Preparing to Apply

What to do while you're waiting to apply for a low power FM station

1. Write down a vision of your station. Why do you want a station, what kind of programming do you envision, who will volunteer at the station, what communities will you serve? You probably only need one page at first, but this is a good way to help other people understand what you are doing. If you are farther along in your thinking already, you will want to expand the written material into fliers, reports, and as much information as you have about what the radio station will sound like and what needs it will fill. Here are a few places to get started thinking about how a radio station meets community needs: http://mediaengage.org/

2. Start collecting people, skills, and making lists! Talk to everyone you can think of in your community. Who can help? What skills do they have? You will need people who can make radio programs, people with legal and engineering skills, and a place to install an antenna. Talk to local elected leaders and community leaders. Find out what your community needs. Start to brainstorm and have meetings, explain to people the opportunity and ask them to join you. Convene regular meetings with people interested in this opportunity. Successful applications for a low power radio station will likely involve collaborations across many groups. Start building these relationships now.

3. Are you affiliated with a larger organization already, or do you need to create one? Community radio stations are products of their communities. It takes a lot of volunteers and resources to do one well. You don’t need to be a tax-exempt non-profit to get a low power radio license, but you will definitely need some sort of organization to support such a big endeavor. Start now by either creating your own non-profit or finding a non-profit that will be applying for the radio station license. Here are a few resources on the very big job of creating a non-profit. There are likely many more in your community.
http://www.heartsandminds.org/links/nplinks.htm
http://www.nonprofitadvancement.org/

4. Make a budget and a fundraising plan. The FCC does not charge you to file a low power radio application, but you will already face a number of expenses compiling the information to apply. And running a low power radio station doesn’t cost much, but it does cost something. So start now to identify opportunities for raising money in your community. Here are a few websites that cover some basics about fundraising:
http://foundationcenter.org/getstarted/nonprofits/
http://www.grassrootsfundraising.org/howto/
http://www.rivernetwork.org/resource-library/writing-fundraising-plan

 5. Learn how to make great radio! If you haven’t been in radio production yet, now is a good time to get familiar with the basics. If you are going to run a radio station, there is no time like the present to learn how it is done. This can be as simple as creating a podcast, or as complex as producing an audio documentary. Here are a few resources on the web for how to get started: http://www.messageinabox.tacticaltech.org/audiohome

6. Make Connections. There are many national and regional organizations that work on creating community media and community radio. Check out and try to attend these upcoming conferences to help make the connections you will need to succeed, and attend workshops on how to create a low power radio station: National Federation of Community Broadcasters; Grassroots Radio Conference, Alliance for Community Media, Allied Media Conference, etc.

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