LPON stations explained! ... for the average radio listener
Seagull
Several people on this list are experts as to LPON stations.
As far as I can understand they seem to be extremely low power
stations fully controlled by one individual, who's paid some sort of
licence fee to ACMA for the privelidge of getting his thing to air (or
not as the case may be). Probably different to community radio
stations which have submitted a proposal about a specific broadcasting
service to ACMA and been allocated a licence to be run by a committee
of interested members with limited sponsorship promotions.
But I may be wrong.
> On Dec 17, 11:20 pm, LBP <privateva...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Seagull I don't run an LPON but my own take on it is that Community
> Radio seems to be run by committee usually too many people trying
> to be boss - a little bit of this and a little bit of that.
>
> And boy oh boy, community radio can be a mean and nasty beast
> with power struggles and internal political infighting. I don't like the
> whole "run by committee" thing.
> To me an LPON is independent of that constraint - it is run by an
> individual visionary - someone passionate about radio that has an
> ambition to do something their own way without committees
> and groups getting in the way.
>
> LPON's are best when they're vanity stations. Community Radio
> is a different thing all together in my books.
On Dec 19, 2:47 pm, Jacket <jmcc...@yahoo.com.au> wrote:
> Yep - completely different. Community radio is more about people being
> involved in getting something to air - especially non-profitable
> things that would otherwise be ignored.
>
> LPONS - hard to figure out just what the real intention of the ACMA is
> for 10 watters. 1 Watt is just hobby I'd suppose.
That's a good start!
Would those "in the know" please explain to us ordinary listeners what
an IPON station is?
I'm not sure if I've ever heard one. If I have ... I would have
thought it to be a community radio station.
Can someone tell me which IPON stations that I can hear in St. Kilda?
Why are IPON stations necessary?
What bands do they broadcast on?
How much does it cost for a licence?
Is sponsorship allowed (like it is for community stations)?
This is the LPON thread. Let's have a pile of LPON station owners try
and promote it here!
Obviously LP stands for low power. What does ON stand for ...?
Us ordinary plebs need to know.
Poncho
I first got into this LPON game in christmas of 1992, starting up my
first LPON with my dad in Richmond (near Sydney, NSW). We were issued
with FM 87.6 MHz and 1 watt of transmitter power - but this was
pretty
good for us. We setup a radio station for the youth of the Hawkesbury
area - Richmond, North Richmond, Kurrajong, Londonderry, etc... The
area is pretty flat so our coverage was around 5km (up to 10km on a
car radio).
Back then (1992) the ABA was only going to issue 50 licences and we
got one of those first 50, however since then the demand for LPONs
has
increased and the then ABA continued to issue LPONs - now I think
there are almost 2000 of these thing!
To get us on the air, my dad converted a narrowband FM transceiver
for
80 MHz to operate wideband on FM 87.6 MHz, years later we added a
stereo coder. We had a 6 meter mast on the roof, with a vertical co-
linear antenna on top - this got us to our 10 meter antenna height
limit.
As a local high school kid at the time, I along with many of the
students from my high school ran this radio station - we had live
announcers from 3:30pm until 9pm at night during the week and all
day / evening on weekends - it was ran out of my parents garage and
the transmitter sat on top of our hot water heater.
Years earlier my dad "Rod" was a Radio Technican for the RAAF, so
this
gave us a techincal advantage and allowed us to run our service at
max
potential while still operating by the book. I find many LPON
operators dont have this expertise and as a result you cant hear the
service more than a few KMs from the antenna.
In 1998, the then SMA (Spectrum Management Authority) - allowed us to
move our transmitter to Kurrajong Heights (600 meters above sea
level), this gave us a massive increase in both antenna height, which
inturn increased our coverage from 5 KM to over 40KMs - and yes with
just 1 watts of ERP. We could be heard from Kurrajong Heights to
Blacktown, Penrith and Castle Hill. Then like now, VHF Channel 3
along
with 2RDJ on 88.1 Mhz prevented any new services from being issued in
this area, this was good for us as it removed the ability for us to
interfer with other LPONs.
In 1999 we sold to an Arabic radio service. Since then I have been
setting up a range of LPONs around the country - basically getting
the
licences, then getting something on air (i.e. building sometime up
from almost nothing).
In reality I want to run a commercial radio station - so the next
closest thing to a commercial station is an LPON, so i'm happy to
take
that - but it does allow for competition and greater media - that in
many regional towns they only have a few players. Take Ballarat for
example - I started up a LPON in Ballarat in 2007 - this town was
screaming out for additional services - they have 3BA and Power FM -
not a massive line up for such a big town - so I started Noise FM on
87.8 MHz in Ballarat - our format consisted of 4 hours of chart music
repeated every 4 hours. Anyhow, only a few months after starting I
was
amazed when going to local shops and hearing Noise FM, this happen
more and more - going around talking to locals we found that everyone
knew of Noise FM and most has listened or were made to listen by
their
kids. We sold some advertising to fund the operation but on the most
part we just broke even - it wasn't that the station didnt have a
good
audience - It would have been at least 10 percent of the market,
it was that we just needed a better sales force.
Now you might say that 10 percent is too big for an LPON, but it's
just the fact that there is sooo little else in the town, that
anything
was better than Power FM and 3BA. - These arn't bad radio stations -
but little choice will lead people to anything else.
Since leaving the market the station is now it's a christian service
run by Faith FM.
But on the whole I really like LPONs, if run the right way they can
be
a good kick up the bum for commercial stations and allow little guys
like myself and my dad to run an FM station - at least on a small
scale.
Actually I now own nothing in the Australian market - in fact I think
with the rise of the internet, radio is becoming less and less
important and i'm now trying my luck with a FM commercial station in
the developing world.
If anyone would like to chat about radio or about my 17 years in the
LPON business - feel free to email nat...@noisefm.com.au
Cheers
Nathan Rose
nat...@noisefm.com.au
Daeta
> I first got into this LPON game in christmas of 1992, starting up my
> first LPON with my dad in Richmond (near Sydney, NSW). We were issued
> with FM 87.6 MHz and 1 watt of transmitter power - but this was
> pretty
> good for us. We setup a radio station for the youth of the Hawkesbury
> area - Richmond, North Richmond, Kurrajong, Londonderry, etc... The
> area is pretty flat so our coverage was around 5km (up to 10km on a
> car radio).
> As a local high school kid at the time, I along with many of the
> students from my high school ran this radio station - we had live
> announcers from 3:30pm until 9pm at night during the week and all
> day / evening on weekends - it was ran out of my parents garage and
> the transmitter sat on top of our hot water heater.
>
something really fun to do. And would be excellent experience and
education.
An LPON in every town.. Would work for the country, not sure about the
City. Connected to the local High School.
That would be an amazing thing for Australia to do.. Each station also
with Internet Streaming.. Its great to have community Radio but that
has a lot of politics, where an LPON would be more about education and
fun with very little expenses that hopefully a School could afford.
One day:)
Daeta.
LBP
Hi Nathan,
Thank you for taking the time to write about your first-hand
experiences as an LPON owner
and how you developed this interest into a business that grew from
relative humble beginnings
to you becoming quite an experienced operator in this sector of the
radio market.
Also I found your experiences with VHF signal propagation of
interest.
Was your Dad a radio amateur?
Did you start Noise FM and is it still a going concern?
David
Station X
get your first one going? Forgive me if old age has stolen my
brainpower.
Seagull
LPON = Low Power Open Narrowcasting.
Way back in the early days these were ment to be no more than talking
billboards. ABA decided that the "billboard idea" also fitted within
their view of this minimum standard they dreamed up. The minimum
standard is 1 watt or 48dbu at 2 km radius from the TXer this is
deemed satisfactory grade coverage for FM mono. They then set about
the minimum adjacent channel standards and it's interesting to note
that there was no 87.8 in the first days. 10 km for people on the same
or co channel. Nothing between 87.6 and 88.0. But today it's 5km
between 87.8 and either 87.6 or 88.0.
The intended use and the line from there gets blurred the day ABA
releases these as people think they just got given a commercial
license for 30 bucks. First come first serve. First mistake! The idea
as the name implies is Narrowcast! So then there was big arguments as
to what was or wasn't. Correct me punters but that line got drawn in
the sand at the end of the 90's? - yes or no? But any way it was fixed
- sort of!
In short today if you can get one! They are issued by ACMA in rounds
or auctions now. There is now a reserve price of 2000 for ones in
areas of hi freq use as seen by the old ACA Hi Density areas. Then if
some one wants one that competes with yours you both bid. That's where
it gets stupid!
You get it, now you are still restricted to the rules of Narrowcasting
under the BSA. The line in the sand mentioned earlier has guide lines
setout for what is or isn't ok on anything to do with Narrowcasting!
If you want to do something that doesn't quite fit then it's about 12
000 bucks to find out. Yep that's not a typo! Asking ACMA for an
opinion these days is that much! Like who is going to pay that?
So even if you got one it still comes with strings like - use it or
lose it - you must have it on air with in 6 months of license issue -
in addition to the must be narrow cast part. At the end of the day for
what?
Hope that helps a bit seagull - it's why i'm pushing the hobby radio
idea! It would tidy the whole thing up
cheers
Seagull
> Something tells me Seagull asked - What is an Lpon? Not how did you
> get your first one going? Forgive me if old age has stolen my
> brainpower.
That's OK Station X. This thread is broader than that, particularly
given all the spam here.
Thanks heaps Poncho for your post. It was one of the most interesting
ones I've read for a long time. You certainly have had wonderful
radio broadcasting experience from an early age. And you demonstrate
a quality that lesser people in power would benefit from.
I'd enjoy reading about how others have started an LPON station.
Should I start another thread? I hope not. Please say it here.
> So even if you got one it still comes with strings like - use it or
> lose it - you must have it on air with in 6 months of license issue -
> in addition to the must be narrow cast part. At the end of the day for
> what?
You inferred/said it cost $30 for a licence. This sounds absurd in
this day and age. Is that correct?
And what does ACMA do it it doesn't go to air in six months? Simply
close a blind eye as it does with commercial radio problems?
Furthermore ... can LPON stations carry paid commercials or "sponser
announcements"?
> Hope that helps a bit seagull - it's why i'm pushing the hobby radio
> idea! It would tidy the whole thing up
Thanks Station X. It certainly does.
So ... what is the "hobby radio" idea?
Thanks again Poncho. I hope we see more posts from you in the future.
I like the idea of LPON radio! And can anyone tell me if I can hear
one here in St. Kilda?
Station X
on it. Today they are issued in auction rounds ACMA posts the dates
when these auctions are on their website. You would need to file a few
papers and also do some homework to work out if a licesne can fit
where you want one. There is allsorts of fees here and there. So if
you got it for the reserve price alone it would be a minimum of 2000
dollars pus all the fees incurred along the way to get to the
sucessfull end of the auction.
As for getting it on the air in six months it's a rule - but ACMA will
not do anything unless some one bitches. Then it's a warning at best.
Yes adverts are allowed under Narrowcasting there is no problem. But
the formats and the like that you can do on a narrowcasting type
service leaves a little to be desired. This even after you have
followed formats setout in ACMA's guides for narrowcasters.
The Hobby Radio idea Seagull is meant to make all this poppycock a lot
simpler. Based on the fact that 1 watters have proven to very hard to
sell advertising on and thus have very little serious market
penetration compared to the majors. I'm going to post it as a paper
when it's done. I'm on the 3/4 draft now.
Cheers
The Philistine
Read my article - http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=5910
Then you can read my submissions -
http://www.archive.dcita.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/40012/Philip_Smith_submission.pdf
And the one on Perth's radio scene =
http://www.acma.gov.au/webwr/_assets/main/lib310827/p%20smith.pdf (link
failed when I checked, but try anyway).
There has actually been plenty of heated banter on the subject of LPONs of
late, and some of it must have seemed a little academic for you if you are
new to the concept of narrowcasting. If after reading what Nathan and Pete
have posted here helps you to understand the fundamentals of the sector's
operation, then just type either 'LPON' or 'narrowcasting' into the search
field of your Windows Live news groups and all of that info will come up.
Right!
Narrowcasting -
I like to define it as targeted niche broadcasting. Whereas commercial and
community broadcasters are able to go after the wider demographic slices of
the market, narrowcasters, regardless of power allocated to their
transmitter, MUST target the small distinct groups in society with their
programming content. If you look across society in all its diversity, you
find all kinds of cleavages - religion, linguistic, artistic, sporting,
musical, hobbies etc..
In narrowcasting, you have to structure your program to have content and a
format that zooms in on just one niche (although I think you could run a
certain format during the week and a different narrow format on weekends -
switching or split format narrowcasting is what I call it). The best niches
are those defined by language, and that of course overlaps with
considerations about culture. Ethnic Narrowcasters have the easiest task of
staying within the limiting definitions of narrowcasting while still having
an interesting range of content which has a strong likelihood of making them
some money from their efforts. Some linguistic / ethnic narrowcasters are
actually quite successful (Radio Ena [Greek] in Adelaide, Spanish Radio in
Sydney and ACT) because they attract a loyal following from the ethnic
group they are targeting.
All the other formats are in English, and so they have to go head to head
with the mainstream in their efforts to attract listeners. But they can do
alright too if they target their niche effectively. Muslim broadcasters are
often broadcasting in a foreign language too, so they can attract and hold
an audience that is quite clearly defined. They may not make a lot of
money, but religious groups normally aren't in it for the money anyway.
Christian narrowcasters have a bit of an uphill battle in that there are in
many places community broadcast stations with Christian formats. But in
smaller regional towns where Christian faith is a bit stronger and more
resilient for the most part, these narrowcasters, like Vision Radio Network
and the Seventh-day Adventist Church affiliates using 3ABN Radio or Faith FM
(Lifeinfo Media), can usually carve out a support base that will sustain the
operation - usually!
Racing Radio - well we all know something about the horse racing channels on
satellite TV. Radio is also a primary channel for providing up-to-date info
on race results, commentary etc for that segment of the community that loves
the races. They are a well-heeled commercial enterprise and also have the
advantage of being owners of commercial broadcast stations in all nearly all
the capital cities. That doesn't mean they are in any way profligate in
their investment in radio. They have budgets to work to as well, but for
the most part they are quite solid in this sector.
Tourist Radio - this is a type of narrowcasting that has more limitations
than most in that they are supposed to operate on a looped service mode - a
four-hour tape or CD that repeats IN THE SAME ORDER, unaltered for a week
before being able to be updated. It seems like it would be a very boring
kind of radio to listen to. You'd be right to a point, but it is designed
to inform people - tourists - about what is happening in a town or region -
nothing more really. And if the information is sponsored by tourism
businesses, then the operator should be able to make a buck out of it.
Nervertheless, I am yet to meet a genuine tourist operator who is making a
comfortable return from their investment in terms of the dollars and the
time put into it. Most like what they are doing in radio, but they would
love a stronger and more consistent level of recognition and support from
the market, and they don't seem to get it.
Music narrowcasting - Country Music, Australian Country music, Smooth Jazz,
Dance / Trance / Club mix - these are all recognized narrowcast music
formats and there are some reasonably successful operations in various parts
of Australia. Perth has Magic FM, NSW and ACT has RAW FM network, Melbourne
has Kiss FM, Queensland has Kix Country FM. This is the radio style that is
at once the most attractive approach to radio and also the most difficult to
turn into a successful narrowcast enterprise, because both commercial and
community stations operate using music-based formats too. And they have a
lot more power in their transmitters than the narrowcasters do, hence a
bigger audience.
Networks
The rules of narrowcasting state that if you own two or more low-power
licences and you carry similar program content on all of them, then you HAVE
A NETWORK and you MUST register it as such with ACMA. There are no
restrictions on networking in the Australian low-power sector. networks can
comprise bother low and high power narrowcast licences. The issue that
determines the existence of a network is 1/ ownership - licences should be
owned by the same person or entity and 2) content - shoudl have very nearly
the same content on two or more licenced stations, even if they are on the
other side of the country to each other.
Most of the larger networks like those mentioned above are registered with
ACMA - the regulator in Australia. And for the most part, it is the large
networks that seem to make a decent fist of narrowcasting, building
sustainable and even marginally profitable businesses that carve out a place
in the markets to which they broadcast.
ANRA - Australia Narrowcast Radio Association
This is the peak body for the narrowcast sector. ACMA recognise it as such,
but it doesn't have that much positive recognition by the majority of
narrowcasters. I have said quite a lot about ANRA in the past, some of it
praising, more of it scathing. It is dominated by the dominant networks and
I think it is in need of reform. But then again, if most owners of Open
Narrowcast licences don't join ANRA, then they can't really complain if ANRA
hasn't quite got the clout it needs to influence the regulator for positive
outcomes for the betterment of the sector as a whole.
One Watt - is it worth it?
In a word, the answer is BARELY. One watt is enough to cover a medium
sized country town, and most country towns don't have many radio services
anyway, so the little bit of diversity the LPON brings is usually welcome.
In city areas, you need a lot of LPONS adjacent to each other, preferably on
one frequency, in order to get some traction in the market. Poncho had
Ballarat on 87.8 - quite a solid position but one he had to fight to retain.
Magic FM has all bar one 87.8 in Perth. Kiss FM is in a similar position in
Melbourne. Vision Radio network has most of the 87.8s in Brisbane and Gold
Coast and most of the 88s in Perth and Cairns - quite a healthy status. In
short, in city areas, you either network or your're dead in the water from a
commercial / outreach perspective. But if hobby radio is all you're
interested in, then a single licence is all you need and forget about making
a quid. Just have fun.
More about Networks
Some commentators have pined against the networks in the Open Narrowcasting
(ONC) sector. I tend to favour networks, although the clients I sell to are
often quite happy to be doing their own thing without being part of anything
grander. I have also seen problems with concentration of ownership in the
ONC arena and in my research project, I did recommend a strategy for
limiting the size of networks and thereby allow for greater diversity in
ownership. My ideas will never be accepted by ACMA who would see my system
as just another layer of regulation that they would have to uphold in a
sector that they don't want to pay much attention to. You can read about it
here:
http://www.archive.dcita.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/40012/Philip_Smith_submission.pdf.
Apart from a purely academic concern to address the question of
concentration of ownership, I was also keen to see some of the larger
networks reduced in size so that I, as an aspiring narrowcaster earlier this
decade, could pick up a few LPONs in desirable areas at the expense of those
I thought were too large for their own good. Well since I wrote that I have
managed to pick up a few LPONS across every state and I'm just comfortable
with what I have acquired.
As an alternative, I quite like the NZ idea - operators can't have another
LPON within 25 Km airing the same content. That would certainly limit
networks and force diversity. Most of the networks that have grown up in
larger urban centres in Australia would be obliterated, unless they ran a
different format on each station they owned in a common area - not an
appealing prospect for a small business. Christian and Racing radio are the
largest networks and where the distances between country towns is less than
25 Km, you would find these players thinning their ownership out
considerably across the landscape. The music narrowcasters in the capital
cities would be wiped out by such a rule.
So, Station X is going to have a tough battle getting such a policy onto the
agenda since the networks that would be adversely effected by it are those
same operators who are on the board of the sector's peak body ANRA. I am
somewhat in favour of such a regulation because I don't like concentration
of media ownership and therefore control either, as a matter of democratic
principle. Besides, if the bigger networks shed licences here and there,
I'll be waiting to pick up the ones that serve my purposes in building
networks for my own clients. Such a rule would engender a lot of trading /
swapping of licences as well as the selling off of licences in cities.
BearCave
wrote:
> Narrowcasting -
>
> I like to define it as targeted niche broadcasting. Whereas commercial and
> community broadcasters are able to go after the wider demographic slices of
> the market, narrowcasters, regardless of power allocated to their
> transmitter, MUST target the small distinct groups in society with their
> programming content. If you look across society in all its diversity, you
> find all kinds of cleavages - religion, linguistic, artistic, sporting,
> musical, hobbies etc..
While the others try to make Seagull "clear" about what LPONs are
about, as well as open-narrowcasting in more general terms, allow me
to confuse things a bit, because IN PRACTICE the boundaries between
commercial, community and open-narrowcasting are certainly not that
clear - and if "diversity" of services is the ultimate aim here, that
lack of 100% clarity is exactly as things should be!
What's actually good about the current LPON system is that subject to
some conditions, there can be a different LPON sited at every 5
kilometres across Australia. It's good because what's "narrowcasting"
as distinct from "broadcasting" changes every 5 kilometres. The
"demographic slices of the market" can actually be sliced so precisely
these days that it should be left for the market to decide what's
seperates the broad from the narrow in the context of each 5 kilometre
point (always delivering a slightly different result) and also left to
the imagination of the LPON operator to tailor something suitable to
that particular LPON site, with ACMA acting as a distant provider of
general guideline.
The correct distinction to be made is between the broad and the
narrow, not the big and the small (please don't insist to me that Sky
Sports Radio across NSW caters to a "small distinct group in
society").
Those people here that are insisting how clear they are about the
definition of open narrowcasting are confusing the concepts of broad/
narrow and big/small, with some convinced that the definition of open
narrowcasting must be forever static and remain stuck in the 1990s (as
if nothing macro-environmental affecting an LPON ever changes) and
convinced that LPONs, in some sort of pure form, must forever remain
so atomised from concepts like networking and being part of something
bigger because only this can surely deliver diversity!
The word "diversity" is used in these radio debates in much the same
semiotic way that politicians from both sides of politics will try to
apply meaning to the word "fairness".
In this case, the community radio guy will insist his sector best
delivers diversity because of the lack of commercial interest, while
the smallest LPON guy will regard all other sectors as being too top-
down imposed to deliver on diversity. And commercial radio will
jukebox a music format on DAB+ and no doubt then claim that all
diversity can be delivered from an ownership concentrated, central
multiplex through a 64 kbps straw :)
> Christian narrowcasters have a bit of an uphill battle in that there are in
> many places community broadcast stations with Christian formats. But in
> smaller regional towns where Christian faith is a bit stronger and more
> resilient for the most part, these narrowcasters, like Vision Radio Network
> and the Seventh-day Adventist Church affiliates using 3ABN Radio or Faith FM
> (Lifeinfo Media), can usually carve out a support base that will sustain the
> operation - usually!
Except maybe in Devonport, Tasmania. On 87.6, there's Vision Radio
Network and then on 88.0, there's Faith FM (or whatever they call
it). 88.0 is piping through 24/7 American preachers. At least when
TCT was still running the show there (they are now just using their
exceptional frequency 88.4 in Devonport), you had more diversity
across the frequencies. I very doubt that the current use of LPONs at
that particular 5 kilometre point in Australia is delivering a
sustainable operation - despite the best efforts of government to use
the broadcasting services act to "clarify" what will and won't work on
LPON.
> In short, in city areas, you either network or your're dead in the water from a
> commercial / outreach perspective. But if hobby radio is all you're
> interested in, then a single licence is all you need and forget about making
> a quid. Just have fun.
But it's just not that black and white. In fact, that's the whole
trouble with seeking such clarity and certainty - nothing is that
black and white!
A lot of networks come and go, outreaching themselves out of
existence, while it is actually also a fair comment that if some
muckaround kid gets hold of an LPON and just plays his fave CDs all
day, others wanting a go may have reason to resent that.
The way to avoid these extremes is to not take on either a too
positive or too negative opinion on the current form of LPONs and,
more broadly speaking, open-narrowcasting (which can mean LPONs, HPONs
or some MF-NAS licenses).
I believe that 2013 is a time to extend the life of LPONs as they are,
with only some reform, whether that be just another drop-through
determination or something of a more substantial commitment by ACMA.
And beyond that, let LPONs continue to evolve and place some trust in
market correction (not just regulation) in cases where a particular 5
kilometre point isn't being used as well as it could be.
Technology is changing and the way each sector of broadcasting behaves
is changing. Now isn't the time for either heavy regulation that
tries to maintain static in a transformed world or radical change that
tears the whole thing down so that we then start again.
Rather, LPONs must be free to follow the same market process as any
other organisation in need of a business mindset. This is regardless
of whether money is made through that process or not. An LPON needs
to (i) start and update a SWOT analysis (because nothing in the
environment stays the same), (ii) do a business plan with all its
components and sub-plans (which casts doubt about the fairness of
tenure restrictions on LPONs when such documents require strategic
thinking) and (iii) needs to act and ultimately measure performance
(and certainly - success doesn't have to mean profit, but it has to
mean something!).
So now go ahead if you must - shout me down (as often happens here),
Tell me to pull my head in (without feeling a need to tell me why).
Tell me how wrong I am and how right you are. Oh, and of course, mark
my writing with the lone Google star of death :)
...From Justin
>
> More about Networks
>
> Some commentators have pined against the networks in the Open Narrowcasting
> (ONC) sector. I tend to favour networks, although the clients I sell to are
> often quite happy to be doing their own thing without being part of anything
> grander. I have also seen problems with concentration of ownership in the
> ONC arena and in my research project, I did recommend a strategy for
> limiting the size of networks and thereby allow for greater diversity in
> ownership. My ideas will never be accepted by ACMA who would see my system
> as just another layer of regulation that they would have to uphold in a
> sector that they don't want to pay much attention to. You can read about it
> here:http://www.archive.dcita.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/40012/Phi....
Station X
pull your head in!
Now we can fix all the silliness of the whole LPON sector in 2013. As
is written here in agreeance with me that 1 watt is next to bearly
useful for commercial saleability.
So it looks like my Hobby Radio idea is gaining indirect support from
those that don't think to hard about what they are saying.
Hobby Radio for 2013 = Format free + License Free + More FM Channels
(that's right 5 not 3 - hello??) + 20 km apart for co channel (better
than now) + no networking within 100km radius (this to stop sat fed
networks hogging the dial).
paper to be posted soon
The Philistine
"BearCave" <bearc...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:48ab50f7-2fd8-409a...@b36g2000prf.googlegroups.com...
You make a few good corrective points here professor.
Targeting a niche doesn't necessarily mean the group has to be small.
Friends of the horse racing fraternity are actually quite numerous in
society - high society at that. Christians may be a distinct group but
their numerical strength is certainly significant. Anybody at all may value
the informational service provided by your average tourist narrowcaster.
The limiting factor here is the format that they are allowed to deploy in
what is almost a open market context. Dance/ Trance music lovers and rave
party clubbers are nearly always single and young - a fairly sizeable
demographic group not too specifically defined - and they would love to have
Kiss FM or Raw FM available to sparkle up their day of listening on the
radio.
Tenure - the lack of it is having a chilling effect on the LPON sector,
especially with the 2013 deadline approaching. Who is going to invest
significantly in LPONs if they are probably all going to expire forever in
four years time? I might get a couple more, but all the LPONs I have are
for sale, and they're going out the door at only a modicum above cost price,
if you buy more than one together. HPONs are almost never sold by the owners
as they are truly valuable assets and these have tenure. LPONS on the other
hand are sometimes sold, and their value can increase if they have a viable
business built around the use of the licence in a certain area. But without
tenure, the sector will be forever hamstrung. Those who have purchased
licences at a premium in recent years are going to find it tough to recover
their investment if selling under the shadow of a killer deadline only four
years away from next Friday. The NZ low-power FM radio system offers
tenure - grab your frequency and you can use it for as long as you want it
in virtually any way you want it. Just remember that networks are
restricted, but not forbidden in NZ.
Business Plan - A very good idea, sub-plans and all. I think anybody
seeking to acquire an LPON should have a business plan outlined before they
get it. Then you have six months to fire up and hone your strategy and get
on the air. Six months should be long enough, but sometimes it is more
difficult that you imagine to get things off the ground.
Networks - I think I was a bit harsh in asserting that stand alone operators
in a city context do not have a chance of having an impact or making some
income from what they narrowcast. This is not true, but networks do seem to
do better on the whole. I can point to many stand alone outfits in Capital
cities that are doing OK, proving to be quite durable operations. Of those
that come to mind, most are based at schools (both private and state, either
primary or high schools) and operate on a not-for-profit basis as student
radio stations. Most of these stations are on the air all the time, with
their programming varying between school terms and holidays. The stand
alone narrowcaster is usually a user of the licence, whereas network owners
often hoard licences, parking those they own in some areas while
overpowering a station somewhere else to cover a wider overall area.
TCT FM in Tasmania was a case in point. Many of the licences in that
network were not activated. I think most of the 88s were, especially in the
larger towns in the north like Devonport and Burnie and Ulverstone and
Georgetown. But several others were not carrying the main signal. They
were parked so as to prevent competition for the main operation in the
bigger population centres. This seems like a very practical measure to
bolster ones position in the target markets, but it is exactly why Station X
is opposed to networks because such practices stifle diversity and create a
bloated over valued price for the licences. Trimming the fat off such a
network is not an easy thing to do because bigger networks seem to be more
valuable. But they also cost more to run legally and I am aware that those
who have purchased these bloated networks and tried to not hoard licences,
are now struggling to sustain the operation. Streamlining an
anti-competitive network is not an easy thing to do because the value of the
core network might decline if surplus shielding licences are sold off to
other operators. A regulation limiting but not eliminating networks would
stop this happening. I formulated a solution when I was researching the
sector. The NZ LP-FM system I think has a better way of dealing with it.
It is something we can perhaps lobby for in a renewed and reformed LPON
system come 2013.
Too many Christians on LPONs in the same towns - This is a reasonable point.
But as you suggest that the LPON system is evolving in response to market
forces and technological developments, so too is it changing to reflect the
shifting nature of religion in society. The Ethnic narrowcasters are
vacating the LPON system for various reasons, all the while retaining their
VHF and MF narrrowband footprint, which is a more efficient way of covering
a large urban area. The next group that is best placed to make a fist of
the narrowcast opportunity in the larger cities is the religious groups.
UCB Australia's Vision Radio and more recently Lifeinfo Media's Faith FM are
comfortable as narrowcasters, and I think narrowcasting suits them better
than community broadcasting in many ways. Vision Radio has provided a
fairly middle of the road mainstream evangelical mix of music and talk (some
leading American speakers and an equal number of quality Australian
presenters and hosts) for over a decade. Vision would argue that they
provide all the content that Australian's need in regards to Christian
inspiration through radio, and do so better than anyone else. I think there
is some truth in that, but there is always room in a free society for
somebody else to do the same thing, but a little differently.
Lifeinfo are currently more reliant on American program sources, but they
would be seeking to change that mix to include more Australian content too.
And while they would still see themselves as part of the Evangelical
protestant camp, their take on bible theology and prophetic understanding
is quite different. Musical selection is also different - more conservative
than Vision. Their delivery system across the network is also different -
internet rather that satellite for Vision Radio. So they are carving out a
niche for themselves in various markets across South Australia, Victoria and
Tasmania. People who are interested in listening can, in some places,
choose between the two Christian radio services. That the LPONs system has
given rise to two Christian narrowcast networks with aspirations for
national coverage, is a testament to the power of this oftentimes pilloried
sector of the radio industry in Australia, which is generally not very
rewarding toward any religious enterprise through radio. And in most
regions of Australia, there should be room for a third secular commercial
narrowcast network, which may be in fact larger than either of the two
Christian content providers.
Diversity - a provision limiting networks, but not forbidding them, like the
NZ LP-FM system spacing requirement, would mean the kind of network coverage
you find with Vision Radio and Lifeinfo Media in North Tassie is not
permissible. In fact, TCT's 'Spirit' FM would never have emerged in the
bloated form it took in first place. The point I made in my research
project was that limiting the scope and scale of networks would probably
reduce hoarding and improve diversity. And while Lifeinfo, and Vision
Radio, and Raw FM in ACT, and 2KY, and Kiss FM, and Magic FM in Perth, and
Planet Radio in Brisbane , and Shine FM in the Sunshine Coast, and North
East Narrowcasters in Wangaratta, and Andrew Thorold Toll in Bundaberg, and
Trinity FM in Port Macquarie, and Western Visitor Radio, and Futrends in
Sydney, and South Coast & Tablelands in Nowra, and Spanish Radio in ACT and
Albury, and Alstonville SDA Church in Lismore, and Robert Carr on the Gold
Coast, and 21st Century Aerospace in Toowoomba, and Celestial Radio in Logan
City... would all have to shed licences in areas where they have them in
high concentrations, (if the NZ restriction of stations being 25 Km separate
if carrying the same content were imposed), some of these networks would
survive, albeit in a much thinner streamlined form, sort of like Heartland
FM which has 13 sites spread widely across a large geographic area. A few
of these networks are for sale by the way. Let me know directly if you want
to know which ones.
BearCave
> Yep very good Phil. Justin as per your request (I'd love to ablidge)
> pull your head in!
>
> Hobby Radio for 2013 = Format free + License Free + More FM Channels
> (that's right 5 not 3 - hello??) + 20 km apart for co channel (better
> than now) + no networking within 100km radius (this to stop sat fed
> networks hogging the dial).
>
> paper to be posted soon
Yes, and be sure to include details of the two extra frequencies that
will be available (according to you) in 2014. Do we need to wait for
your paper for you to release those details?
Again Peter, how do we get there from here?
Media commons?
Perhaps in a freed-up FM radio environment (possibly not due for 20
years, mate - and you know this very well). But not at the expense of
LPONs.
Seagull
Yo!!
Happy Christmas to you all.
This is an interesting thread and an eye opener for me.
Thanks to Station X and the Philistine for all their advice on what an
LPON is or should be.
It would seem that 1611 and 1629 Khz in Melbourne are LPON stations.
That does as least explain their weak reception. But what is their
mission???
Without much thought, I support the concept of LPONs. But you'd have
to wonder why someone previously suggested something about networking
them. To me that seems an oxymoron.
The reason for an LPON seems to be LOCAL and COMMUNITY.
Why would networking ever be considered for something like this? It's
what has destroyed many of the successful local commercial radio
stations. Look at the ARN network ... or what's left of it.
Justin ... you are waffling ... as usual.
I could say that I'm eagerly waiting for the next issue of the
"Scrambled Eggs Report" but you are better than that.
What is your mission for Surf-FM? What LOCAL COMMUNITY are you trying
to support?
Are you making anything on the side from paid commercial adverts?
Most of us here love you Justin ... because you are who you are. And
you never get nasty ... which is better than many others.
But what is your agenda with LPON radio?
Station X
Lpon's = local yes for sure but not community
Community = a different kettle of fish under the definitions here
Advice from Bearcave now that is just plain scary.
Also man 1611 etc are not LPON's they are MF NAS Different kettle of
fish.
They are 400 watts and have nothing to do with the LPON sector.
Cheers
The Philistine
"Station X" <ad...@stationx.com.au> wrote in message
news:6522bd7b-e8d1-4531...@b36g2000prf.googlegroups.com...
Except that they are also very often deemed NARROWCAST licences. 1611 in
Melbourne would carry a weak signal if you are residing on the Eastern side
of the city. It is a Vision Radio station now owned and operated by UCB
Australia - Christian narrowcast.
MF-NAS licences are, indeed, a different kettle of fish. To get an Medium
Frequency or AM-band station operating efficiently requires a certain level
of technical knowhow. It is also quite a bit more expensive to set up than
a typical LPON, especially if you are running at the full 400 Watts. And if
you do set up a Narrowband station properly at full-power, you can
potentially achieve a maximum audible signal range of perhaps 30Km radius,
although 20 Km is more likely.
There could be some debate about which of the MF-NAS (Narrowband Area
Service) frequencies are the most useful ones. The general consensus is
that a lower frequency - below 1638 kHz - will be within range of a larger
percentage of the typical radio receivers that people have. The frequencies
above that will be out of range of the majority of commonly used radios.
However, the plus side of using these higher frequencies is that the
spectrum is quite clear and interference is less likely. Looking
nationally, more than half of the frequencies in this category are 1638 kHz
or below.
MF NAS licences are also under-used in this country and the easy explanation
is that to use them properly is quite an expensive proposition. So you cut
corners and improvise and settle for a less efficient system in the
interests of getting on the air within a tight budget, typical of a
non-commercial hobbyist operator.
50 Watts is plenty of power to cover a medium sized regional town. The
antenna is where the big money can bite, so compromise and get the best
sized structure you can afford for the site address you have chosen. Of if
you are technically able and bold, make your own antenna wire. Then you can
get on the air, and once there, listeners will find you.
In a nut shell, MF-NAS (Narrowband) stations are technically a very
different animal to an LPON, but the rules of narrowcasting still apply to
most of these types of frequencies. S40 class MF-NAS licences are the
exception, and there aren't many of them left.
Station X
MF NAS specifically. Generally speaking yes Narrowcast Rules still
apply. But do they apply in total?
Close examination of the definitions for Narrowcasting as defined
under S19 (I think) of the BSA (when they redefined them). Includes
the little phrase "for services using an FM or AM signal on the BSB" -
it's there man look! In short this excludes you from the Narrowcast
boys club (or does it) the moment you use a frequency that is off the
dial. Hello grey area!
Then there is the argument because a fair amount of people would need
a special radio (mainly the operators on the top end like me) you can
say it's "not able to be picked up on "commonly available equipment".
That swings you towards Subscription but not quite as you are still
free to air!
Then you have the audio restriction even for AM it's harsh. So there
you are back at the "limited in some way". Then you have the sum of
all parts. AM, Restricted Audio, Hard to Get Freq. Most of us would
say - stuff it Narrowcast and life would be easy! But ACMA seems to
have other ideas.
We all know the early knee jurk reaction from the commercial sector re
the impact of the LPON's on their markets! The same reasons were
behind bringing in the S40 restrictions on MF Nas too. Time to realise
things for what they are. Low power = low income & weird freq = low
income at best. So let's get it all sorted.
This is why I'm on the Hobby Radio cruisade! I really beleive that it
will fix a lot of issues. Hobby Radio isn't just to replace Lpons with
our version of the Kiwi setup. It is closely modelled on it though.
I'm actually after ACMA to recognise it as a category. Then you have
the choice to operate various services under it. That could be
everything from MF Nas, VHF Nas, HF Domestic SW or LPFM. It just so
happens that the LPFM would be the favoured choice by most for cost
and audio quality reasons, plus the end of the tenure for Lpon's is
coming and something sensible needs to be done.
Some people think I'm mad. But the way I see the 1 watt idea (public
park on fm only) for Hobby Radio is if you are lucky you can get two
services. The whingers haven't worked that out yet!
BearCave
> Thanks to Station X and the Philistine for all their advice on what an
> LPON is or should be.
>
> It would seem that 1611 and 1629 Khz in Melbourne are LPON stations.
No Seagull. LPON stands for "low power open narrowcasting". What you
are hearing on those AM frequencies is the result of another class of
license.
Open Narrowcasting divides into three types of technical delivery -
LPON services (87.6, 87.8 and 88.0 MHz), MF-NAS services (1611 kHz -
1701 kHz) and HPON services ( the high-powered open narrowcasters like
greek 3XY on 1422 kHz in Melbourne).
Of the three types of Open Narrowcasting, LPONs and MF-NAS services
are regimented by a nationwide planning model (same standard
frequencies used everywhere in Australia), while HPONs are planned in
accordance with the local license area plans of mainstream services
(for example, 3XY 1422's reception area matches 3AW's reception area -
something not possible with the other two license types).
> Without much thought, I support the concept of LPONs. But you'd have
> to wonder why someone previously suggested something about networking
> them. To me that seems an oxymoron.
>
> The reason for an LPON seems to be LOCAL and COMMUNITY.
No, LPONs can be networked and privately operated - Kiss FM is
probably the best example of that in Melbourne. Or, they can be local
and community-oriented - like Launceston College's student-run LCFM.
Or they could be local and private...or networked and community-
oriented.
If I summed up the purpose of LPONs in one word - "miscellaneous" -
you might then appreciate why it's elusive to pinpoint their purpose
or reason for being. It also provides some understanding for why
Section 18 of the broadcasting services act (the little that's written
in the act about open narrowcasting services) is rather ambiguous.
Phil kind of missed my point about the Devonport LPON example. The
point I'm making there is that any attempt to clarify what open
narrowcasting services are has the unintended consequence of making
LPONs just as top-down imposed (government ruled, not market-driven)
as any other sector. If Section 19 "clarifies" that you can run
religious programming on your LPON, chances increase that the result
will be two Christian stations operating in the same area. And not
just in Devonport either. Even Melbourne now has Christian Radio in
both the community sector (Light FM) and the open narrowcasting sector
(Vision Radio Network).
Section 19 clarifications are not binding. LPONs do not have to run
one of the formats clarified in Section 19. Yet there's this
perception out there that you are going to find yourself in trouble
without such clarification. Little thought is given that too much
focus on clarity might come at the expense of creativity. So now, you
get wheel reinventions like "media commons" as a suggestion for
replacing the LPON system after 2013.
Note the similarity between the words "commons" and "community" to
begin imagining the unintended consequences of replacing LPONs with a
mini-me version of community radio after 2013. ACMA only need to be
reminded of how easily community radio divides as much as it finds
common ground between people by revisiting the Melbourne aspirant
community radio case study of the 1990s. You take the licenses away
from the ambiguous LPON sector so that community radio dissidents can
be given license do the anti-establishment thing. History has its way
of repeating itself when you refuse to learn from it.
> Why would networking ever be considered for something like this? It's
> what has destroyed many of the successful local commercial radio
> stations. Look at the ARN network ... or what's left of it.
Networking can be creative or destructive. If LPONs are to be a true
miscellaneous sector, not just another top-down imposed one with a
clarity of purpose, you need to leave it to the forces of the market
and the forces of chance to determine how much of it results in
networking.
>
> Justin ... you are waffling ... as usual.
I have a history of that. Seems you are associating what I'm writing
now with past efforts such as...
>
> I could say that I'm eagerly waiting for the next issue of the
> "Scrambled Eggs Report" but you are better than that.
Yeah, I am better than that. A lot of people go through a phase of
engaging with politics and get really socially minded. Some people
leave it behind because their personal life and more immediate
surroundings demand they take responsibility in the here and now.
You'll be waiting for that next issue forever.
> Most of us here love you Justin ... because you are who you are. And
> you never get nasty ... which is better than many others.
If personal abuse is what you define as love, then it must be tough
love!
And never being nasty doesn't equate to not asking the tough
questions.
Much comparison has been made of the New Zealand Low Power FM model -
a model which allows nationwide use of up to 18 frequencies on the FM
band, compared to the three used here for LPON stations. It's quite
clear to me now that those meant to be debating me on this issue would
rather shout me down than address the very basic issue of how you
transfer the principles of media commons into the narrow space
Australia has for low power FM.
The supply/demand issues between the two nations are completely
different and its apparent to me that those contemplating it are being
purely technically minded - to the exclusion of political, social and
economic considerations. Simply put, Australia's diversity mix of
broadcasting is different to what's in New Zealand and the United
States, those other countries with low power FM broadcasting. Those
countries are working with a varied set of resources and that's going
to result in a different output.
Right - that's well and truly enough!
I will go on defending the LPON sector, but not here - where it really
is the least appropriate compared with where the real action is.
...From Justin
LBP
thing called an LPON.
So it's very easy for me to say "2013 throw them all away and bring on
Hobby Radio"
a free for all mad cap over-the-airwaves adventure where anyone can
switch on a 500 mW
FM transmitter (of a type approved of course) and transmit their stuff
for the whole street to hear.
Micro Hobby Radio would be Fun Fun Fun
no license required
a suite of VHF FM broadcast channels to be made available
and why not throw in MF AM while we're at it.
HALF A WATT RADIO would be where the fun and action would be.
Now of course like I said - it's easy for me to say this because I
have no inherent interest
to protect. If I had an LPON then I would probably want to maintain
the status quo forever -
that way I would OWN THAT FREQUENCY for the 5 km radius given to me,
so there !!!!
But hey, I'm free as a bird and can put forward something that the non
LPON owners might dig -
and believe me, there's plenty of them out there.
Not everyone wants to listen to Kiss FM or Religious Radio or Sports
Radio.
I wanna hear Charlie Brown down the street playing his neat selection
of 80's Pop
or Mr Ed in the house on the hill playing a selection of relaxation
music and mystical sounds.
Or Suzi Banchee in the upstairs apartment playing the sounds of the
avante garde.
Instead we end up with a neo commercial sounding radio (Kiss FM is
VERY COMMERCIAL)
and for me, dance music wears thin on my ears after a while (yes I
know it's all subjective)..
POP THE BUBBLE
The old LPON way would be out and the new Half A Watt Hobby Radio
would be in.
And with that may I wish all you fabulous people on this forum a very
MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR in 2010
And let's all do out bit in bring some exciting radio to the airwaves.
Seagull
I'd like to think that this is a good thread "for the average radio
listener" but after all this I'm not too sure.
THANKS a bunch to all who have tried to explain LPONs.
It originally seemed to me that LPONs were there to serve the local
street or neighbourhood. But people are arguing that LPONs could be
successfully networked ...
And then Justin's brought in the MF NAS stations, plus others on
another band!
Please excuse my French ... but what the FUCK is the true mission of
LPONs?
You'd have to wonder why the Australian Government (both versions)
have issued all these licences.
I know there's no votes in radio ... but why do Aussie governments
(both versions)
keep this so secretive?
Thanks to LPB, Station X, and BearCave for at least trying to sort out
what is going on under our noses ... and behind our backs.
I've never been more confused.
Station X
practice!
Just fucking read my paper when I post it. You all just might agree
with me!
We all know something bad could happen in the year 2013 for LPON's and
that's a fact!
Time to put a serious suggestion on the table and stop running around
like a bunch of girls at a frock sale!