The Slashdot Broadcasting Network?

OrigamiSlayer asks: "Mr. Fantasy and I were talking about the article a while back on low power radio station licenses. We were wondering what would need to be done logisticly to get a bunch of these licenses across a wide geographic area and then syndicate a broadcast to them via the internet. That would give someone half a chance to compete with corporate radio and might almost be possible. Any ideas?" Aside from security, what other things would one need to worry about?

An example of low power radio

[Anonymous Coward]

In Boston we used to have something called Tunnel Radio (it's passed hands many times in the past few years). What happens is inside tunnels such as the Dewey Square Tunnel (I-93) a blanket AM broadcast is transmitted. Originally because of Boston's notorious traffic this was used to beam traffic information and subliminal anti-suicide messages to keep everyone calm in the exhaust filled hellhole. Now I think some radio station has the rights and broadcasts classified advertisements.

Recently, with the Big Dig [bigdig.com] there's yet another low power radio station. I forget if it's AM or FM, but it has a range of approximitly the area of construction (the financial district and southie) Both of these are or were government run, and are totally legit. They're a good example of the usefullness of low powered stations, which the FCC should allow anyone to get a liscense for.

It would also be neat if while sitting in traffic I could tune to Slashdot FM and use my cell phone to dial in with a "FIRST POST".

Re:LPFM and 'low power' not always the same.

[spinkham]

Is this true? My college radio station has a measily 140 watt radio station.. Do they have a different kind of license?
I am a ham, and have knowledge of radio, but not much about comercial regs...

Open Source Radio

[ddpg]

I've been thinking about starting an Open Source Radio website as a place where non-commercial, non internet only stations can obtain free shows to broadcast. I have a new 500w stereo exciter sitting in the closet (very easy to add a 1kW+ amp. I am about to try and obtain a 1kW license for a station in the Bryan-College Station area or possibly Houston. It would be non-commercial. The only problem is finding content (hence my idea for Open Source Radio). I'm not sure if there would be enough interest.

Re:Open Source Radio

[ddpg]

I meant 50w... one to many zeros.

A small clarification...

[mrfantasy]

The idea we had in mind is that you'd use something like Shoutcast as the distribution medium, hook your computer up to the Net and the audio out to your low power FM equipment, and rebroadcast someone else's programming.

There's lots of questions here:

1) If I went through all the trouble to buy, install, run, and maintain low power equipment, would I want to use it just to rebroadcast someone else's material? I probably wouldn't just keep it tuned to one shoutcast channel, I might pick and choose what I transmit from the mix, or become a "shoutcast syndicator" where I play other people's programming at other times.

2) I could see this becoming a great way to do an internet call-in show, or some talk show, where people could call in, or submit questions over the Net, and people could listen on their computers or on their radios if they knew where to do so.

3) There are legality issues--I think that most of the people running shoutcast servers (unless they're already bona-fide radio stations) aren't paying ASCAP/BMI royalties, and although I haven't heard that either of them are looking for it, they probably would think they have a right to royalties if this got big enough (they did try to get bars and restaurants to pay, after all,) or, ASCAP and BMI may not care about Shoutcast, but would care if those signals were broadcasted over low power FM. If you're doing all unsigned indie bands, or talk programming, you can avoid royalty fees. And ASCAP/BMI royalties would apply for the low-power broadcaster playing their own CD collections, as well.

I guess we were mainly ruminating on the prospects of using current Internet audio distribution technology as a way to network low power FM stations, or as a programming source, and what the legal, and technical, ramifications would be.

--Mike

low power radio

[metalgeek]

I live in canada so our laws may be slightly different, but most likely quite similar. I worked for my last university's radio station as a dj. We were able to have a radio station because we broadcasted at the low power of 1 watt. That really doesn't take you very far, as in about a mile or so... if your lucky and don't have other interferance/concrete buildings in the way.

It is still logisticlly possible to do this until you take into account that there is only a set number of frequenies available for use. It is fairly detrimental to have two simmilar frequencies near each other, as much static and disreuption ensues. There is also the side of buying all the transmitters needed to make your radio waves. they are not exceedingly cheap when you get all the hardware you need. (converter boxes, antennas, co-axil cable, plus whatever your going to use to get your broadcats and retransmit it)

However we have something that could/can comepete with corporate radio stations and that is internet radio stations. The only problem with them is the quality is generally very low, plus you have to factor in net congestion.

metalgeek