What would be involved in starting up a small rural radio station? The area has no radio reception at all.
Is there a ballpark figure?
Licenses?
Red tape?

Thanks

Based on the type of questions you're asking, forget it.

Besides, you're too late.   Matthew McBride beat you to it.

Don't read what those guys have to say ... if you want to do it.  Do it!
Check out the CRTC website for help, and there are other websites that will get you going.
It won't be cheap, but if you win ... it's great!
Go for it.

Screw the CRTC man!!  Do this in the middle of any dirt field and if you get away with it , drop one in the middle of Vancouver!!


http://www.outersound.com/osu/press/pirate-setup.html

Don't let any negativity stop you from following your dream.  Obtaining a radio station is a challenge but it's possible.  You need money, business planning and development skills and patience.  

Anyone can have their own station if they really want it, and put in the required effort.

There seems to be more successful independents starting every year.  Chuck and Matthew have both owned/own stations,  and have done very well with them.  Check with some other independents and see what they did to start out.  

Matthew has a pretty good track record though, and he knows the game VERY well.  He helped the BEAT land their application back in the day.   SO, when you have a track record, it makes it all that much easier.

Hey Fred, thanks for the kind words.  I've actually been involved in a number of changes/startups and it's kind of a long story, but I really do believe that if you/anyone wants their own radio station, you can at least give it a try.  You DO need money; but most of us already have enough.

1.  Find a market you want to do business in.  Be realistic.
2.  Spend 20 years in broadcasting so you LEARN the business.  Maybe not 20...but get the idea.
3.  LEARN HOW TO DO IT!!!!  That's the part that everyone who fails misses.
4.  Find someone who's already done it.  At least once, but several times is nice.  Here's what McBride Communications & Media Inc.  (www.mcmi.ca), [i]and I know none of you have ever been there....has done:

Launch:  CFBT Vancouver
Application (Failed)  CIKH Vancouver
Application (Failed) Future FM Vancouver
Application (TBD) Ethnic Edmonton next week
CHMZ-FM Tofino
CIMM-FM Ucluelet
CFPV-FM Pemberton (We were out there today doing signal and studio tests; we opened the doors, and welcomed guests who simply WALKED IN!  Put them on the air...see...it's easy if you have an open mind...huge phones, walkins, etc., on a SIGNAL TEST.)
CKZZ-FM...many people forget who the first music director there was....
K-97FM in Edmonton to K-Rock; I got dumped on that one bigtime, but it's still, after 11 years, K-Rock.
Hot 103 Winnipeg.  Yes, that was me.  With the Bomb as the logo, Andy, back me up!

I could go on, but please, board readers, and I know who you are!....this business is a rugged one that often leaves us bitter, but if you...YOU...want a radio station, you can have one.  If you..YOU...want to be a big hitter; you can do it. And if you...YOU...read this, decide its bullshit and post a comment that this is crap...YOU...can do that too.

If you want more, do what 99.99% won't do.  Go to http://www.mcmi.ca and send me a note.  Or read the site, or ignore it.

Anyone can do this.

Matthew   matthew@mcmi.ca

If I had the cash to do so, I'd start up an easy listening station, much like QM-FM used to be before CHUM bought the station and took it AC. The format would be mostly EZ, but I'd also do like Clear FM used to do and mix in smooth jazz during most of the day, plus an evening program of chill out music (like the old Vancouver Chills show that Clear used to have on).

Quoted from Matthew McBride

Hey Fred, thanks for the kind words.  I've actually been involved in a number of changes/startups and it's kind of a long story, but I really do believe that if you/anyone wants their own radio station, you can at least give it a try.  You DO need money; but most of us already have enough.

Great to hear from Matthew McBride once again.  It's been awhile and yes I agree with all you say.  It's just too bad that the days are gone when a couple of people could open up a small (1,000 watt?) radio station and serve their community.  Sell some adds to pay the bills and that's it.  It's what we did in the old days of FVR.  

Wellll then we set up a transmitter on Mt. Seymour and "All bets were off".  

By the way if you need a studio I think we still have one set up here in Hope much as I left it when I turned out the lights 8 years ago.  

Based on my experiences, the CRTC doesn't like to help individuals...Industry Canada more helpful since I deal with them for other non-broadcast radio licenses anyway, but they can't do much for the 'social end' of things for broadcast which is what the CRTC seems to deal with. As in, the CRTC seems to ignore all contact from me.

Also, how severe is the enforcement on radio station licenses? I have accidentally left my tx running on 50W for a week last summer and no one came to attack me or the equipment. I do take every precaution to avoid interfering with existing licensed stations, and while I receive the occasional letter reminding me that if any complaints arise I will have to cease operations, I haven't gotten an official notice to do such yet. So, do people actually go around with field strength meters to check things, or is it only on a complaint basis?

Actually, the FCC website is a million times more helpful, but I'm in Canada and they can't help much.

I don't have a FSM and can't exactly tell whether or not I am meeting or exceeding the 100µV/M @ 30M max for unlicensed uses of the FM broadcast band. My tx goes down to 1W, which I try to attenuate to a ridiculously small level. That limitation would seem to me that they want an EIRP in the nanowatt range, so hopefully I can USE bad SWR for once.

I wandered into the CRTC office in Vancouver one time and asked if I could have an FM license.

The man asked if I had any money and I replied no.  So he said no.

But then I said, "isn't an FM license worth like $20 million dollars?  So, if you gave me a license, I'd have the assett to get a bank loan to start the station."

He disagreed with my fantastic logic and recommended I try getting a community license instead.

drat, back to working for the man until I win lotto 649.

Quoted from Flamethrower

I wandered into the CRTC office in Vancouver one time and asked if I could have an FM license.

The man asked if I had any money and I replied no.  So he said no.

But then I said, "isn't an FM license worth like $20 million dollars?  So, if you gave me a license, I'd have the assett to get a bank loan to start the station."

He disagreed with my fantastic logic and recommended I try getting a community license instead.

drat, back to working for the man until I win lotto 649.

the CRTC wont even look at you unless you've got money. The public may "own" the airwaves, but the CRTC wants your money before they'll give you a license.

Speaking of the CRTC I now work in an industry preparing to go to battle with them over VoiP Phones and their use in emergencies.  CRS deals with that aspect all the time.  

Gotta Love the CRTC.