LPFM Successes

[Nostalgia]

Jason, you mentioned "Fox, CNN, ABC, NPR, etc." as an example of American newscasts. I just took those as an example of networks that provide content in exchange for commercials.

The companies that advertise on the national networks are all big, nationwide companies who are paying big bucks through big agencies to have their professionally produced (and most likely union voiced) spots played to a big nationwide audience. I am not arguing with your premise, just pointing out that these are the big leagues and they are not going to deal individually with a handfull of LPFM stations. Did I say BIG enough to drive home my point?

If FSN can do it for $15 per station from the UK or wherever, I see no reason why some business savvy guys cant put together a similar operation over here.

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

My memory from a land far, far away.... was that we not only paid UPI or AP for the news service (I can still hear that Teletype in my dreams once in a while).. we also agreed to be theri "stringer". AP and UPI did not have news staff in every city, every town, every county. We were expected to provide them with details when a story broke in our community that should "make the wire". (Local newspapers also served a wire stringers.)

Some creative and entrepreneurial person should be able eventually to team up with some form of news distribution that would realize LPFMs can't pay the going rate for traditional news delivery service, but if the LPFM will serve as a contributor, a "stringer", that would be maybe the bulk of how they "pay" for their access to the news service.

 

[R2D2onthe air]

I believe IRN-USA Radio news offers a non-commercial version of their hourly newscasts. It is not a bad product and they update hourly throughout the day and on weekends. They even have American accents. They have several part 15 AMs carrying their news so LPFM shouldn't be a problem provided they offer a non-com version. Best of all, it is all barter.

 

[bturner]

I'm a believer in asking. It's amazing what can happen when you simply ask.

The Texas State Network in on several college stations and other non-commercial stations and I understand they require no payment. Just because you're big or a statewide network does not mean they are opposed to the idea of helping out a non-profit. Maybe they get a letter each year attaching a dollar value to the news the station carries.

Logistically, what is the cost to the network? Isn't it out there already? If the station buys the encoder and has the dish, then what does it cost a network for the non-commercial station to carry them? Sure, it was years and years ago when I was in a small market that paid ABC a $25 a month fee and cleared 2 thirties an hour. Maybe they'd charge an administrative fee of, say, $50 a month, to keep a 'file' that says the station is an affiliate. So, how hard is it for them to allow this? What out of pocket expense do they have?

Certainly the networks are not just radio, so in a way a network radio newscast is advertising for the other media the listener uses. ABC or Fox or whatever airing on the station might convert a few listeners to Fox, ABC or whatever to be their TV viewers.

It might even be possible to get the rip and read news available in major markets (usually offered with traffic reports). These guys have no issue doing underwriting versus those 10 second live reads. That means its 'barter'. Sure the content might be more metro based but if you're in a small town, chances are you see that city's daily paper at the convenience store and receive the city's OTA TV stations on cable.

 

[KFodor]

Jason, you mentioned "Fox, CNN, ABC, NPR, etc." as an example of American newscasts. I just took those as an example of networks that provide content in exchange for commercials.

The companies that advertise on the national networks are all big, nationwide companies who are paying big bucks through big agencies to have their professionally produced (and most likely union voiced) spots played to a big nationwide audience. I am not arguing with your premise, just pointing out that these are the big leagues and they are not going to deal individually with a handfull of LPFM stations. Did I say BIG enough to drive home my point?

If FSN can do it for $15 per station from the UK or wherever, I see no reason why some business savvy guys cant put together a similar operation over here.

Well, OK, I forgot about that mention...so I'll take that back, but as you say why someone doesn't come up with a reasonable service is beyond me.

However, with the BIG boys, I will contend that a few of them have nowhere near as strong of an affiliate base as they used to have. That's because a lot of music stations refuse to have a "news network" and pay for it by taking up precious commercial avails that the companies who own those stations want to sell. I'm certainly aware that some stations hurried up to affiliate with services like CNN and Fox or AP after 9/11, but not all of them are in the shape they once were. Hence, a potential opportunity...and that was the basis of my thoughts. Certainly under such a plan, any such LP-FM affiliation would have to be "limited" and the network would have to have the right to cancel if a full powered broadcaster in the area wanted it.

 

[KFodor]

I'm a believer in asking. It's amazing what can happen when you simply ask.

The Texas State Network in on several college stations and other non-commercial stations and I understand they require no payment. Just because you're big or a statewide network does not mean they are opposed to the idea of helping out a non-profit. Maybe they get a letter each year attaching a dollar value to the news the station carries.

Logistically, what is the cost to the network? Isn't it out there already? If the station buys the encoder and has the dish, then what does it cost a network for the non-commercial station to carry them? Sure, it was years and years ago when I was in a small market that paid ABC a $25 a month fee and cleared 2 thirties an hour. Maybe they'd charge an administrative fee of, say, $50 a month, to keep a 'file' that says the station is an affiliate. So, how hard is it for them to allow this? What out of pocket expense do they have?

Certainly the networks are not just radio, so in a way a network radio newscast is advertising for the other media the listener uses. ABC or Fox or whatever airing on the station might convert a few listeners to Fox, ABC or whatever to be their TV viewers.

It might even be possible to get the rip and read news available in major markets (usually offered with traffic reports). These guys have no issue doing underwriting versus those 10 second live reads. That means its 'barter'. Sure the content might be more metro based but if you're in a small town, chances are you see that city's daily paper at the convenience store and receive the city's OTA TV stations on cable.

I agree, but those "rip and read" operations are going out of business, or being swallowed up by the major consolidators who are not going to offer their services to LP's (remember, LP's are gonna put them out of business with our nasty interference (like Docket 80/90 didn't start that)...yeah, right. Lastly, many of the nets offer a download service on their websites that LP's could also get their casts from.

 

[KFodor]

I believe IRN-USA Radio news offers a non-commercial version of their hourly newscasts. It is not a bad product and they update hourly throughout the day and on weekends. They even have American accents. They have several part 15 AMs carrying their news so LPFM shouldn't be a problem provided they offer a non-com version. Best of all, it is all barter.

I just thought I would post here that, indeed, we did take your advice and signed up with IRN-USA for their non-comm service. (Non-commercial, though I'm told by the network they will soon require affiliates to run a single :30 underwriting style ad, which we're fine with.) And the actual $50 a month cost is reasonable as well.

Yes, they sound professional (and, sound American...which makes sense since they're based out of Memphis), and are very on top of things. I am told by a colleague they are also affiliated with quite a few Christian stations.

Don't have a satellite dish? Not a problem. You can auto download their casts from an FTP file. My I.T. guy wrote his own program for the auto download (he thought the commercially available ones were "too clunky" for his taste). It seems to work just fine.

And it's making a very small town station sound more professional...and proving that an LP-FM can provide this type of service.

 

[R2D2onthe air]

I believe IRN-USA Radio news offers a non-commercial version of their hourly newscasts. It is not a bad product and they update hourly throughout the day and on weekends. They even have American accents. They have several part 15 AMs carrying their news so LPFM shouldn't be a problem provided they offer a non-com version. Best of all, it is all barter.

I just thought I would post here that, indeed, we did take your advice and signed up with IRN-USA for their non-comm service. (Non-commercial, though I'm told by the network they will soon require affiliates to run a single :30 underwriting style ad, which we're fine with.) And the actual $50 a month cost is reasonable as well.

Yes, they sound professional (and, sound American...which makes sense since they're based out of Memphis), and are very on top of things. I am told by a colleague they are also affiliated with quite a few Christian stations.

Don't have a satellite dish? Not a problem. You can auto download their casts from an FTP file. My I.T. guy wrote his own program for the auto download (he thought the commercially available ones were "too clunky" for his taste). It seems to work just fine.

And it's making a very small town station sound more professional...and proving that an LP-FM can provide this type of service.

Jason, glad to hear they worked out for you. I used IRN / USA news several years ago on a part 15 AM and got the commercial version for barter but even at $50/month for the non-com, that is not bad. They have a good product and are very easy to work with. In addition, they offer newscasts 7 days a week. They used to offer sports reports and business reports. Not sure if they still do, though.

 

[KFodor]

I believe IRN-USA Radio news offers a non-commercial version of their hourly newscasts. It is not a bad product and they update hourly throughout the day and on weekends. They even have American accents. They have several part 15 AMs carrying their news so LPFM shouldn't be a problem provided they offer a non-com version. Best of all, it is all barter.

I just thought I would post here that, indeed, we did take your advice and signed up with IRN-USA for their non-comm service. (Non-commercial, though I'm told by the network they will soon require affiliates to run a single :30 underwriting style ad, which we're fine with.) And the actual $50 a month cost is reasonable as well.

Yes, they sound professional (and, sound American...which makes sense since they're based out of Memphis), and are very on top of things. I am told by a colleague they are also affiliated with quite a few Christian stations.

Don't have a satellite dish? Not a problem. You can auto download their casts from an FTP file. My I.T. guy wrote his own program for the auto download (he thought the commercially available ones were "too clunky" for his taste). It seems to work just fine.

And it's making a very small town station sound more professional...and proving that an LP-FM can provide this type of service.

Jason, glad to hear they worked out for you. I used IRN / USA news several years ago on a part 15 AM and got the commercial version for barter but even at $50/month for the non-com, that is not bad. They have a good product and are very easy to work with. In addition, they offer newscasts 7 days a week. They used to offer sports reports and business reports. Not sure if they still do, though.

They do still offer the sports and business reports, too...