Friday, April 3, 2015

RIPR DEAL WITH WMVY GETS TRIPLE A ON FM FOR MARTHA’S VINEYARD


Consulting engineer Aaron Read sent me a comment recently telling how Rhode Island Public Radio [link] is working with MVYRADIO [link] to serve Martha’s Vineyard with an awesome FM signal. The key is using an HD2 channel to feed a translator.  This is a way that others might copy to get their online stations on the crowded FM dial.  Here is how Aaron describes it:

I'm not really a fan of HD Radio but it has its uses. We're making good use of HD on our WRNI-FM [Rhode Island Public Radio – “RIPR”] by leasing an HD2 to mvyradio.com. They use it to feed their translator in nearby Newport RI, which needed a new primary when they sold their old 92.7 signal (now WBUA). They do have a new primary FM out on the Vineyard again, but it's on the same freq as WJMF in Smithfield/Providence and there's no way the Newport location can receive the new WMVY on 88.7.
It works out fairly well for all involved. RIPR makes a few bucks a year off the deal, and we're helping out a fellow non-comm station that we happen to like a lot.
But there's no question this wouldn't have happened if I wasn't the CE of RIPR because the actual owner of the translator is former employer, current mentor and good friend of mine. Fortunate coincidence for all involved, but kinda limits the utility of this situation to be analogous to anyone else.
Still, leasing an HD2 to feed an analog translator is certain a good way to make use of HD Radio. I'm well aware of how "weak" that sounds given the original purpose of HD Radio, of course. :)

AARON READ


Delivering signals to translators has proven to be one of the very few successful uses for HD Radio.  A public radio GM in California called the HD-to-tranlator method the poor man’s STL.  (An STL is a studio to transmitter link, most often done using microwave signals.)

HOW IT WORKS

Here is how Aaron Read describes it:


We acquire MVY's programming via Comrex BRIC Link over the public internet, and use that to feed WRNI-FM-HD2.  Then the translator in Newport (W243AI, 96.5FM) has an HD Radio locked to 102.7HD2 to get our HD2 and it feeds the translator's analog input.

Programming originates from the MVY studios in Tisbury, MA, located on the north side of Martha’s Vineyard Island.  Rhode Island Public Radio takes MVY’s streaming audio and broadcasts it on WRNI-HD2 transmitting from Narragansett Pier, RI.  Here is the coverage map for WRNI:



MVY picks up the WRNI-HD2 signal off the air and rebroadcasts it on 88.7 FM covering Martha's Vineyard Island (coverage map):



BINGO!  MVY is on the air in one of North America’s finest resort areas on the good old analog FM band.  It is a good deal for everyone: RIPR gets revenue for leasing its previously wasted HD2. MVY gets back on FM.  Listeners get to hear great music online and on FM.

[MVY also provides FM service to listeners in Newport, Middleton and Jamestown, RI, via RIPR’s HD2 via a translator on 96.5 FM.]

HOW CAN WE DO THIS TOO?

The first thing you need to do is hire a contract engineer like Aaron Read [link] (there are others available also) to do a frequency search and see if there are any FM translators available or space to establish a new translator.

It takes time for the FCC to approve a new FM translator frequency, so look at current translators first. Many FM translators are available for sale and/or lease. There are folks who are in business of applying for FCC translator frequencies for the purpose of selling them at huge profits.  Be careful.

Also look for translators owned religious NCE broadcasters.  Some of these organizations are hard up for cash. Educational Media Foundation [“EMF” – the purveyor of K-Love] makes a sizeable portion of its income by buying and selling translator licenses.]

Then, talk with your local CPB-qualified stations that own HD channels. Many of these stations built HD stations when CPB offered stations the money to get into HD.  Now they are stuck with them.

Thursday, April 2, 2015

FOR SALE: FULL POWER NCE FM IN MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL


I am fascinated by the sale of broadcast station licenses. As former commercial radio station owner, I am on email lists for several station brokers.  Today I saw that a full power noncommercial FM station is for sale in the Twin Cities.  The station call letters and price were not provided.

DETERMINING THE VALUE OF A STATION

Here are factors that determine the price for a commercial or noncommercial station:

THE FCC LICENSE – Often called “stick value,” I’ve seen it calculated as $3 - $5 per person in the primary coverage area for NCE stations.

ASSETS – Real estate, towers, studios, equipment, etc.

CASH FLOW – Month-to-month revenue, minus expenses and debt service (mainly used for commercial station sales)

UNIQUE CIRCUMSTANCES – Sometimes all a seller wants is for someone else to pay the station’s debt.  A buyer agrees to absorb/pay what the seller owes and no cash changes hands.

Other unique circumstances include the motivation of the seller and the buyer, whether the seller will finance the sale and unseen obligations, caveats or other factors.

So, which noncom station in the Twin Cities is for sale? Let’s look at the candidates:

MINNEAPOLIS – ST. PAUL NONCOMMERCIAL FM RADIO DIAL

F
C
P
FORMAT
OWNER
ANNUAL
REVENUE*
FOR SALE?
88.5
KBEM
2.5kw
Jazz
Minneapolis Public Schools

$900,000
UNLIKELY
89.3
KCMP
100kw
Triple A
The Current
American Public Media
$5,000,000
NO
89.9
KMOJ
1kw
Rap & Soul
Center For Communication & Development
$600,000
NO
90.3
KFAI
.125kw
Various
Fresh Air, Inc.
Serves St. Paul on 106.5
$900,000
UNLIKELY
91.1
KNOW
100kw
NPR News
American Public Media
$8,000,000
NO
95.3
KNOF
900 watts
CCM & Teaching
Praise Broadcasting
Christian Heritage Broadcasting
$430,000
$625,000
LIKELY
98.5
KTIS
100kw
CCM
Northwestern College

$6,000,000
NO
99.5
KSJN
100kw
Classical
American Public Media
$4,000,000
NO
104.5
KUOM
8 watts
CMJ Rock
Radio K
Repeats KUOM-AM
University of Minnesota
$450,000
NO
* Annual Revenue is an estimate based on IRS 990 filings

To me, the answer is obvious: 95.3 KNOF is for sale.  Here is their carriage map:




KNOF operates as PRAISE FM [link], a station that airs old-school preaching and teaching programs plus Contemporary Christian Music.  Praise Broadcasting, a 501c3 organization is listed as the owner. I reviewed their most recent (2013) IRS 990 and found some surprises:

Praise Broadcasting’s revenue was $430,000, expenses were around $600,000, leaving a loss of around $170,000 for the year.  The biggest single expense was $314,000 paid to unspecified nonemployee “management.”

But wait, there’s more: Praise Broadcasting owes Christian Heritage Broadcasting $856,000 for unspecified reasons.

Christian Heritage Broadcasting is a separate 501c3 organization. I reviewed their 2013 IRS 990.  Praise Broadcasting and Christian Heritage Broadcasting are both operated by the same people.They both operate from the same location.

Christian Heritage claims it is in “the concert business” and claimed revenue of $625,000.  Strangely, both organizations claimed almost the exact same expenses. I’m not an accountant and am not making any allegations, but this looks like a shell game.

PRAISE THE LORD & PASS THE CONTRIBUTION PLATE

I saw this item on Praise FM’s website [link]. (I highlighted key verbiage in RED.):

KNOF 95.3 Twin Cities Purchase
A Miracle in the Making

Praise FM began back in 1985 and we’ve watched as God has done miracle after miracle to start, build and sustain this ministry.  This letter is to share about another miracle in the making.

Praise FM has been leasing the 95.3 FM signal in the Twin Cities for the past 5 years.  We have never owned the signal and transmission equipment, and a few months ago were informed that we were not able to renew the lease, which meant Praise FM would no longer be available to you. 

However, God provided us the opportunity to purchase the signal and equipment to prevent this from happening.

By October 2014, we needed to cover the $250,000 down payment on the purchase price of 5 million.

As you may know, we set aside the two days in September 2014 to raise the $250,000 that was necessary for the down payment.

How amazing that hundreds of people reached out for a total of $251,000!  In 29 years we have never seen this kind of giving for a special project.

We are celebrating because of the financial outpouring and the amazing stories that poured into our studio. It is so clear: people are encountering the amazing grace of our God!

If you were able to join us in some way, please accept our heartfelt thanks. You are one of the few that will bless the many.

In closing, please take a moment to thank God with us for this first step in securing a permanent home for Praise FM in the Twin Cities. He alone receives the honor and glory!

For those who would still like to give towards the remaining portion of the purchase price of five million, we welcome it as it would allow us to move ahead towards future payments needed. Thank you!

WHAT IS LIKELY GOING ON

PRAISE FM appears to be raising money while telling listeners give us money or we will go away.  Who holds the lease?  I bet it is Christian Heritage Broadcasting. This sale stinks and deserves further investigation.

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

WHAT IS YOUR MORNING MEDIA?


Larry Rosin and the good folks at Edison Research continue to release fascinating, sometimes offbeat research about how people use media. Their most recent project is no exception. Edison has released Wake Me Up – a study of lifestyle and device use during this important time of the day.  The first media choices of the day are indications of which media platforms are important for a person's daily life. See the Wake Me Up study at LINK.

Edison conducted a national online survey of 1,550 respondents age 18-54 in January 2015. Let’s look at the top-line results:

HOW DID YOU WAKE UP THIS MORNING?



About half of the Wake Me Up respondents use a device for an alarm.

IF YOU USED AN ALARM, WHAT KIND OF ALARM?


About half of the Wake Me Up respondents use a mobile device to wake themselves.

AT WHAT TIME DID YOU WAKE UP THIS MORNING?



I was surprised to learn that more than half of the Wake Me Up respondents said they are up by 6:30am.

MEET MY “ALARM CLOCKS”


SKYLAR & SCOUT -- 100% ANALOG ALARM CLOCKS

I am one of the 4% of people who is often awakened by pets. Today (Tuesday, March 31, 2015) I woke up at 5:55am to the sound of a fur ball being vomited.  The culpret, Scout is a very very fluffy Norwegian Forest Cat.  I didn;t use any media while I cleaned up the puke.

My typical morning routine, after getting out of bed, is a trip to my  home office via my laptop.  The first thing I do is check to see if this blog is still there and that today’s post is appearing.  Next I check my mobile to see if there are any incoming messages.  I don't use mobile as much as most folks because of my vision problems.

While checking messages I usually switch on the TV with the sound down.  It stays that way most of the day – video wallpaper for the blog newsroom.

Some days I listen on my headphones to NPR News from 91.1 KNOW or music from 89.3 The Current while reading news online.  But on other days, I don’t turn on any audio at all. I love the Zen of the morning -- the calm of silence.

Then I go totally old-school – I read the Minneapolis Star-Tribune newspaper.  I love newspapers. I follow Rachel Maddow's advice and support local print journalism.

ARE YOU A MORNING PERSON?

Wake Me Up asked respondents if they consider themselves “a morning person”:



As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to love mornings.  The world is fresh and I concentrate best on work then.

I used to be a night owl.  Not that long ago, a night was still early when it was midnight.  I disliked mornings, particularly when I was a doing the 6am – 9am airshift at a country music station.  I had a rough break up with a girlfriend and EVERY COUNTRY SONG WAS ABOUT ME. George Jones said it best:

From the blood of my body, I could start my own still.

If drinking don’t kill me, her memory will.

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

MORE ABOUT COMMUNITY RADIO & ENDLESS COMMITTEES


There were lots of excellent comments to my posts about KFAI and the reliance on communal governance to run Community Radio stations.

Here are samples of the comments I received:

• FROM CONFIDENTIAL:

Beware of the word “advisory” because people have different interpretations of the term.  I heard of one PD at [NAME OF STATION] that was hounded out of the place by a Program Advisory Committee. The naysayers used the Program Advisory Committee to create a “paper trail” about him. He finally quit.

KEN: Scary. That truly sounds like The Pacifca Model – It’s not about the audience, it’s about petty politics and lawyers.

• FROM RYAN BRUCE, DIRECTOR, KBRP, BISBEE AZ:

I would be remiss not to mention that non-commercial radio in small markets is very different from a major metropolitan area.  PCs [Program Committees] tend to thrive in smaller markets where audience numbers and feedback are much more anecdotal in nature.




KEN:  Thank you for making this excellent point.  In a place like Bisbee (population 7,000), you build support person-by-person, off the air and on the air.  Inclusion in the station is a great way to make inroads into the community.

The key is (quoting Ryan Bruce):

...feedback [is] much more anecdotal in nature.

KEN: That’s the way it should be – anecdotal, person-to-person conversational.  In Bisbee you can probably walk down the street to KBRP, stop in and talk with whomever you want to.  You don’t need a committee to get feedback.

Reader Tip: Check out KBRP via their website [LINK].  The clear and concise KBRP Strategic Plan 2012-2015 is A+ work.

• FROM LARRY JOSPEHSON, ONE OF THE FOUNDERS OF PUBLIC RADIO AS WE KNOW IT:

Now I will read your blog to see if you have the answers. "Fire Your Programming Committee" is a no answer. Hire an all-powerful programming Czar? She would meet the same fate as Czar Nicholas II--assassinated by station volunteers and their individual audiences, if they attempted to change programming even slightly. (happens once-in- a-great while at NPR stations)
What's the frequency, Kenneth?

KEN: I am always pleased to hear from Larry Josephson.  He is one of my public radio heroes – someone who changed my outlook on radio and influenced my career.

Back in 1969 – 1971 I visited friends at Columbia University often.  I was an awkward nerdy college kid doing Top 40 radio in Sioux Falls.  Listening to WBAI and Larry Josephson introduced me to the power and possibility of noncommercial radio.  I never met Larry then, but he was like a companion and trip guide for me when I was in town.  I used to hear the tone and tenor of his voice in my mind.  I changed my announcing style because of Larry.

Larry, you know the frequency: 99.5 FM – maximum power in the middle of the dial. WBAI has the best signal in the nation’s Number One market:




The decline of WBAI is proof that the Pacifica governance and programming methods have failed.

Monday, March 30, 2015

KFAI REPLIES TO MY POST “FIRE YOUR PROGRAM COMMITTEE"


I received several messages about my post last week about the fiscal, programming and governance problems at KFAI, Minneapolis.  One was from Patti Walsh, the new President of the station’s Board of Directors. I posted her complete comment below my original post.

Patti says things are looking up at KFAI and they will be even better when a new GM is hired.  Her approach sounded good until I reached this part of her comment:

Once the new GM is in place, he or she will hire a Program Director who will be in charge of KFAI’s programming with the guidance of a Content Advisory Committee.
I asked Patti for clarification because it sounds like KFAI is replacing the Program Committee with another committee with an ominous sounding name. This how I read Patti’s comment:

Once the new GM is in place, he or she will hire a Program Director who will be in charge of KFAI’s programming with the nitpicking, second-guessing and neutering by a Content Advisory Committee.
I hope this isn’t what they are planning but once a committee is established it takes on a life of it’s on.  I will let you know if/when Patti explains the necessity and purpose of this committee.

After all these committees are artifacts of the 1970s -- sort of like Mood Rings -- you feel better when you have one but they are ultimately useless.

WHAT I RECOMMEND FOR KFAI

• Have as few committees as possible. Make certain any committees are absolutely necessary and their scope is clearly defined.

• Hire qualified management, folks who have hands on experience operating and programming successful noncom stations that reach significant audiences.

• Give the new management measurable goals and the time necessary to make their plan work.

• Evaluate management’s work by using quantifiable data: pledging, membership, underwriting, ratings, online and mobile usage stats, etc.

• Remember that serving a mission is about doing, not talking about doing.  Management should embody the mission and lead by example.

WHERE DID COMMUNITY RADIO’S OBESSION WITH COMMITTEES COME FROM?

Back in the 1970s, Community Radio began as an outgrowth of Pacifica, which itself began in the late 1940s. Lew Hill and early Pacifica associates established totally listener supported radio.  Back then there were very few listeners to FM.  Pacifica was built listener-by-listener.

Also in the 1970s media activist Lorenzo Milan released an influential pamphlet called Sex and Broadcasting.  I bought my copy for one dollar at a head shop – it was next to High Times on the rack. There was no sex in it – Milam choose the name because it had a sexy (pun intended) and got attention.

BACK & FRONT COVERS OF SEX AND BROADCASTING


Sex and Broadcasting was an excellent “how to guide” for applying for an FM license.  Milam’s timing was good because there were many unused FM licenses available from the FCC including some in major markets. Milan’s advice spawned many stations such as KDHX in St. Louis, KBOO in Portland and KFAI in Minneapolis. (KFAI signed on in 1978.)

The problem was Milam’s utopian vision for governing and operating community stations.  He felt a radio station should be run like a commune with “the people” in control.  He recommended committees to decide every aspect of a station. This was based on Pacifica’s governance model. I call it the The Pacifica Model. Even today it is considered by many yo be the SOP and politically correct way to run a community station.

The stakes got higher when the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (“CPB”) started funding community stations.  In the 1970s and early 1980s CPB began providing public funds to Pacifica and other community operations. That led to the creation of the National Federation for Community Broadcasters (“NFCB”). NFCB embraced The Pacifica Model and committees became a permanent part of the community radio landscape.

COMMITTEES ARE NOT REQUIRED

There is no FCC requirement that noncommercial stations operate with committees.  The Commission wants stations to ensure they are operating in the public interest by knowing and addressing needs of people in their coverage area as documented in their Public Inspection File.

CPB requires noncom stations to have periodic public advisory meetings with local citizens.  CPB wants stations to be transparent, have open meetings and have financial and compliance documents available online.

Stations choose to have committees or not. KFAI has the choice not to use The Pacifica Model. Stations using The Pacifica Model will likely meet the same fate as Pacifica: Irrelevance.