships, as the bulk of the causes of low quality and low productivity belong to the system and thus lie beyond the power of the work force.”
W. Edwards Deming
By Another Name
Not all "Mission Statements" use that name to describe themselves, many are published under "About", which usually amounts to the same thing.
As a charter member of the old ALPB a number of us were involved in composing the organization's mission statement, because at that time the ALPB was membership owned. Although that original mission statement is still linked at the tattered remnant of a website, the ALPB has been taken over by one person with apparently no protest from the last members, the ALPB placed in a dormant state, its forum site physically separated into a part 15 forum under new identity and in direct competition with Part15.org, and a completely revised "history" published along with it.
So we looked over at hobbybroadcaster, yet another "part15" site and although an About page is easily found, we have become aware that the webmaster at that site does not prefer to be linked from Part15.org, given our place as a competitor.
What's left. My own website generously provides an About page describing my part 15 radio station, so let's take a look:
Companies spend a lot of time and money on mission statements. A good one is worth its weight in gold, and becomes the de facto marketing slogan.
The best mission statements are a sentence or two (maybe three). That's why they take such a long time to create. It's easy to meander along in your 'About'. It's far more difficult to be accurate and succinct.
I've been involved in the creation of many mission statements. One of the best was when I was put in charge of Western Canada's Microsoft Consulting Services. We had a retreat, and came up with something like 'Helping companies help themselves with Microsoft technology (I can't remember it exactly, but it was along those lines).
Our group wasn't there to do stuff. There were plenty of Microsoft Certified Partners out there for that (and a lot cheaper too). It was our mission to teach others, so that they could eventually do it themselves, whether it was a Partner, or an end-user.
It was a lot easier to tell potential customers our mission statement while selling our services when it was one line, as opposed to reciting paragraphs.
People get bored quickly, particularly these days.
Under a Big Umbrella
Figuring that AMRadioLegend would have a slick mission statement for the LPFM under his guidance, we took a stop at the website for WLSL in Saint Leo, Florida.
Finding nothing, I was about to drive back to Missouri when I remembered that WLSL is one small department of a large university, and there it is!
The Powerful About Page of Saint Leo U
The Center of the Part 15 Universe
It's called "Part 15 Lab". It's purpose is so self-evident that no "About" or "Mission Statement" is needed.
What I wonder is why Rich Powers doesn't do more to promote this Part 15 Theme Park.
Good News Friday
It's appropriate to visit Friday Harbor, Washington, on a Friday, with the excellent news that Friday Harbor Tiny Radio is fully in business!
It was about a year ago when the website was down one day and the part 15 station and its owner, Ken Norris, got listed on our "Missing Persons" post about members no longer known to operate.
"OUR MISSION is to serve the town of Friday Harbor with local news, weather, sports, special events, and entertainment
- all brought to you in glorious sandflea-powered Amplitude Modulated Monophonic sound (except of course here on the internet)."
Welcome to Friday Harbor Tiny Radio
I started that simply as a place to put things related to our hobby that often seems to get lost with time and difficult to find again later buried deep in years of forum discussions.. It really had no focus (other than part 15 in general).. and it still doesn't.
If I was to have a mission statement it would probally be something along the lines of: Part 15 broadcasting is an enjoyable, usefull, and fascinating broadcast medium of sorts which is legal to operate without a licesnse. It is also very convoluted. I'm going to have a drink, you're welcome to join me.
Rich Powers offers-"I’m going to have a drink, you’re welcome to join me."
Sure!
Actually, my very first post there is probably the most accurate mission statement for what you describe as the theme park: Welcome to this place
Kens one of the "originals" in my book even though he's not heard from often anymore. I still visit Tiny Harbors site time and again, but unfortunately he doesn't appear to stream anymore. I miss randomly checking out the part15 streamers..