How to Start a Community Radio Station - Webinars

Prometheus Radio Project is pleased to invite you to several webinars on different topics for low power community radio station applicants! The date, time, and registration for each webinar is listed below. 

A webinar is a web based presentation or workshop (seminar + web = webinar). It includes a presentation with visual slides and a tele-conference where the instuctors give details about what's being presented online.  In order to participate, you must register online for the webinar, log onto the webinar website, and call into the tele-conference.  

These webinars are open to groups working to start community radio stations. If you are part of such a group, please fill out the web form. This will ensure that you get any background materials needed for the webinar, as well as invitations to similar events in the future.

 Note: All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time!

Put Your Hands on the Radio

- Monday, February 13, 2012 from 8:00 - 9:30 pm EST    View Recorded Archive

- Monday, March 12, 2012 from 8:00 - 9:30 pm EST  Register for FREE now

This how-to-webinar will teach participants to lay the groundwork needed to get a license and get on the air. Participants will learn about the process of submitting an FCC application, how to organize a group for station governance, learn about the equipment and engineering involved, and raise money for equipment and general operations. We will give a short overview of the power of low power FM radio stations (LPFM) and identify effective strategies to apply today. 

Currently, there are over 800 LPFMs across the country, providing some of the best examples of community media's potential. These stations are run by farmworker groups, civil rights organizations, schools, neighborhood associations and environmental groups. The equipment is relatively simple and inexpensive to operate, putting the public airwaves within public reach. But there's a lot of bureaucracy to learn, so this workshop will provide tools to navigate the application process and organize within your community.

 

Live Question & Answer Sessions with Prometheus Staff

- Wednesday, February 15 from 6:00 - 7:00 pm EST          View Recorded Archive

- Wednesday, February 29 from 6:00 - 7:00 pm EST           Register FREE Now

Here's your chance to chat live with Prometheus staff about all things community radio! You will be able to  ask questions about the community radio application process and other aspects involved with building a station.  We'll present some radio news, take questions from the audience, and have discussions about radio policy, operations, and community building.  Send your questions ahead of time to vanessa@prometheusradio.org. Tweet them to @prometheusradio or post them to FB on our Prometheus Radio Project fan page.

 
Community Engagement From Day One

- Thursday, February 23 from 7:00pm – 8:30pm EST       Register for FREE now

"Community radio is 90% about community and 10% about radio." - Zane Ibrahim of Bush Radio in South Africa

To build a truly participatory station, community engagement begins long before your station is on the air. On this webinar, we share ideas for engaging your community from the very start. Ann Alquist, Director of Radio Engagement at the National Center for Media Engagement will offer concrete tips on finding good community partners, keeping track of contacts, and developing responsive programming. She will explain the difference between "one-way" station outreach and "two-way" community engagement (and why you should do both!). Dharma Dailey, Kaya Weidman, and Sara Kendall will discuss the community engagement strategy at WGXC Hands-on Radio in Hudson, New York, now celebrating its first anniversary. They will share the questions that shaped their station-building process: How do we develop and convey our vision even before we’re on the air? How do we create a sense of community ownership and investment from the very start? How can we get businesses to support us? WGXC organizers will also describe their Radio Council model, creating a station that is not only informed by the community, but accountable to that community as well. Brandy Doyle of the Prometheus Radio Project will moderate and take your questions.

WINNING! Strategies for Successful Applications 

- Thursday, March 22 from 7:00pm – 8:30pm EST      Register for FREE now

What are the elements of a successful LPFM application? In this webinar we'll talk about strategies to win the competition for a frequency and how to avoid common mistakes that disqualify applications. We'll also provide information about the process related to competing applications and explain what the options are in the event that your application is placed in an MX group. We'll also talk about collaborations with other applicants and give tips on how to put forth a strong application for LPFM. 

Governenance/Policies

- Thursday, April 12, 2012 from 7:00pm – 8:30pm EST      

There are 5 critical functions at every radio station: programming, development, operations, finances, and governance.  In this webinar we will talk about the structures, traditions, and processes, that determine how power is excercised, how decisions are made, and how the public interfaces with the organization. You need to have a clear organizational structure from the beginning in order to be transparent, democratic, and accountable to the community.  Effective governance and policies allows LPFM radio stations to build stronger commuity connections and increase their value as community institutions. This webinar will examine the different ways you can structure your radio station. 

 Hints and Tips: 

  • If this is your first time attending a webinar of this kind, we recommend that you take the System Test to make sure that your computer is ready to go.
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