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Complexities and Controversies

Bob Felmly is a genius. This is only my opinion, but I think he spent 5+ years building the ALPB as far as he was able, then found an instant formula for allowing it to either become a self-sustaining entity or starve to death.

Fate was on our side because DavidC, now the Admin, was available and willing to take charge and already has done an Elon Musk SpaceX getting us on trajectory.

These talks we are having right now, preliminary to a powerful Meeting scheduled for March 3rd, gives every present and new member a voice in steering the rocket.

Now to this very important statement from Robert Part15 Engineer: "Carl if we have an audience with our stations and social media pages there is a lot we can do to sway public opinion on many political subjects and agendas. sure you will alienate some listeners and lose social media followers but in the long run there will be more people who will come in and replace those listeners and social media followers. we may be small but that doesn't mean we don't have just as powerful a platform as the big boys do."

That's a huge point. Our stations are voices and we have a tad of influence here in the world. That's why I have TWO talk stations with programs that take strong and definite points of view on human life and the world. It is also why I have recently been making noise about what I see as a disappointment... MOST of the low power stations are music only. Well, that's a tricky sticky thing...

Being able to program personal music is one of the big draws of low power radio... it's why most people want to do it in the beginning.

But as we grow personally as individuals and begin thinking about "serving the community", which we hear all the time, it takes TALK!

Doesn't matter what your point of view is or what you believe, the radio station is a place to AMPLIFY your speech!

And becoming a better spokesman for whatever cause is one of the skills the ALPB is in a position to learn and teach!

Holy hell, I'm preaching now, but we absolutely need to tame this monster of proper speech versus banned speech. Often the people who get all bent out of shape are simply misunderstanding, sometimes on purpose, what is being discussed.

At this early stage of things, according to the fine print of what the Admin has said, he suggests we limit political speech for the time being, while we re-organize. Therefore he's saying it's an issue we can tackle when we're farther into it. That's excellent!

Stand by Robert! We'll pick the locks if we have to so that adults can talk to adults in the ALPB of Tomorrow!

A couple of thoughts to throw out.

The Forum, rather than the meetings, has become the de facto focus of the ALPB.  Perhaps we can find ways to merge the two, giving those who choose to participate in the Forum only a way to vote.  Perhaps making the audio of the meetings more accessible via the Forum. And giving Forum only members are way to vote (by proxy).

Every Forum has a 'feeling', for lack of a better term.  It's usually based in part on the membership, but primarily on how the Forum is run, the content allowed, etc.

The two (and yes, we have to acknowledge there are two) other major Forums each have their own unique feel.  One, Hobbybroadcaster, is essentially driven by the Owner/Founder/Moderator, who sets the rules and drives most of the content.  It's essentially a one person project.

The other, Part15.us, is more open, with the owner not participating at all.  Moderation is generally by committee, and is generally more lax than Hobbybroadcaster, but still restrictive as to on topic posts, ad hominem attacks, etc.  The site is the result of work of many people.

Both Forums tend to focus on the technical aspects of radio and broadcasting (i.e., legal aspects, equipment (such as transmitters, antennas, etc.) and sound quality).  Both Forums are well populated by experienced broadcasters, engineers and computer experts.  Each strives to bring newcomers into low power broadcasting.

What we are essentially discussing in this thread is not only what we should be about, but also what the 'feel' of the ALPB Forum should be.  The ALPB is different than the other two in makeup - it consists of primarily existing low power broadcasters.  It was formed to help each other out with Programming and Content - the other two Forums do a good job at bringing newcomers into the field, and helping out with the technical aspects, particularly for newcomers.

My thoughts are that we should strive to achieve the goal that every existing, established low power broadcaster join the ALPB, in addition to one of the other Forums.  The other Forum you choose based on the 'feel' you are most comfortable with.  We, however, should be the go to place to retrieve information about Programming that is readily available to these broadcasters, including the actual Programming itself (where applicable).

I also believe that as to 'feel', we should retain the Forum structure that we now have.  One section devoted to non members, which can serve as a vehicle to show what we're about, and to draw people into signing up.  And the rest, for members only.  Membership should not be restricted in any sense, but it should be made very clear that we are oriented towards existing broadcasters.

I enjoy the lax feeling and banter that sometimes occurs in thi Forum, and that does not occur or is actively discouraged on the others.  I think there is a time and place for that.  After all, it has been noted that Programming is social in nature.

However, for reasons previously stated, I believe that we have to severely restrict political comments.  Ad hominem attacks are not and should not ever be allowed.  I have my own opinions as to the suitability of the other Forums, but in future I'm going to show those feelings by where I participate.  Let's rise above petty name calling, even if it continues to be engaged in elsewhere.

my political comments (which were removed) were simply a response to Jim Henry's two political leaning post(s) on page one (which was not removed) no worries (or hard feelings) though, I can go repeat the comments over at my forums and quote JH over there :-) mainly referring to the comment about the millionaire senator on the last post on page one by JH.

Jim Henry was basically stating his comment was removed and that he didn't agree with that action; yet was complaining that the President was being personally attacked.  I left his comment, because I wanted to demonstrate in my post that by removing that Congress Woman, and substituting The President, his post would become what he would consider a personal attack.

THAT is the reason why political comments should be off limits.  Their 'rightness', if you will, tends to be in the eye of the beholder, and the lens through which you view them.  They should have no place in a Forum dedicated to radio and radio broadcasting, and radio programming.

Comments regarding the FCC are somewhat on topic, particularly surrounding programming; they have to be considered very carefully before making them, and they will also be looked at very carefully by the Moderators.

My station is primarily music radio, it's part of my life and something I always listened to, and DJed later on. I think it can be informative, when someone talks about the bands being played and their history, or the station brings in a concert, that makes it part of a larger event and real life social gathering, and it makes memories. That seems like a narrow focus, but I can't deny it was vital for several generations of radio listeners.

Music radio probably deserves the disdain it gets these days though, people say it's bland, celebrity driven, neutered by national networks, and it seems at the local level no one cares about the music that's being played, not like the times when program directors were competing with other stations on music to capture the most listeners.

Part of me thinks, why focus on music, when much of the music industry is corporate and designed to sell itself as a product. On the other side, there are few music stations on AM radio, so my station provides a service, even if it's mostly a jukebox. I feel like I'd rather have something on the air, it's better than nothing. I run a few shows on it, science shows, a soul show, heavy metal, and The Third Shift, which is a show for dudes.

I'm invested in all that, as well as equipping my station with AM stereo for a better experience listening to album rock and other stereo music. An idea would be to have a second station that would be a talk outlet. That could even be handled on a little mp3 player, a standalone box that you plug a thumb USB drive in, power it up and it just starts playing, and that way you don't have to set up a second PC or studio feed, just throw IDs and talk shows in.

Boomer

The Procaster will do that nicely!