Many people seem to think that Pirate FM broadcasting is either dying or already dead. And I have to say the lack of engagement on this board suggests theyre right!
I think the opposite so c'mon...read this and tell me I'm mad.
Let's start with an understanding that the crisis isn't just about Pirate Radio, it's about radio generally. If you ask me, radio stations of all types have lost their sense of purpose.
Instead of trying to compete with other forms of broadcasting - social media, YouTube, streaming etc - stations should focus on the things that differentiate radio.
Here are a few thoughts:
Podcasts are one of the most popular forms of audio consumption at the moment yet how many spoken word radio stations are there? We have LBC here in the UK. It's one of the most popular radio stations in the country and to me the reason is obvious - it's like an interactive podcast. People call in to be part of the live debate and it's a winning formula. How come it's the only station like it in a country of 68m people?
Music radio has its own problems. It's been undermined by YouTube, TikTok and streaming services like Spotify. Yet in response, stations are still playing the same old music. Yes, Pirates too. Worse still, automation has made many programmes nothing more than a spotify stream, only without the same level of skill or imagination. It's a dire situation.
In the old days, we had knowledgeable DJs on both commercial and Pirate radio who brought great music to our attention and who created communities around their personality and music taste. How was this replaced by a system where people have to go searching for their own great music and form their own communities via social media? It makes no sense.
I think there are many who'd love to have someone who shares their music interests do the hard work for them. And they could do something else with their precious time as they listen. The best of both worlds.
In summary, I don't see much going on anywhere that makes the best use of the radio as a broadcasting format. This has to change if radio is to have a future and I believe it will.
Now back to the main question - is FM dead? I don't think so at all. In fact it's the ideal medium through which to take advantage of everything that radio has to offer.
What are the options? AM, DAB, Internet?
Internet is sweeping the board at the moment yet it's far from ideal. Sound quality is poor for any station on a low budget, audiences are extremely hard to build and the global nature of the format makes it hard to build anything beyond a virtual community. Even that is high on impossible without a huge budget.
DAB? It's already a busted flush. High cost of transmission and reception, poor sound quality and lack of public engagement with the necessary receiving equipment are all major limitations. It'll die before fm does imo.
AM? I'll no doubt get pushback on this but poor sound quality and lack of local coverage don't add up to advantages in this context. AM has its place, just not in mass appeal broadcasting.
And finally FM. High sound quality, local coverage and low cost of transmission/reception make it an ideal format for all the things that radio does best. And everyone already has an fm radio built into their cell phone.
But format to flourish, the airwaves have to be opened up. There's room for some 100 fm stations every 50 miles or so in rural areas. And say 100 every 5 miles in cities. In such an environment, it's hard to see how you couldn't find something you like on the dial and, through that medium, connect with like minded people in your area.
As for regulation, it's not desirable but I think it's probably necessary. But only to limit transmission power and deal with interference issues caused by poor quality transmissions.
I've said it before and I'll say it again... it's not the medium, it's the material. If you broadcast something people want to hear bad enough they will listen through a telephone if you use that to send it.
There is a departure from that mindset though when it comes to hobbyists. People who listen to shortwave radio are happy just to catch a pirate broadcast and will listen even if the person plays Rick Astley repeatedly. With local audiences it tends to take far more work putting some sort of production together to capture an audience and that actually is what broadcast FM and AM are good at. They are perfect mediums for getting in touch with communities and at pirate radio power levels there isn't much other choice. The biggest difference is that this production level work requires getting in touch with local people to get the word out and that can be a double edged sword. You want to tell people to listen, but you don't want the wrong people to listen.
I learned early on with local FM broadcasting that the main goal was finding my audience, and hooking them. It wasn't about doing my own thing or trying to be different as much as it was asking my friends who listened what they would want to hear on a radio station to get them to listen to the radio again instead of their MP3 players. It was tough hearing the recommendations and a lot of it was not what I envisioned myself playing or doing over the radio but I realized that if I didn't pander to the audience there would be no audience. It also helped greatly getting them involved with the station I ran. Having late night broadcasts with more than just my boring old self was of great benefit as they knew people who knew people.. who knew people. The word gets out fast when you get a group effort going. That also gets you a bullseye on the antenna if you're not careful because before you know it the wrong people find out and some bored ham takes some time to triangulate you as a weekend game and sends off a letter.
There are exceptions to this of course, some pirates play some really oddball stuff and talk about things that no other station would at completely random broadcast hours. There's an audience for that kind of thing too. Think Coast to Coast AM but with a younger audience and funner material. I mean.. I'd listen to that all day long, but I realize it's not for everyone.
It's not about FM or AM in my opinion. Both broadcast mediums have their use. Sure FM stereo can sound really nice so you're right, however that's if your goal is to play music. AM broadcast still holds its own and can serve as a great medium for talk radio or even classic rock music and so on, and yes I will give you a little "pushback" here lol, it can sound good I swear! It's peoples crappy radios I tell yah! Plus you have to consider the age groups. If you want to hit the younger crowds then go with FM, but some people want the older crowds for talk and older music and AM is a fine venue for that too, not to mention the watts per buck since AM can get out much further if setup right compared to wideband FM stereo. If you want the hobbyists and hardcore radio listeners then go with shortwave broadcasting. One thing your post lacks is that some of the pirates choose multiple mediums. I know plenty that simulcast or run their shows locally and internationally, and even later upload online for those who missed it.
FM radio is definitely not dead. It's the local broadcaster that is dead. The sad fact is that licensed stations brought this on themselves with syndication. They killed the local DJ. The medium itself is still there and everyone owns an AM/FM radio in their home. If you put on a good show and ask them to tune in, they will, and they will keep tuned in as long as you keep on a good show.
Post by oilfieldoutlaw on Jul 31, 2020 9:13:59 GMT -6
I agree on people will use any medium possible to gather information. So long as it resonates with them. As well as they understand it’s a medium that exists. There is a segment of the younger generation finding its way to the dark side. It also will require the elders perse to learn to use the other mediums to share info about the dark side, to get them interested enough to come over.
Two responses in 4 months...I think my question's been answered lol.
Here in Lndon Town, at least 20 new FM stations started broadcasting around me during lockdown so it's not over yet!
I never even thought about it but it makes perfect sense that during lockdown people would not only listen to radio more but also tempt people to setup pirate operations. Especially right now with freedom of speech getting silenced from so many angles the old mediums to get voices out still rivals in bad societal situations. Of course boredom and electronics enthusiasts tinkering around have a lot more time now to experiment with radio too.
There has been a revival of other communications too. I notice interest in CB radio communications have skyrocketed which goes against the usual sunspot cycle that is at its lowest point right now. Ham radio licensing is picking up steam too, especially with online testing available now because of the lockdowns.
Goes to show when things get bad people think about preparation a hell of a lot more and people want safety, and they want freedom, but not one impeding the other.
Post by difficultfeeling on Aug 16, 2020 12:22:28 GMT -6
With the easy availability of FM transmitters in the last several years, I'd imagine there might be more than ever in the hobby. Whether they know of the small community of others who do the same thing is another story. Then of course even if they did, they'd need to want to partially come out from behind the shield of anonymity to participate in forums and the like.
Not sure about the breaking out of anonymity part. It's not like we're publishing our passports or driving licences on here lol.
But the point is well made. Where are all these people who buy these cheap Chinese transmitters? Some pop up on reddit but they seem to be mainly children.
There were some interesting posters on here only a short time ago. What happened to high mountain radio for example?
One thought: pirate radio talk is often about rigs and technical chat but I don't see much on content. Am I wrong to think that those with a desire to broadcast must have something they wish to communicate? In my case, it's to bring music that wouldn't otherwise be heard to a wider audience.
I'd be interested to hear what drives others to broadcast....
I do it because I spent half a lifetime working in commercial radio. Over the years as the music has changed and my distaste for FM processing has grown, I find it simple to grab onto the availability of made in China xmtrs and free software such as RadioDJ to create commercial free, cd quality "radio for the neighborhood" that I enjoy. Simple as that!
Post by difficultfeeling on Aug 30, 2020 5:49:46 GMT -6
In my case, I enjoy tinkering with the gear with the goal of trying to make my program slums equal to or better than the licensed stations in my area. Good audio and a tidy presentation are my main goals. Secondary is brining new music to a population that might never otherwise hear it.
On the technical talk side, I've made the same observation that there doesn't seem to be much, particularly on reddit where the active user base skews on the younger side. My gut feeling is that with the widespread availability of the Chinese transmitters, understanding the underlying tech is much less important. Whereas before a station builder had to give careful consideration to acquiring all of the necessary components individually, you can now get turn-key packages with relative ease and get on air without a fundamental understanding of what it is that's acutally happening.
Yes, the availability of cheap ready-to-go txs has definitely changed the profile of your average broadcaster. And there must be many more broadcasters now than perhaps at any time previously. It would be nice to see some of them on here sharing their experiences.
I've always believed that one of the main functions of radio is to bring great new music to the ears of an appreciative audience.
Sadly, almost all the music I hear on the radio today (Pirates included) harks back to a time when the dj and their listeners were young.
There's a load of great new music out there but without exposure, only the formulaic pop releases with label promotion will gain an audience.
I've always believed that one of the main functions of radio is to bring great new music to the ears of an appreciative audience.
Sadly, almost all the music I hear on the radio today (Pirates included) harks back to a time when the dj and their listeners were young.
There's a load of great new music out there but without exposure, only the formulaic pop releases with label promotion will gain an audience.
Agreed. Let's not forget the endless supply of awesome "older" music that doesn't necessarily follow the "spit it out" pop formula that's been swept under the bus - into instant oblivion so to speak - that's worthy of pirate play.
I think it's about digital machines, ie artificial intelligence, and the 5 g network is its neural network ... and the more we depend on tzz intelligence technology for a long time, they take our forms of behavior through online games, etc ... they are mostly stupid and step by step high technology takes away our freedom without us being aware of it .. the analog signal is harder to control ... but while the station and receiver specifically the questions on the fm will live on ... but how much longer ... a decade? probably enough for us ---
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