Thursday

Setting up a low power FM radio station

While the information in this guide deals with a New Zealand example, many of the points are relevant in other countries.

When you come to setting up a radio station, you have two very different options. The first choice is to apply for a full power commercial FM license. This type of license allows you to broadcast over a large area. The drawbacks with a full power FM license are that it is often a complicated process, that no frequency may be available in the area you wish to broadcast, and that ongoing fees apply.

Another option is to set up a low power FM radio station. In New Zealand, there are no ongoing fees to operate this type of station โ€“ however you do need to pay nominal annual fees to APRA and RIANZ for music royalties. You do need to ensure however that your transmission equipment is compliant with Radio Spectrum Management regulations. Additionally, as is the case with any radio station, all your broadcasts need to comply with the Broadcasting Act. Fundamentally this means your broadcasts must be in โ€˜good tasteโ€™. The advantages that a low power FM radio station have over a commercial station is that is is much less expensive to set up at the outset, your likelihood of finding a suitable frequency are much higher, and there are far fewer ongoing costs.

Sunday

The Top 5 Reasons You Need Satellite Radio Now


Emerging technologies always take some time to get really established and then all of a sudden they just take off and it seems like everyone is using it. Eventually, there comes a time when you can't seem to even remember not using it. CDs and DVDs are a good exampole, as well as cable and satellite TV. Well, one of those new technologies is happening right now and that is satellite radio.
For years we have been used to tuning into our loacl radio stations and putting up with bad reception at times, and ads all the time. But satellite radio is poised to put that all behind us. Here are the top 5 reasons that you need satellite radio right now:
1. More choices, more to listen to. If you tune in to loacl radio you probably don't have more than just a handful of stations that you listen to regularly, simply because there is a small pool of broadcasts made in any given area. Not so on satellite radio. Both XM and Sirius offer more than 100 channels of pure enteratinment including sports, talk, kids programming, and every kind of music that you can imaagine. Always on, available wherever you go.
2. Crystal clear sound. Satellite radio broadcasts are made in digital format, so they are much higher quality than land-based radio. They also aren't prone to the limitations of standard radio. For instance, travel about 30- 50 miles and you will most likely lose your clear reception on almost any radio station. With satellite radio you can travel across the entire US and still have clear, CD-like sound with no interruption.
3. No commercials. How much time do you think you have wasted in life having to listen to ads and commercials on the radio that you really don't care about, just to be able to get the programming that you want? I'll bet it adds up to quite a bit. Imagine not having to put up with those kind of time wasters any more. You get to listen to only what you want to listen to for as long as you want to listen.
4. Unique programming. The standard radio stations are all controlled by the FCC and that means that you can only get certain types of entertainment on them. Howard Stern has famously pushed the boundaries of publicly available radio for some time, and has now sitched to satellite radio as it allows you to have more freedom to listen to whatever programming that interests you.
5. Great for travel. No need to pack up the CD player and all your CDs when traveling to listen to your favorite music, just listen to your satellite radio. No fumbling with tuning in the station or hunting for another one, just set it and forget it. And enjoy!
There are lots of other good reasons for choosing satellite radio for entertainment and information, but whatever reasons you choose, one thing is very clear. If you get satellite radio, you will wonder in just a very short time how you ever got along without it.

The Facts You Need To Know About Satellite Radio - Part 2

In Part 1 of this report, we discussed how the technology of using satellites to broadcast radio signals from over 20,000 miles above the earth results in great reception throughout the US everywhere and all the time. But there is more.
Satellite radio is not free radio. It is subscription based, meaning that you pay a monthly fee for the service. The costs are very nominal though as Sirius costs $12.95 a month and XM is $9.95 a month. Neither of the subsciptions can be said to be expensive, but initially you may recoil from thwe idea of paying for something that you have gotten for free for so many years.
However, think about this. You weren't actually getting anything for free all this time. Think of how much time in your life has been wasted listening to ads or commercials on the radio instead of the programming that you tune in for. If you added it all up, it would no doubt be a huge chunk of time, and if your time is worth anything, you were definitely paying a price for tuning in. The radio stations have no other way of making radio broadcasting a profitable business, so you are stuck with putting up with ads for so many minutes of every hour just to be able to listen to the programming you want in between the commercials.
Satellite radio is following the proven business model example of cable television and instead of inundating you with ads, they just provide high quality programming all the time. No ads, no commercials, no wasting your time.
And what kind of programming do you get? Just about anything that you can imagine, and it's growing all the time. Your selections include music, talk radio, sporting events, kids programs, news and more. There are several celebrities that have set up shop in the studios of the satellite radio companies, including the high profile case of Howard Stern. But you can find even more celebrity specific programming from others like Martha Stewart, Jimmy Buffet, Eminem and more.
There are around 65 channels of music listening alone on each provider's service, and they cover almost every conceivable kind of music that is found in the US including rock, jazz, country, blues, reggae, and more. And there are several different kinds of each music genre as well, For instance, rock has channels devoted to hard rock, early rock, soft rock, heavy metal, and many more. Just pick your favorites and tune in for solid good music that you like to listen to wherever you go.
Be sure to read Part 3 for even more satellite radio facts.

The Facts You Need To Know About Satellite Radio - Part 1

Time and technology marches on and things that were considered impossible just a few years ago, are now almost routine. That applies to a lot of things in life, but certainly to the way that we are able to listen to radio broadcasting today.
Just a few years ago it was just accepted that if you tuned in to a particular radio station, you would lose reception and clarity if you were driving long distance and you would have to hunt around and find another station instead. It was also accepted that every broadcast would be filed with lots of ads that you didn't really want to hear, just so the radio station could turn a profit.
Well, now there are more choices to be ahd and technology has made a whole new way of broadcasting radio possible. It's called satellite radio and we will try to help you understand a few facts about it, because the more you know about it, the more you will no doubt appreciate what it can do for you.
First of all, conventional radio traditionally only travel around 30-50 miles with any clarity at all, and then they degrade rapidly. Much of that is due to the roundness of the earth and so as the signal goes out it can't follow the contour of the earth and so the signal is lost to the user. Satelliter radio has solved that issue altogether. As it's name implies, the signal is sent from satellites over 20,000 miles above the earth, so there is absolutely nothing that can obstruct the broadcast signal.
There are currently two major players in the US in this new field, Sirius and XM satellite radio. XM has two satellites in orbit and Sirius employs three. They are specifically timed and placed within orbit to maintain constant coverage of the US for about 16 hours at a time. What this means to you is that no matter where you go in the US and no matter what time of day or night, you will not lose reception, and can enjoy the programming that you like uninterrupted.
This feature alone of satellite radio is an incredible advantage over conventional ground-based radio stations. It comes in handy especially for folks who may live in rural areas that get very poor reception from standard radio, and for those that are long distance travelers. There is no hunting for stations as their reception fades. No having to listen to programming that you don't particularly like just because it's the only thing available in a particular area. Just crisp, clean programming all the time.
But there is lots more about satellite radio to be covered in Part 2 of this report.

Radio Or Television - Is One Better Than The Other?

Making the most of your media efforts is important to every organization. Even more important is maximizing your profit potential when advertising through radio, television, and other methods of exposure.
The two most common forms of advertising consist of radio and television. First off, let's talk about how radio spots can be an effective form of advertising.
Radio has many distinct advantages that a media buyer should take into consideration. Radio spots can be had on both local and national levels. This allows targeted marketing efforts to be coordinated. In other words, if you are advertising for a local company, you would be best off using local radio stations. Also, radio can be used in cooperation with other media efforts. Many companies find success in using radio spots to correspond with television efforts, or vice versa. This guarantees that you are reaching as many people as possible, both while at home, and while in the car. Also, it should be remembered that people often listen to the radio while on their way to purchase new products. So, if somebody is on their way to the car dealership to look at a new car, and hear a radio spot advertising for the newest luxury sport utility vehicle, the buyer would be more so inclined to check it out. When used alone, or with another form of media, radio advertising can be most effective and a great way to maximize return on investment.
Now let's talk about advertising via television commercials. To many companies who can afford it, this is the most effective way to reach potential clients. Millions of people spend millions of hour's everyday watching television, including the commercials. During the Super Bowl, advertisers spend millions of dollars on a single 30 second spot. That alone shows that advertisers feel that television is the greatest way to reach the largest amount of the population, with the smallest amount of effort. Like the radio, television spots are also available on both a national and local level. During the Super Bowl advertisers are paying to be seen by everyone watching the game, thus the price increases greatly. On a more local level, companies can place spots on local access television stations. Again, if you are going for a more regional presence, local stations would more than likely be the way to go. It will save you time, and also ensure that you are in front of your most prized customers.
The biggest factor in determining which media to use, outside of who your audience is, would be money. It is much less expensive to run a 30 second local radio advertisement than running a 30 second television spot during the Super Bowl. All of these factors are taken into consideration by the buyer before making a decision.
Overall, both radio and television provide a great way to get your message out. The more research that is done before the buying, the better chance you will have of making the most of your hard-earned money. The next decision will be think about whether you want a 40 inch television or a 35 inch television.

Music And More In Real Time

Millions of radio listeners in the United States and all over the world have become so much happier with the introduction of satellite radio. Now, people can listen to literally hundreds of stations that offer music, news, radio talk shows and more in virtually real-time and at a much higher audio quality than that which FM or AM radio provides.

With conventional radio, land-based stations broadcast their signals to your boom box, computer, or car radio via the earth's airwaves. With satellite radio however, providers transmit encrypted signals to satellites they launched in outer space; these satellites in turn beam the signals to customers' listening devices. But you can't use just any radio; you need a special receiver (which is available at electronics retailers) and a satellite radio set. You can also listen to satellite radio broadcasts in your car since many new cars rolling of the assembly lines have satellite-ready equipment already installed. All you would need to do is pay for your monthly subscription.

In the United States, service is offered by XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio. Sirius, a company based in New York City, has over 125 channels from which to choose, 67 of them dedicated to commercial-free music and the rest to various other content. XM, on the other hand, offers more than 160 channels, which offer content that is as diverse as that which Sirius extends to its customers. The services are available coast-to-coast, so geographical availability of programs is not an issue. A customer in Los Angeles, for example, can listen to the same talk show that another customer in say, Boston, is listening to at the same time, and with no degradation in audio quality. Remember that satellite radio also means digital radio—sound is crystal-clear. There's none of the static or hissing you would sometimes hear on FM or AM radio. Non-US residents can also take advantage of the benefits of satellite radio; XM and Sirius offer their services in Canada, while WorldSpace broadcasts its service across Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. Australia has several providers of its own also.

Factors that attract people to sign up for satellite radio subscriptions are numerous. For one thing, there's the pleasure of listening to commercial-free music. Since the providers make their money from subscriptions, there is still no pressing need for advertising revenue. Another attractive feature that this service offers is that information about the song being played at the moment is displayed on your radio set—a small convenience for those people who have to know about who is singing what song right-now. The fact that satellite radio programming is completely uncensored at the moment is also a draw for many people. Noteworthy personalities, such as shock jock Howard Stern (who was kicked out of network radio programming) has made satellite radio his new broadcasting home. Whether you want to listen to hip-hop music, stand-up comedy shows, or news programs, satellite radio offers them—all completely uncensored.

Because Sirius, XM, and other providers are the ones who set the channel selections, some people might find it a bit inconvenient that they won't be able to listen to their local radio stations and get information on local goings-on. However, Sirius and XM do provide traffic and weather data for major cities, so that should be a bit of a relief for city residents. And if you think about it, not getting access to one local radio station wouldn't seem to be such a bad deal if you compare it to the ability to listen to hundreds of channels of commercial-free music and unregulated non-regulated shows.

Sirius and XM plan to add even more features and functions to offer to their subscribers. Sirius, in particular, is readying the launch of a Windows Media Video 9 service and the company plans to offer several channels dedicated to children. That's one more thing to keep the kids occupied and not distract their parents on long road trips. XM plans to release a similar video service. The two companies are anticipating that this will add to the number of their subscribers—Sirius has over one million, trailing after XM which has more than three million.

If you're an avid radio listener and you're finding yourself becoming fed up with the constant barrage of commercials on regular music stations or if you're looking for more no-holds-barred commentaries or radio talk shows, you probably wouldn't mind forking over the $12.95 monthly subscription for satellite radio service charged by Sirius and XM. And with the increases that the two companies see in their subscriber numbers, it's evident that a lot of people feel the same way.

Satellite Radio


Satellite radio is actually composed of two Boeing HS 702 satellites orbiting our atmosphere and aptly named Rock and Roll. One is located at approximately 85 degrees west longitude and the other at 115 degrees west longitude. Geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) is about 22,223 miles (35,764 km) above Earth, and is the type of orbit most commonly used for communications satellites. The first satellite to up, Rock, was placed in orbit on March 18, 2001. Roll followed with its launch on May 8. Satellite radio has a third HS-702 satellite on the ground ready to be launched in case one of the two orbiting satellites break down or fail.
Satellite radios station on earth transmits a signal to its two GEO Satellites, which bounce signals back down to the ground. The radio receivers are programmed to receive and unscramble the digital data signal, which contains up to 100 channels of digital audio. In addition to the encoded sound, the signal contains additional information about the broadcast. The artist, song title and category of music are all displayed on the radio. In urban areas, where buildings can block out the satellites signal, broadcasting equipment is supplemented by ground transmitters.
Each receiver contains a unique manufacturers chipset. Satellite radio began delivering chipsets to its manufacturing partners in late September or early October of 2000. The chipset consists of two custom integrated circuits designed by STMicroelectronics. Satellite has partnered with Pioneer, Alpine, Clarion, Delphi Delco, Sony and Motorola to manufacture satellite capable car radios. Each radio receiver uses a tiny, car-phone-sized antenna to receive the digital signal. GM has invested about 100 million dollars in digital satellite radio, and Honda has also created a contract to use these same radios in its cars. General Motors first began installing satellite radio receivers in specific models in late 2000 and early 2001.
For approximately twelve dollars per month, subscribers can listen to crystal clear digital sound. For this small price, music aficionados receive up to 100 channels of music, talk and news. They can also listen online via streaming audio service with over 70 channels. Most of the stations received are commercial-free, with none of the channels having more than seven minutes of ads per hour. Satellite advertisers include USA Today, BBC, CNN-Sports Illustrated and The Weather Channel. The service is clean, clear and more of what the surveyed population asked for. The future of satellite radio is clearly bright.

Text Message Marketing for Radio Stations


There are three things that we never leave home without any more--your keys, wallet, and mobile phone.

Note that we no longer have a need for a watch. Those of us who still wear watches do so only because it's a nice piece of jewelry; it's no longer a functional item with a cell phone in your pocket.

There were 157 billion text messages sent in the United States last year! That's up 61% over the 98 billion text messages sent in 2005! There are now more cell phones in the United States than there are internet connections.

And, if you're trying to reach teens and young adults with email, that is just so yesterday. Text messaging represents 48% of all written communication by 15 to 24-year-olds. Remember pen and paper? Only 5% of 15 to 24-year-olds written communication is done the old fashioned way.

But, perhaps the greatest advantage of text message marketing is that you can reach your audience anytime, anywhere, any place. 84% of all consumers keep their cell phone on and with them 24 hours per day and 94% of all text messages are opened and read. That's why The New York Times called mobile marketing "the most powerful advertising medium of all time."

We all know teens love to text; 29% of teens send more than ten texts per day. But, if you think text messaging is just for teens, think again. 39% of active text message users (those sending more than ten messages per week) are over the age of 35. Even Grandma does it now--8% of those over the age of 70 are now considered active text messagers. All told, 95 million Americans are in this elite group of active text messagers today.

Another invention going the way of the typewriter is the landline phone. 15% of all cell phone owners don't bother to have a landline phone anymore and 31% are considering giving up their home phone in the next three years.

If you're a radio station executive and you're not offering text messaging by now, you may still be living in the Marconi era. The beauty of text messaging to radio listeners is that since so much of radio listening is done outside of access to general media, text may be the only medium available. If they're in their car, on the beach, or at the office, there's probably no competition from television or internet. Hence, radio and the cell phone are the means to reaching your target audience.

What do radio listeners want to do with text messaging? According to the Pew Study, they want to request songs, enter contests, and obtain station play lists. It's not surprising then that the top text message applications for radio stations to date have been contests, song requests and dedications, vote lines, station play lists, and enhanced advertising.

Enhanced advertising is where the game is starting to change for radio stations. What was once a promotional tool has now become a sales tool. What was once a cost center for a radio station has now become a revenue center.

94% of all text messages are opened and read. No other medium can make that claim, not even radio. That's why forward looking radio station sales teams are now up-selling their customers with text programs. And, it's working because the advertising works. It's no longer just a spot buy when you add an interactive text promotion to the on-air commercial. Some account executives are getting in on buys in demos where they were once shutout. Others are gaining additional market share on the buy by bundling spot buys with a station text message campaign. Mobile marketing offers the sales team a weapon that others in the market simply don't have.

Here's how it works. Next time the radio station plans to give away tickets to a concert, why have 999 frustrated callers reaching busy signals and one lucky winner? With text messaging, all 1000 listeners get through to the station. There's still only one lucky winner, but all the entrants receive the station advertiser's marketing message. More importantly, the station now has a database of 1000 opt-in P-1 listeners.

Next time the station has breaking news or a pre-sale buy of concert tickets, it will want to notify the opt-in database, thus providing another opportunity to put your advertiser's message into the palm of the hands of your loyal station listeners. Your advertiser's message gets through and your P-1's feel like VIP's.

According to Forrester Research, 43% of US marketers will be using mobile marketing within the next year. Mobile marketing is projected to generate $4.8 billion in revenue in 2011.

Radio needs to jump on the mobile marketing train. If it doesn't, somebody else will.

Where To Find Great Broadband Quality Music Videos & Internet Radio Stations For Free

So you are thinking of getting yourself a broadband connection or already have one and now want to find some cool free music videos and internet radio stations which are available at broadband quality for you to get the most out of your fat broadband pipe.
Well a great place to start looking for quality music videos is Lycos Free Music Videos which is at http://entertainment.lycos.com/music/videos.php where you can choose and watch a big selection of the latest music videos all for free as well as the not so easy to find, lesser known music videos. Lycos also have interesting band biographies and lots of picture galleries of your favorite artists for you to look at or download. They also have a music news section, a music download section and the latest music charts for you to catch up on.
Another great website for watching free music videos is Yahoo Free Music Videos which you can find at http://music.yahoo.com/musicvideos/default.asp where you can watch videos at 300k broadband download speed or 100k if you prefer. If you watch them at 300k download speed, you can watch the video in full screen mode which is a nice touch. The Yahoo music video catalog covers thousand of music videos and many music styles including pop, rock, top 100, dance, rap, R&B and country. They also have album reviews, singles reviews, album charts, singles charts, live reviews, downloads and latest music news for you to enjoy for free. Yahoo also give you access to hundreds of free internet radio channels through their Launchcast radio service covering all possible music tastes.
Talking of free internet radio stations, a really cool site where you can listen to thousands of different radio stations is Shoutcast Broadband Internet Radio which is at http://www.shoutcast.com.They have a huge choice of music styles for you to enjoy including: Alternative College, Industrial, Punk, Ska, Blues, Folk, Cajun, Contemporary Classical, Opera, Symphonic, New Country, Electronic Ambient, Drum And Bass, Trance, Techno, Downtempo. House, Breakbeat, Acid Jazz, Hip Hop, Rap, Latin Jazz, Swing Jazz, Big Band Jazz, Classic Jazz, Smooth Jazz, Classic Pop & Rock, Pop & Rock Oldies, 80's, Metal, Pop, Rock, R & B, Soul and World Music
If you are looking for international radio stations which broadcast in different languages, then you can find them at Broadband-Television.com's Broadband Internet Radio Webpage at http://broadband-television.com/music/index.html From this site you can find and listen to international radio stations from Mexico,France, Finland, Japan, Canada, United States and Switzerland. They also have a good selection of English speaking radio stations covering Rock, Classical, Golden Oldies, Top 40, Country Music or Contemporary music styles.