If you like alterantive rock, Minneapolis/St Paul is a radio wasteland. Some friends and I were lamenting it over the weekend, and the idea of starting our own radio station came up. (Call it daydreaming.) None of us has the slightest idea of what that would take. Let’s assume we don’t need to make money off this, so no need for commercials, no worry about ratings. Just lots of music we want to hear.
Equipment wise, we would need a transmitter, probably a tower if you want any kind of range. We would need some way of creating the material to be broadcast (in our dreams, a computer setup and a collection of music we like.)
What does it take to get a license? Is a license needed for all forms/powers of transmission? How do you get a frequency assigned to you? If it’s a not-for-profit station, do I need permission from, or pay fees to, the record companies? If you don’t have DJs, does that change the licenses needed?
If you could convince the FCC that you and your friends represent an “educational entity”, you might qualify for a low-power non-commercial FM radio license.
Otherwise it sounds like you’d be stuck with a lot of the application, construction and operating costs of a commercial station, but without the revenue.
The other consideration - for a full power license, make sure you have resources of about 7-10 million dollars. No, I’m not kidding. For a low power license, you can probably get by with resources of 2-3 million.
I came within inches of buying a 10,000 watt AM station in 1985, the purchase price was 1.8 million - 22 years ago. Then there’s the cost of operation: Salaries, maintenance, equipment, etc. Plus you must maintain a studio and offices open to the public in your city of license.
The license is the same whether you have DJs or not. Music fees are payable whether you’re non-profit or not, although the fees are somewhat less for non-profit. And you must research the available frequencies in the area, and if there is one available, hire an attorney with experience in the broadcast arena to apply and argue your case for you. You probably will not be the only applicant.
Good luck - and if you do get licensed, give me a call and I’ll come get it on the air for you
(1) In order to operate an over-the-air broadcast signal in the United States (whether it’s television or radio or emergency services or whatever), you must have a license from the Federal Communications Commission. The license tells you what frequency you can use, at what power, for which hours of the day, for what purposes, and over what geographical area (among other things).
(2) The F.C.C. parcels out frequencies according to population. It’s generally very hard to get a new frequency assigned because there’s a limit on how many signals you can have operating in one area without causing interference. So, generally, you have to buy someone else’s license, which is, of course, very expensive.
(3) The F.C.C. offers a small number of “low-power” radio and TV licenses for specialized local services, usually “under-served” markets such as certain ethnic minority groups or other specialty services for small geographic areas. I don’t know much about these, but I do know that both commercial and non-commercial broadcasters (such as public radio stations) often fight these licenses because they are concerned about signal interference (which can be a significant problem).
(4) It doesn’t matter who you are or why you’re doing it – if you are publicly performing a musical work in the form of a sound recording, you must pay royalties to (1) the songwriter, and (2) the recording company. The agencies that administer these royalties (usually Harry Fox, ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC) offer discounts for some services (e.g., college radio, non-profit radio), but everyone has to pay something.
Maybe you could work with a community college to start one and then get a cheaper FM line. I know KCRW in Los Angeles operates out of Santa Monica College.
Here’s the auditor’s report on a local non-commercial FM station. Skipping through all the boring stuff about payroll (since you all will be donating your time), office space (since you’ll be working out of donated space) and a lot of other stuff, you’ll see the station has about $1,000,000 worth of broadcast equipment, and is paying $53,000/yr to lease its antenna site.
If all you want is a street legal low-power FM transmitter with a range of a couple of miles figure$1,600 and up.
Wow. At that price, it would be cheaper to get a year’s worth of satellite radio for 50000 of your closest friends (assuming the satellite alternative stations pass muster).
Why not just start an Internet based station? The software’s free, if I remember correctly, so all you really need is an ISP, hopefully a high speed connection, lots of (legal) MP3’s, and spare time (which it appears you already have plenty of :-).
Really? I seem to recall many Internet based independent ‘radio stations’ that played all kinds of music. I was under the impression that these people were just doing it for fun, no money involved.
That is a violation of the copyright law. Some websites may do it anyway, until they get a cease-and-desist letter, followed by a lawsuit if they do not comply.
I differ about the costs. Sure, 100,000 watts with a nose bleeding tower complete with studio would cost millions but a used 50 watt FM transmitters would reach a range of 15-25 miles with the antenna on a roof. Your best bet for the transmitter would be an electronics salvage store.
Only problem there is, the transmitter must be certified for spectral purity, so it doesn’t interfere with other stations on the band. A certified engineer must run tests on the transmitter, and a proof of performance must be filed with your application for license.
If your transmitter is putting out undesirable products, the fines from the FCC can be very stiff.
And Tastes of Chocolate, you’re right about the equipment costs, but the license is not that easy to procure. Plus, I just ran Minneapolis and St. Paul through the channel finder at the FCC web site, and there are no available frequencies to put a LPFM on. You’d have to buy an existing station. It’s that way in any large city.
