How to Start a Radio Station

Have you ever wished you could start your own radio station? There are three different types or radio stations you can start: low-power (for non-profit organizations), full-power (for commercial radio stations) or internet streaming (broadcasting live online). Here's how to start a non-internet radio station.

  1. Apply for a frequency. It may take a long time before you're assigned a frequency [source FCC].
  2. Apply for a license. It's illegal to operate an unlicensed radio station, even at extremely low power [source: FCC].
  3. Establish a source of funding. Remember, you'll need to pay for studio space and power, among other things.

Once you've taken care of these things, you'll be ready to proceed.

  1. Decide if you want to start a low-power or full-power radio station.
  2. Apply for a broadcast station construction permit from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). This includes paying an application fee. [source: FCC]
  3. Decide how much power you need based on how far you want your station to broadcast. A full-power station will need tens of thousands of watts, while a low-power station may only need a thousand watts.
  4. Buy the necessary equipment, including transmitter gear and an antenna. You may need to rent space on a tower for your antenna.
  5. Design your studio. You'll need sound proofing, headphones, speakers, microphones and more
  6. [source: Community-Media].
  7. Recruit broadcasters. Make sure you have enough people to fill up all the time slots.
  8. Have your broadcasters practice doing shows for a few weeks before going on the air. They'll need to get comfortable with the microphone and develop their technical skills.
  9. Work all the kinks out of your program schedule. Make sure everything is running smoothly before you have your first broadcast [source: Community-Media].

Be responsible and use etiquette on the air. You never know who might be listening.