Total posts : 45366
There will always be problems with doing things by committee. When we formed our community radio group we held meetings and invited everyone who was interested. The problem is a lot of people want to be the big boss and a lot of people won’t carry through with what they promise. We ended up forming a non-profit corporation with three directors…basically the reliable, do-what’s-needed people. For starters we had to repeat the same six hour programming block over and over on weekends. At a public event a person asked why we repeated our programming when a simple MP3 player could store 50 hours of programming. Our response? “How many of those hours do you want to do?” With three directors we can never have a tie vote on a decision and we’ve managed to delegate the authority for day to day activities. We’ve only disagreed on one programming decision. I thought some Impeach Bush PSAs were appropriate. The other two thought they were a little strong. As it turns out the technical production values of the of PSAs were pathetic…quality bad, timing was anywhere from 38 to 47 seconds…difficult to schedule…they didn’t make it on the air. If we had more people as directors or decision-makers the whole affair could have developed into something that no one could have agree about and could have torn the organizatio apart. (And we’re just using Part 15 transmitters.)
There have been many success stories about LPFM. You’ll find information about them at http://www.prometheusradio.org There is a lot of demand for locally produced radio. The Prometheus website has details about planning stations, organizations, applications, etc. The secret of getting any station on the air is pre-planning. The time to decide about programming, studio or transmitter location, volunteers, chain-of-command, etc is before a license is issued (or in our case before we hit the airwaves). Prometheus also organizes “Barnraisings” for LPFMs. Volunteers and members from across the country converge on a site and build, wire, erect, test and get a station on the air in just a few days. Volunteers range from broadcast engineers, technical experts all the way to people who will help with anything needed. Their resources are invaluable. I would not be surprised if they had a number of people in NW Washington ready to help.
The part about qualified applicants is more of a created problem than a real one. LPFM’s cannot be licensed to individuals. They can’t sell advertising (thanks to NAB lobbying). Preference is given to non-profit corporations, but before you run out and form one the preference is given to those that have been formed two years or more AND which have at least two directors living within 15 miles of the proposed station. Imagine how the broadcast bands would change if the same licensee residency requirements applied to everyone equally! Our part 15 group formed as a non-profit over a year ago so if and when another LPFM window opens, we’ll be ready.
The NAB’s claims of interference and financial harm are completly self-serving and without basis.
A professional fund-raiser gave a presentation at one of our meetings. He told us to skip the bake sales, raffles, etc. According to him (and it does work) the best way to raise money is simply to ask people for it. Tell them what it’s for, why it’s important, and how much can you help us today?
I also disagree that there is a lack of committment by people to work for local radio. Look at all of the part 15 stations on the air. It takes work, often without much recognition, yet it is a passion and is usually done quite well.
