Thinking about getting a non profit set up to run KBFR from.

There's that pesky 'real name' thing though.

We'll experiment with it and see what we can come up with.

I'm beginning to trust more in the overall intelligence of the group than specific individual opinions when it comes to decisions that effect the entire operation. Interestingly, I find there's truth to the idea of "The Wisdom Of Crowds".

Groups of people, diverse and uneffected by pressure exerted by others in the group, is better than a few people or one person's point of view in making decisions. You may not LIKE what the overall group 'decides', but you can bet that, more often than not, it's the best decision.

Monk@kbfr.org

Folks are coming up with ideas for new fund raising.. one interesting one was for an all female band(s) night at a local club.

Considering it's Boulder, this could fly or seriously crash. The idea is intriguing though. Should we take pirate radio fundraising into the realm of niche demographic marketing to target specific segments of the population?

It's a tool, like any other, and it's the same tool used by the Clear Channels of the world. Maybe it would make sense to use some of their own techniques to turn the tables a bit... hmmmm...

monk@kbfr.org

Radio is about noise.. sound... the pressure of air on our eardrums...

and Music is the most inviting of those sounds, at least for most of us.

So we're developing a sort of 'communal mind' playlist for KBFR. All of the DJ's (about 40 now) put in 100 of their favorite songs. Then add periodically. This'll give us a playlist of 4000 eclectic and original songs in a mix that's about as representative of the station (and hopefully the community) as a playlist can be.

We use the playlist on off times when there isn't a DJ at the mic. Early in the mornings, daytime slots not filled with unemployed music nerds.... when someone misses their show. We put in voiceovers ever 10-20 songs IDing the station and we're working on getting the playlist up on the website (how else are you going to find out WHAT THE HELL that awesome funk piece at 2:24am was that you were listening to in the cab on the way home from a tuesday night drinking binge?)

monk@kbfr.org

Some interesting developments in the pirate radio world. It seems the state of Florida just passed a new state law making pirate radio a FELONY. This does not bode well for the pirate world. One reason it works is the FCC doesn't have the resources to really police all the pirate stations out there. And once a pirate figures out that they may be able to find them and tell them to shut down, the actual process of doing it is limited. If you stand up to the FCC, and you're reasonably clever about how you do it, you can stay on the air for years.

This new development in Florida changes all that. If turning on a box that puts out the power of a 40-50 watt light bulb becomes a felony, and the full force of a state or cities police force is brought to bare on pirates, you can bet there won't be many of them around after the first FCC visit that includes a police officer.

The cops aren't at fault here. They're just doing their jobs (upholding the law). It's the (mostly Republican) Florida lawmakers (the same folks that brought you President George W. Bush). They know that control of media means contol of power. Especially big media. Stamp out the little guys shouting the truth from the rooftops and you'll be able to control the majority of public opinion.

Everyone should write an email to these folks. The governer of the state (George W's bro) and the members of the state legislature. Particularly the bills sponser who's email is: villalobos.alex.web@ flsenate.gov

Read the story below. I particularly noted the comment by Sen. Vicor Crist: "In the old days, they didn't just hang the captain of the pirate ship. They hang the whole crew

Thats YOU he's talking about folks.

Monk@kbfr.org

Check this out:

Senate bill would crack down on illegal radio stations

By HILARY ROXE
Associated Press Writer

Last update: 23 April 2004


TALLAHASSEE -- There's no need to adjust the dial, because the Senate's signal is clear -- pirate radio stations operating in Florida should be facing stiff penalties.

It would become a third-degree felony to operate radio stations or interfere with radio transmissions without a Federal Communications Commission license, under a bill (SB 2714) the Senate passed Thursday.

The bill's sponsor, Sen. Alex Villalobos, R-Miami, said the illegal transmissions "bleed" into legitimate commercial stations and could interfere with emergency transmissions. Though the federal government typically oversees radio transmissions, Villalobos said the state needed to help the process.

"There are federal regulations to deal with this. There's just no one to enforce those federal regulations right now," he said. "When you open up a radio station, that's a privilege. That's not a right, that's a privilege."

Earlier this month, four Florida stations -- including one that broke into radio transmissions at the Lantana and Palm Beach International airports -- were shut down after warnings from the FCC, which says 26 other stations statewide are still under investigation.

The bill passed the Senate 30-8. Companion legislation (HB 1197) is now ready for a full House vote.

Some senators worried that raids on the illegal operations would only affect young disc jockeys, working part-time jobs for some extra money, instead of the owners and operators who invest in the expensive transmission equipment. But their efforts to amend the bill failed.

"Let's get at the real people. That's the people that own these radio stations," said Sen. Tony Hill, D-Jacksonville. "They're going to get away. ... They're going to just go set up somewhere else, but these kids are going to be branded for life."

Others said Florida should crack down on anyone involved with these operations.

"They regulate the radio business for a reason," said Sen. Victor Crist, R-Tampa. "In the old days, they didn't just hang the captain of the pirate ship. They hang the whole crew."

There were other questions about whether the state needed to step into the regulatory process at all.

"Do we want bigger government, or do we want smaller government?" asked Sen. Gary Siplin, D-Orlando.

The virtues of not enough time.

We're working on putting together a KBFR presents show at the Fox theater and, as always, there just isn't enough time to do everything the way everyone would like it done.

I've come to the conclusion, however, that's just how it is and always will be regardless of how much time there actually is to do things. If you have 2 months to plan a big multi-artist show, or 12 months, it seems the same problems and issues come up. As the date get's closer, people freak and want to 'postpone'. Don't do it. Will there be mistakes? Sure. Is that normal? Absolutely. Just DO IT and quit the attempts at perfection.

Apple computer's a good example of this- it wanted to do everything perfectly or it wouldn't do it at all. As a result Microsoft won and we all live with the consequences. If Apple hadn't been so focused on being perfect, there's a real possibility that we'd live in a different and friendlier computer world today (as one example).

Pirate radio is about everyday people doing extraordinary things. Mistakes aren't possible, they're inevitable. We just need to live with that realization and keep on truckin...

Monk@kbfr.org

Ahh money.

In the end, regardless of how pure your ideas are about free speech and freedom of the airwaves, it always seems to come down to money and having enough of it to make things happen.

We had a benefit concert in Jan of 04 that raised money for KBFR that went pretty well. Enought that the venue (The Fox Theatre in Boulder) invited us back (i.e. THEY made money). That was our first lesson: create something that makes money for the venue you're doing your benefit at.

The next thing we learned was it doesn't HAVE to be a benefit. Our next show is going to be "Presented by KBFR". What we seem to have stumbled on is that, by being a radio station that plays music, we have the support of pretty much all the local music talent in the area (we're one of the few places many of them can get their music on the air at), so most are willing to do shows for KBFR's benefit, even if it's not a benefit 'specific' show.

So, KBFR as promotor is what's developing. I believe pirate radio stations should consider this as a viable option for fundraising to continue operations, upgrade equipment and outfit studios.

What we're planning now is to do ONE big blow out benefit a year for KBFR. Something that raises enough money that we can operate at a (very) minimum level for a year. Then, over the course of the year, hold several 'KBFR presents" shows that augment our finances enough to improve the operation. We also, of course, sell studio free CD's, T shirts and buttons at these shows (creating a bit more income).

We're not talking big money here folks. A few hundred dollars per show. BUT, a pirate station doesn't need ALOT to run, just enough. The actual income would be considered below the poverty line (and below what would be taxed, if we were taxed). So it's even safe.

And the other thing, and most important, is you're not begging for money all the time on air. There is no 'donation' so to speak. You get value for your contribution (give us $10 for a great show.. go home happy). That allows the station to remain independent and pure in it's approach to what it does (mostly: NO censorship for it's members). If we take 'donations' from people, no matter what they say, at some point, they will want to have a say in what's on air. This is fine, if they're willing to JOIN the group and become part of KBFR as a DJ (and share the risk with us), but if we just take money without giving something of value in return (like a concert, a CD or a T shirt) we're opening the door to having people who are not of a pirate mindset trying to set the agenda.

And, of course, we're pretty clear that there IS no agenda. Just good radio created on the fly by regular folk DJ's doing what they love: Playing music and sharing ideas and opinions about the world.

Monk@kbfr.org