LPFM (Low Power FM) or Internet?
First, a little background on LPFM:
LPFM radio was created by the FCC in January 2000. These stations are authorized for noncommercial educational broadcasting only (no commercial operation) and can operate with an effective radiated power (ERP) of 100 watts or less. The average range for a 100 watt LPFM station is 3.5 miles. LPFM stations are not protected from interference that may be received from other classes of FM stations. Also, a construction permit is required before a LPFM station can be constructed or operated. LPFM radio stations are available to noncommercial educational entities, public safety and transportation organizations, but are not available to individuals or for commercial operation.
There are a plethora of rules for LPFM and it's no cake walk. Also, you have to check to see if there are any frequencies available in your area or if the FCC is accepting any new LPFM applications. To get you pointed in the right direction, check out https://www.fcc.gov/media/radio/low-power-radio-general-information for more info.
Equipment is a whole other matter. Outside of the usual audio mixer (and for radio broadcast you'll need a mixing console), one or more microphones, CD players, automation computer/software, production computer with audio editing software, maybe a cassette deck (yes people still use these), studio monitor amplifier, speakers and of course headphones; you'll also need to have an FCC certified FM transmitter, broadcast antenna, high quality low loss coaxial cable, a tower for your antenna, an emergency alert system, specialized audio processing and a true broadcast engineer to get everything setup and running. Whew...
Obviously LPFM is a hassle and there are many hoops to jump through, as well as the added equipment costs. But if you really want to have a community radio station, then LPFM is the way to go.
Internet Radio:
The great news with Internet radio is that the FCC is not involved, you don't need a license nor all the transmitter and EAS crap. You also don't need to only be a noncommercial entity, so making a profit from advertising is a no brainer.
Whether you choose to be LPFM or Internet radio station, there are certain things you must consider and a lot of the same decisions need to be made. Let's take a look at the commonalities...
Show me da money!
It takes money to start out. Sorry to burst your bubble, but it does. How much money depends on what degree you want to get into it. If you’re just looking to have fun or get your information out, you won’t be spending too much money to do it via the Internet. If on the other hand you’re looking into a LPFM license, then you’ll be spending quite a bit more greenbacks.
Space, yes… Space.
Where do you plan on broadcasting from? Maybe your house, apartment or an actual building? If you plan on broadcasting 24/7, then you'd better have a dedicated spot to do it from. Doesn't matter if that's a room in your basement or a walk-in closet in an apartment. You really need a dedicated area.
What are you going to broadcast? (see chapter 2 if you don't have a clue yet)
If you plan on doing a local talk show, then you better have enough room set aside to invite people to talk to your listeners. If you plan on some sort of interactive live podcast, then a good phone system or another computer running Skype is a must. If you plan on playing music, then you better start contacting ASCAP and BMI for paying royalties on the music you're going to be playing. Of course, you can always just buy your music from a music service and they pay the royalties, but you can only play what they give you and that's it.
Speaking of music.
You'll be needing some production music to create ads with, or for use with parts of your show. There are 100's of production music companies out there offering Needle-Drop fee's, Music on demand and Buy-out plans. The easiest way is to find a production music company that sells its music as a "Buy out". This way you only pay once for the music and you never have to worry about it again. To start with, find something cheap and inexpensive. Yes, it will more than likely sound like bad music, but it will get you started.
Computer automation, CD players and a mixer board or both?
The advantages of automation over the CD players is simple, the computer can run 24/7 without stopping and run unmanned, the CD Players and a Mixer board can not. You also can combine the two and have a computer wired into a mixer for better "live" shows when you are there. There is a plethora of automation software programs out there, some are even free. Another thing to keep in mind though, if you're broadcasting 24/7 via a computer, you'll need another system to create ads on and record music to.
We'll get into all the equipment lists and software stuff in another post. It's just too much to cover at one time.
First, a little background on LPFM:
LPFM radio was created by the FCC in January 2000. These stations are authorized for noncommercial educational broadcasting only (no commercial operation) and can operate with an effective radiated power (ERP) of 100 watts or less. The average range for a 100 watt LPFM station is 3.5 miles. LPFM stations are not protected from interference that may be received from other classes of FM stations. Also, a construction permit is required before a LPFM station can be constructed or operated. LPFM radio stations are available to noncommercial educational entities, public safety and transportation organizations, but are not available to individuals or for commercial operation.
There are a plethora of rules for LPFM and it's no cake walk. Also, you have to check to see if there are any frequencies available in your area or if the FCC is accepting any new LPFM applications. To get you pointed in the right direction, check out https://www.fcc.gov/media/radio/low-power-radio-general-information for more info.
Equipment is a whole other matter. Outside of the usual audio mixer (and for radio broadcast you'll need a mixing console), one or more microphones, CD players, automation computer/software, production computer with audio editing software, maybe a cassette deck (yes people still use these), studio monitor amplifier, speakers and of course headphones; you'll also need to have an FCC certified FM transmitter, broadcast antenna, high quality low loss coaxial cable, a tower for your antenna, an emergency alert system, specialized audio processing and a true broadcast engineer to get everything setup and running. Whew...
Obviously LPFM is a hassle and there are many hoops to jump through, as well as the added equipment costs. But if you really want to have a community radio station, then LPFM is the way to go.
Internet Radio:
The great news with Internet radio is that the FCC is not involved, you don't need a license nor all the transmitter and EAS crap. You also don't need to only be a noncommercial entity, so making a profit from advertising is a no brainer.
Whether you choose to be LPFM or Internet radio station, there are certain things you must consider and a lot of the same decisions need to be made. Let's take a look at the commonalities...
Show me da money!
It takes money to start out. Sorry to burst your bubble, but it does. How much money depends on what degree you want to get into it. If you’re just looking to have fun or get your information out, you won’t be spending too much money to do it via the Internet. If on the other hand you’re looking into a LPFM license, then you’ll be spending quite a bit more greenbacks.
Space, yes… Space.
Where do you plan on broadcasting from? Maybe your house, apartment or an actual building? If you plan on broadcasting 24/7, then you'd better have a dedicated spot to do it from. Doesn't matter if that's a room in your basement or a walk-in closet in an apartment. You really need a dedicated area.
What are you going to broadcast? (see chapter 2 if you don't have a clue yet)
If you plan on doing a local talk show, then you better have enough room set aside to invite people to talk to your listeners. If you plan on some sort of interactive live podcast, then a good phone system or another computer running Skype is a must. If you plan on playing music, then you better start contacting ASCAP and BMI for paying royalties on the music you're going to be playing. Of course, you can always just buy your music from a music service and they pay the royalties, but you can only play what they give you and that's it.
Speaking of music.
You'll be needing some production music to create ads with, or for use with parts of your show. There are 100's of production music companies out there offering Needle-Drop fee's, Music on demand and Buy-out plans. The easiest way is to find a production music company that sells its music as a "Buy out". This way you only pay once for the music and you never have to worry about it again. To start with, find something cheap and inexpensive. Yes, it will more than likely sound like bad music, but it will get you started.
Computer automation, CD players and a mixer board or both?
The advantages of automation over the CD players is simple, the computer can run 24/7 without stopping and run unmanned, the CD Players and a Mixer board can not. You also can combine the two and have a computer wired into a mixer for better "live" shows when you are there. There is a plethora of automation software programs out there, some are even free. Another thing to keep in mind though, if you're broadcasting 24/7 via a computer, you'll need another system to create ads on and record music to.
We'll get into all the equipment lists and software stuff in another post. It's just too much to cover at one time.