Licensed Legitimacy

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

Wordenson:
Excellent information in your post.  Thinking back through this post, let me suggest that we have used the words legitimate and legitimacy in at least two ways.

You have focused on what is the most common and legitimate use of the word:  something legal, something authentic, something correct and proper, something one should have no embarrassment about.  Under this meaning of the words, LPFM, Part 15, Internet streaming are ALL legitimate (legal, authentic) ways to deliver sound,  spoken word, music content.

Others may disagree with me but the original title and question:  "Licensed Legitimacy" focuses on another way to use the work "legitimacy".  People who buy advertising to support their retail venture look upon some forms of advertising as very traditional, proven, quantifiable.  They know there are other ways to spend advertising dollars that may be considered experimental, not yet fully proven, suitable only for niche markets, or appropriate for "goodwill" and relationship building.  Some of the second group would include School Yearbook Advertising,  a sign on the fence at the Little League Park, a "compliments of xxx" ad in a special section in the local paper on "history of the County" or "Newcomers Reference Section".  The second group might also include t-shirts with a company logo, coffee mugs with a company logo, and calendars.  All of them are legal.  But in the minds of many advertisers, not something you use as your bread-and-butter bring-me-a-customer-through-the-door-this-week kind of advertising.

The original question had nothing to do with the traditional legitimacy meaning legal, authentic, proper and lacking in embarrassment.  I think everyone who posted here agrees that audio streaming and Part 15 meet these definitions.  The question raised is about the PERCEPTION, the attitudes held by people who are prospective advertisers or "funders" of these alternate methods of distributing audio.  Will they look upon LPFM,  Part 15 and Internet Streaming as simply novelties that you might include in your budget almost like a charity.  (Think of High School Yearbook Advertising.)  The original question was something on this order:  (my paraphrase)  If I operate an Internet streaming programming operation which I refer to as Internet-only radio,  and I have a really hard time selling advertising (remember,  ALL forms of advertising have difficulty selling) would my prospective advertisers look upon me as having MORE LEGITIMACY (think mainstream, proven) if I acquired an LPFM which come with a license from the FCC.

Probably the BIG question is:  Would I as the seller of advertising be more confident in my sales presentation if I know that license was hanging on the wall of my studio?  After all, the art of selling contains a lot of psychological content.

[Timewarp]

A license from the FCC gives you a right to use a frequency.  No license means
no protection or rights.  Any neighbor can say my part 15 device is bothering
them and ask me to shut it off.

If a low power licensed station is interfering with someone's reception, this
is that someone's tough luck.  Not so, with unlicensed operations.

A 100 watt LPFM will overload receivers for one half mile.  If a part 15er is
overloading radios at this distance, it is not part 15 and is called harmful
interference by the FCC. 

LPFM is far superior to part 15 AM.  But, you must have an open LPFM channel
to apply and use it.  There are many areas where part 15 AM is your only bet.

And Yes, even hobby radio is about money.  You need $5,000 for equipment.
You must know someone who knows how to file with the FCC.  Even if the station
is in your spare bedroom, you need a couple hundred extra bucks per month to
pay all the fees and electric bill.

 Heck, some spend more on their boats!

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

If a low power licensed station is interfering with someone's reception, this
is that someone's tough luck.  Not so, with unlicensed operations.

That's what the owners of licensed stations will tell complaining neighbors.  The station may be required to prove that it is operating within it's licensed power and is not emitting signal that violate technical standards.

A 100 watt LPFM will overload receivers for one half mile.  If a part 15er is
overloading radios at this distance, it is not part 15 and is called harmful
interference by the FCC. 
 

Show me your calculations on that one.  I have been grinding some calculations where you have a choice to put out 100 watts on a 100 foot tower at one location or move your tower a mile and be on a hill 200 feet up with a short tower (25 feet?) and maybe 16 watts of power or a mile in another direction and be on a 400 foot hill and with a 25 foot tower be limited to 6 watts.

Sounds like a great idea to have a tiny little transmitter at very low purchase price.  The trouble is,  it may not penetrate significant buildings at half a mile, and is not likely to overload receivers.

The other calculation I have been doing is determining how low your antenna can be and not put out enough radiation to be unsafe for humans to be at ground level right under the antenna.  Assume for a minute you take a small bungalow and convert it into a station facility and mount the antenna maybe only 10 feet above the roof.  How much power do you have in the area where the volunteers will be working and is it legal.

I'm not sure what it takes in signal to "swamp" a receiver but I suspect a 100 watt LPFM with an antenna at 100 feet might cause some difficulty out to about SIXTY FEET from the antenna location at the most.

[Alan McCall]

You know guys, I don't feel so bad as an Internet and Part 15 AM station only after looking at our new ratings. WJJD is averaging 548 listeners per day and has just been accepted by iTunes.

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

Congratulations, Alan.  Even in traditional old AM broadcasting in small markets where having audience surveys was not part of the economy,  it was always a "leap of faith" to feel confident things were working out the way they were supposed to.  But a lot of people just slept through the troubling doubts.  After all... this is radio.  We know it works.

But when you are trail-blazing pioneer as you are in streaming and Part 15,  it is very reassuring to get a tangible report card.

Keep up the good work.