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HOW TO START A FM RADIO STATION

One of the biggest issues facing people who what to know how to start a FM radio station, is potentially confusing the order that things need to be done. For instance, some people go out and buy FM transmission equipment, as well as secure a studio side, before they actually have a license to legally transmit on a frequency. The problem with this approach is that you have purchased your transmission equipment and are also incurring ongoing costs of maintaining your building, and are not yet able to legally begin transmissions. Securing a license can take some time to arrange, and so for this reason we strongly recommend not purchasing any equipment or committing yourself to a building, until your license is in place.

The other issue with how to start a FM radio station is of course is that not all FM transmitters are created equal. Transmitters can be purchased to broadcast at a wide range of broadcast powers. Generally speaking, the more higher powered your FM transmitter is, the further you will be able to broadcast. Logically, you will want to get a transmitter, which broadcasts at the maximum amount permissible under your license. The issue is however that until your FM license is granted, there is no way of knowing what the actual power limit will be. For this reason, it is essential that transmission equipment is not obtained until the license is in place and the power limits known.

A secondary issue commonly arises with the selection of the actual transmitter site location. For people who are working to a tight budget and what to know how to start a FM radio station, it makes sense to locate your studio in the same building that your transmitter and antenna will be located atop. However, depending on the power level of the license is granted to you, your local zoning rules may in fact prevent this from occurring. This can be an issue primarily in urban areas, the problem being that transmissions at a high power level in an urban area can cause radio interference to neighboring properties, which can result in interference to their radio or TV reception. So in these instances, we of course want to maximize the power level you can broadcast it in order to maximize your coverage area, but at the same time we need ensure the power level will still allow you to locate your transmission equipment at your intended studio building. Again, until the power level all of your license is not it is simply best to not commit yourself to a studio building, as you don't want to get caught out in this way.

© HoganWest, 2008

This is an excerpt from Mulcher Broadcasting 'Guide to starting a FM radio station'. We provide this publication as part of our service which assists people with information and advice on how to start a radio station. For further information, please select your country / region from the list below:

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Mulcher Broadcasting
A division of HoganWest
5715 Will Clayton # 6369
Humble, TX 77338
United States

Email: radio@themulcher.com

Phone: 877-518-9898

© HoganWest, 2008