So this meeting tonight, it'll be my first as a college guy!
Excellent! You did your time. Does the college you'll be going to have a radio station? I'm sure that will be a great experience, I always wanted to do college radio.
Yup, I am going to Rowan University for broadcast journalism with a minor in philosophy. The college is very well known for its satation, WGLS-FM 89.7. 750 watts! Won tons of awards
Hey dude just don't let the corporate big wigs change your way of thinking. I know when everyone is young things are progressive and foward thinking. Until... Just don't let that happen and remember where you came from and remember your are a member of the ALPB and what we stand for. If you are stern in your belief you maybe can get the world to know about the ALPB and what we stand for and why Micro Broadcasting is a great stepping stone prior or even a companion to College Radio. I had fun reading the article from this site about the carrier current station at the college and how the wildcat dude cut into their station and advertised his station and then had his show on a different frequency and how he took the listeners away from the college station. Not the way I'd do things but I did like their little version of the FCC and how the station was traced.
I did listen to Free Thinker Radio for a bit on WCFI and thought it was interesting. Some of the stuff I'd play and some maybe not so much, but the point is that your doing something not many others are doing. Some of your content reminded me of Impact Radio WDBM 88.9 FM in East Lansing running 2.000 Watts. I remember when they first aired it was around 94 I think. They would play stuff like Dead Milkmen, Love & Rockets, Mazzy Star, Wonder Stuff, Lou Reed, Skinny Puppy, Front 242, and they even played Velvet Underground. They made a impact on me for awhile when I lived in Lansing as I would only listen to them for awhile as I was sick of what commercial Radio was doing in Lansing. They had good days and bad but when the right DJ's were on man those folks thought of some really Progressive bands too like Guadalcanal Diary and Porcupine Tree which I play on my station. Without Impact Radio Lansing's Radio would have been dead and burried. It made some of the stations step up their programming for a bit because they were actually losing listeners due to Impact Radio 88.9 FM which was Student Radio. Again this is why Micro Broadcasting is so important to me and why I want to get things moving to show the public that there is a good reason to have this sort of Radio service.
Best Regards to you and your future.
I also graduated from high school.
I even have my grade school diploma, which I use on dates to impress women.
Now I am founder and headmaster of a Low Power Radio School for Women. The final exam calls for doing an all night dj show on a c.crane FM transmitter. See a picture of a couple of my students at about 4 in the morning.
They're excited looking for 4 in the morning, Carl is sleeping under the table.
Good thoughts The Lagacy, you do have to watch the easy way of following the rules and the lure of fame, and at some level keep your independence, even if you accept what the school is trying to do.
If you live on campus or close by, you could establish your own part 15 station in your room if you'd want to. If the school has electronics classes, maybe you could squeeze one of those in, to help get a well rounded communications education.
As a follow up on my last post, I wanted to add that I read the stories of radio people and inventors of the past, and it seems like the ones who go far with it have well rounded knowledge in their areas, that's why I suggested to take electrical/electronics, learn the physics of electricity and how to build your own equipment, engineering, there's nothing like doing it hands on to learn and be a part of it.
Seeing the people who last in it, they are well rounded and have lots of roads to follow. I've even seen the example here of FCC involvement, where somebody does a part 15 station and the FCC sends a NUO, and they just fold up and you never hear from them again. Now the station operators who are really involved and doing lots of stuff with their station and believe that broadcasting is good, they seem to come out fighting, they keep their streams going, use a different kind of transmitter, try to get on college stations in the summer and things like that. They have a lot of roads to follow, so they're not stopped if one of those has a road block, they just take a different direction.
I just wrote a graduation speech! Well sit back and enjoy it Atrain.
Yes in a Big City where there are plenty of Big Companies you have a greater chance of a NOUO, but from what I've read if you show the FCC you are trying to follow the rules they usually tell you to drop power level or change to say AM for example. Homework is still being done about the NOUO's and the fact that many PIRATE FM stations are operating will over the 1-2 Watt output leaves for much to study. I'd not recommend anyone try this, but I've also read in areas like near major cities where it took very little power to get a NOUO. So its looking like if your close to big corporate stations who absolutely HATE individual Radio station operators legal or otherwise you have a long hall. But part 15 has been in university campus's for yrs and I think you stand a better chance to survive at a school than your own apartment off campus.
I am simply saying that school and part 15 Radio can go together and could even earn you extra credit as you learn how to improve a micro broadcast station.