Another way to reach more people --
As you may know, I live in a VERY small town. 1/4 mile long, maybe 4 blocks wide, 681 people. Next to another town, about the same size, maybe 1100 people, and my AM signal nearly reaches everyone. However --
While strolling around town talking up the station to main street businesses, I stopped at City Hall (where they already listen) and I gave the City CLerk a couple flyers, one about the station, one about upcoming Christmas Programming. She said "Hey, I should put this on the public access channel" and before I left she had typed up a slide for the cable TV system telling the city cable subscribers about the radio station in town, complete with tune in information, web and email addresses, etc. They rotate through city announcements on the public access channel, and the only time there's any "programming" is live broadcast of city council meetings. The rest of the time it's just text screen messages and silence. I asked "Why couldn't we put the audio of Iron Range Country on the channel instead of silence" They thought that was a GREAT idea, and I have the City Council's permission to add whatever is necessary to put my station audio on the public access system, except for the time's they're broadcasting city council meetings.
As City Hall, and the cable gear is only half a block away from me, reception there is excellent. I'm going to provide an AM Monitor receiver (I'm using this: http://www.proaudio.com/product_info.php?products_id=6562 because the frequency is locked in with dip switches inside, it has no controls that people can screw with, and after a power outage will come back on on frequency) with a magnet whip antenna. I'm also providing an A/B audio switch, so they can switch the audio back to the camera audio used for the city countil meetings. This will give me crystal clear audio into nearly every home in town, as without cable (or Dish) you get NO TV here. Maybe not that many more listeners, but every one counts!
I would suspect that this might be possible for others who operate in very small town. In larger towns public access is often filled with other programming, but small town generally run few programs and tons of plain text community messages on the screen the rest of the time.
This sort of thing may not work out if you're blasting out hard rock, or ranting against the government all day, but if you're putting out a decent, professional sounding program, this is another venue.
Also, I've stopped at all the businesses in town -- announcing FREE commercials if your business is in the coverage area. If you can hear is, your ads are free. In adjacent towns with thousands of people and lots of businesses, ads are 30 cents each and you have to buy at least 100 ($30 worth) I've got two lined up now (paying) and a couple going for the freebies. Promotes the local businesses, spreads goodwill, gets people to listen because they want to hear their commercials (these are generally small businesses who would have nver bought "big" radio ads) and city hall, the news paper, etc want to help promote, as my mission is community service and not money.
Tim in Bovey
Iron Range Country
Tim in Bovey I sensed that you were somebody special when you first posted. As usual, I am right.
Yes. Thing to do is make bridges and contacts.
Get everyone thinking along the same path.
Way to go.
Join the ALPB.
Local papers are always looking for stories, so that's a good venue as well. They actually had me write up a story for the Bowen Island Undercurrent and they published it.
Even contacting the newspapers of larger nearby cities might be worthwhile. Artisan Radio got featured in the Vancouver Province (one of our 2 daily newspapers) when it launched.
And although licensed radio stations have often been portrayed as 'the enemy' here, I found that they too were supportive, as long as they recognized that I wasn't competition. Artisan Radio got mentions in a few, as well as some discussion nationwide on CBC radio.
I think you're very wise to give out free ads, and minimal cost ads elsewhere. Unless you have proven listenership in the thousands, it's difficult to get anyone to pay lots of money for your ads. And many mom and pop businesses can't afford it.
It all sounds great.
Newspapers in the States (compared to Canada) have changed a lot, and I'm not sure they any more have on-staff writers, but at one time there indeed were writers looking for story ideas, and I met such a writer while I was launching an ambitious program for distribution to independent stations.
She wrote a very attractive full page spread about my program, including a great picture of me standing in front of a 16" transcription disk tacked on my peg-board wall.
I still have a laminated copy of that article, but interestingly, you can tell from her writing that she didn't actually understand many of the things I told her, which were perhaps radio insider technical stuff, but she wrote "something" to fill the space. I could probably get some goofy quotes from the piece.
ALSO there are city and regional magazines that do local stories.
i thought about making my part 15 radio station going on cable tv. havent gotten around to negoatiate it but its in the works for me.
since i filed for an lpfm license and if it happens, im going to simulcast 1/3 of my lpfm on my part 15.
but i dont know if the lpfm will work out if it doesnt im going to continue my part 15 in fact i already started simulcasting christmas music with one of my affilates on my part 15 because KVIL is not doing it this year.
all aside i hope it works out for you and i hope i get to accomplish the same thing later on in my life.
people of community and public service, number 1, money is number 2! good for you!
What a great story!
Keep us informed on how your station goes and how the community continues to receive it.
BTW, what are you using to cover that area (transmitter, antenna, etc.)?
I have a Procaster mounted on the side of a third story attic window, with the stock, provided aluminum tube antenna. Safety grounded to the water pipe feeding the water into the house from the street.
I'm in a very small town about 1/4 mile long and 4 blocks wide. Easily covers the town and the adjacent town less than a mile away.
Tim in Bovey
Iron Range Country