Grassroots Radio Conference 2019 Schedule

Friday, Oct 4, 2019

Updated September 30, 2019

Registration

Meet & Greet

Join us after picking up your badge in the main hall of the Visual Studies Workshop..

Saturday, Oct 5, 2019

Registration

9am Sessions

Sustaining Grassroots Media
Andrew Ó Baoill, NUI Galway (Ireland)

Sustaining grassroots media projects, within the same social and economic system that those projects (in various ways) are attempting to challenge, is difficult. Some projects act as tactical media, focused on short-term opportunities without a need to consider longer-term sustainability. For projects with significant capital outlay though, or which attempt long-term goals such as community development, these challenges and contradictions become more pressing.

Often practitioners identify ways in which they can leverage particular features of the social, economic, or regulatory system to benefit their project, but there are necessarily limitations to such strategies.

This presentation will explore various examples of such tensions playing out in practice, and provide an interactive space for discussion of the challenges and opportunities for grassroots practitioners operating within the broader socio-economic system. It draws on the presenter's background as practitioner and academic in Ireland and the US, and is part of a project supported by the Irish Research Council New Foundations program.

Community Radio in Africa and North America a Comparative Analysis
Imgard Rop 101.5 KEPJ-LP

This presentation will focus on comparative analysis of community radio in Africa specifically Kenya and USA specifically San Antonio, TX. This presentation includes comparisons of funding and content for both countries

Emergency Alert System 101
Will and Paul from Prometheus

Operating a community radio station is complex, and you may be spending more time managing personalities than managing your Emergency Alert System. That’s understandable, especially if you’re intimidated to touch that expensive mystery box that someone else configured when you first began broadcasting three years ago. But a malfunctioning EAS could lead to expensive FCC fines, and even worse, leave the public uninformed in an emergency. In this workshop, we’ll cover EAS basics, including how the nationwide system works, how to access and read EAS State plans, how to know if you’re EAS is receiving and forwarding the messages correctly, and how to participate in National Tests.

10am Sessions

Live production
Max Kelley and Jarret Whetstone WAYO-LP

An overview of producing live performances in a radio studio

FM Broadcast Antenna
Steve Moreen - Dielectric

A overview of the characteristics of FM Broadcast antennas, the principles on how they work and how they can impact station coverage.

Dealing with Dysfunction

11am Sessions

Parlez Vous Translators and You
Michael Richards

Translator rule changes, FCC issues affecting LPFM, etc..

20 Tips for Doing Better Radio
Steve Hoffman, WOWD/Takoma Radio

Community radio prides itself on being different from commercial or mainstream public radio. But that doesn't mean community radio programmers shouldn't use some tried-and-true best practices that are common to all good radio. This presentation will offer 20 suggestions applicable across a broad array of community radio programming.

Pacifica Network Digital Technology Services
Otis & Ursula

Pacifica Network’s Digital Manager Otis Maclay will introduce and explain software offerd by Pacifica to our affiliates for archiving content of your web site, reporting to Sound Exchange, fund raising tools, and other ways to enhance your web site. Also: streaming services, the new Pacifica Network podcast site, a new project in the works offering a live stream of programs for broadcast, and of course, Audioport.org, Pacifica’s content distribution and content-sharing service. Bring questions.

Non-membership community radio fundraising
Todd Tyson, WFVR-LP

How a small station can maximize special events and local underwriting to remain fiscally stable

Lunch (provided) - Station Tours

1pm Sessions

WIOX - Reshaping live, local radio as social media.
Dr. Joe Piasek, Chair, WIOX

Case study: WIOX Community Radio, full power, 85 volunteers, 10 years on the air - reshaping live, local radio as social media.

Creating Content for LatinX Communities
Julio Saenz, WEPL-LP

21st Century Broadcasting with Raspberry Pi
Vincent Maggard

The latest in broadcasting from pi, with everything from streaming, to indigenous alerting. The raspberry pi is a broadcasters power house. Today I'll explain why.

Attendees are welcome to bring a Raspberry PI 3B, SD card (8GB or more), power supply, and laptop to follow along with the workshop.

2pm Sessions

Creating Training
Spencer Graves

Creating training to attract volunteers and audience

How to Tell A Story
Dale Willman

An interactive session on how to gather and present news

Ask an Engineer
Al Davis, David Klann, Max Kelley, Jarret Whetstone, Jeff Sibert
Moderator: Scott Fybush

Ask your questions to a panel of accomplished engineers.

3pm Sessions

Successful Fundraising and Underwriting
Julio Saenz WEPL - Poder 97.1

Julio discusses the practices that have garnered the successful funding of WEPL-LP (PODER)

Programming with a Community Focus
Todd Tyson, WFVR-LP

A strategic approach to developing a program schedule focused on people, places and events in your immediate region.

Audacity Tutorial
David Klann

Help with navigating Audacity and learn about updated features!

Troubleshooting a Radio Station
Peter Tridish

In this presentation, I will set up a teensy tiny radio station, and show you how the signal chain works. Then, you will cover your eyes and I will break it. your group will need to figure out how to find the fault and fix it. We'll keep doing that until you are an expert radio troubleshooter.

Keynote Speaker

David Pakman

Station Tours

Saturday Evening Event

Join us for our radio social, at Radio Social. Separate ticket required, available on booking page. Includes food, games, bowling, music, and a GRC signature cocktail.

Sunday, Oct 6, 2019

Registration

9am Sessions

Creating a Funding Prospectus and Stat Sheet
LaGanzie Kale, KLEK

Creating a Funding Prospectus and Stat Sheet

Leveraging Podcasting at Your Radio Station
Darien Lamen, WXIR
Ursula Rudenberg, Pacifica

This presentation explores a range of options for leveraging podcasting, YouTubing, and other emergent forms of digital broadcast at your radio station. Learn how to bring new producers into your station's orbit and retain them; respond to the growing demand among podcasters for technical knowledge and community; monetize digital media and extend the reach of your radio station.

Peeking Inside FM signals
Paul & Will from Prometheus

Are you curious what’s inside your FM signal… or your competitors’? What do mono, stereo, modulation, radio text, HD radio, and a few other techno-nerd terms you’ve heard, actually LOOK like? Can you see which signals are healthy, and which ones aren’t? We will look at live Rochester FM signals, and one of our own, with simple equipment anyone can buy for less than $20 -- and might even discover some problems. Non-engineers are the target audience for this session.

Care and Feeding of Volunteers
Ani Raven Haines

Fostering a resilient volunteer community requires clear communication, relationship building, mutual respect, and collaboration. In this presentation we'll cover the importance of good orientation materials for new volunteers, as well as house rules for behavior, the critical nature of radical inclusivity, feedback and redirection, and volunteer appreciation.

With a well-written orientation handbook volunteers will be able to quickly access needed information, such as training; expectations, policies, and practices; staff / coordinator contact information. Inspire those just getting involved by including your station's history, commitment to community service, and mission.

We'll also discuss radical inclusivity, relationship building, and appreciation.

10am Sessions

Ask a Lawyer
Michael Richards

Michael is here to answer your questions!

Working Internationally
Frieda Werden, Series Producer, WINGS: Women's International News Gathering Service
Sheila Dallas -Katzman, President, US Chapter, International Association of Women in Radio and Television (IAWRT-USA)
Both are members of IAWRT's new Community Radio Committee

Software Freebies to Make Your Station (Even More) Fabulous
Bob Dunn, WXDR-LP

There are all sorts of freebies out there that can help keep the thrifty station working and sounding great. From a silence-sensor that will email you if audio stops, to a one-touch recorder, to a recorder you can schedule, to tools that will let you broadcast from just about anywhere, we'll look at some downloadable goodies and useful resources.

“Stations, Pledge Drives and Listeners”
Don Merrill, KBOO

What are the larger forces that shape pledge drives, both outside and inside public radio. And how do those forces affect the messaging and the takeaway the audience has of them.

11am Sessions

Social Media Savvy
Davyne Dial

Incorporating live video to Facebook, cameras, smart phones, mics to capture action or live programming. Use social media to help establish your brand in your community. Vastly increase your reach and engagement.

Daily News Produced By Volunteers
Steve Pierce, Branda Miller, Elizabeth Press - WOOC-LP

A nuts and bolts presentation on the Hudson Mohawk Magazine, a daily hour-long original, hyper-local news and public affairs program produced with no budget by volunteers at WOOC-LP in Troy NY for broadcast, podcast and social media. Panelists will share details of how the show comes together every day, how it has been sustained for two years, the challenges posed by a collectively produced show, and brainstorm with the audience about how this model might spread. Stations interested helping to expand our Hudson Valley regional network and/or create new ones are encouraged to attend!

For more details on the Hudson Mohawk Magazine:
https://niemanreports.org/articles/more-power-to-low-power-fm/
https://www.radiosurvivor.com/2019/04/30/how-an-lpfm-produces-an-hour-of...

Are We Still On the Air?
Bob Dunn, WXDR-LP

What happens when you live a little too far from the transmitter to know for sure if the station is off the air? A Raspberry Pi or an old PC and some other goodies, plus a connection to the Interwebs and you can know for sure if something's wrong.

LIVE FROM RIVERTON: WHAT’S ON TAP AT THE FCC
Michelle Bradley (Via Skype)

In 2019, the Federal Communications Commission has released two Notices of Proposed Rulemaking that will impact the rules for Low Power FM (LPFM) stations and for “full-service” non-commercial educational (NCE) FM stations. Michelle Bradley from REC Networks, the original petitioner of many of the items being proposed will discuss the proposals and how they will affect your station. Also discussed will be REC rural NCE “waiver” proposal as well as some
things that REC proposed and were left out of the rulemaking proceedings and other FCC issues that are on the horizon.

Lunch (provided) & "Live" recording of Sprouts Radio From the Grassroots Program: The legacy and Voice of Frederick Douglass.

Ursula Ruedenberg, executive Producer for the weekly syndicated program: Sprouts Radio From the Grassroots will produce a location-specific edition of the show "live" before an audience. With her will be Carvin Eison, Filmmaker, owner of ImageWordSound, a member of the board of directors of the Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives, a leader in the national movement to replace Confederate statues with statues that unite communities. He is the project director of the Re-Energizing the Legacy of Frederick Douglass which is placing statues across the City of Rochester, New York, commemorating the life and legacy of Douglass in the city where his most important work was accomplished.

Sprouts is a widely-aired weekly program produced at a location every week in collaboration with independent media groups and community radio stations. The program covers local stories of global interest and features grassroots production. It is coordinated and distributed by Pacifica Network.

1pm Sessions

Canada: The Growth Of Community Radio
Luke Smith

In this presentation Luke Smith the Director of Learning and Development at the NCRA/ANREC will talk about the Canadian campus and community radio sector (c/c). The c/c sector is the non-profit radio sector in Canada which has recently seen a growth rate of new licenses out pacing the commercial sector. Luke will discuss where Community radio in Canada originated, the current state and growth of the sector, and where community radio is going. Luke will speak to how Canadian non-profit radio is finding balence in engaging a digital audience and serving a broadcast audience.

Sounding like Ten Times the Power!
Paul (Pablito) Bame

Are you prepared to teach your listeners how to improve their reception? Know any local businesses who’d play your station if only it came in better? Listeners can make a tremendous improvement in radio reception by adjusting radios, antennas, locations and interference. Learn the basics of reception improvement and put your hands on the equipment which can make it happen -- it’s pretty simple once you’ve seen and held it -- and bring your own tips. The equipment will also be available during vendor hours, and could become yours.

LPFM Roundtable

The LPFM Roundtable brings together Station Managers & Staff Members from across America's Low Power landscape for discussion and document sharing. This new generation of stations has brought a revival in community broadcasting nationwide and a challenge to the corporate domination of the FM dial. In this Roundtable, participants will discuss the birth and development of their LPFM stations including what set-backs they have experienced and what goals they hope to achieve.

GOAL: To survey the LPFM landscape and develop a support network through which stations can work collectively to create, enhance, and protect low power community broadcasting opportunities nationwide.

2pm Sessions (TBD)

Accounting Consultations
Stephanie Colbert, CPA

Offering free 15-30 min consultations regarding accounting and finances assistance.

Engaging Youth
Rashida Burch-Washington WXIR

Presentation on how WXIR has successfully engaged youth in production and volunteering, and you can too!

Optimizing your audio
Al Davis, WLPP-LP

Studio wiring and calibration, audio processing, balanced and unbalanced wiring, headroom. Getting the best sound for your station.

3pm Sessions

Pacifica Affiliates Meeting

Pacifica’s affiliate Network is a cooperative, program-sharing, mutual support network of more than 200 station in the US, Canada, Europe, and Africa. It also includes more than 100 independent production groups who distribute their work via Pacifica’ Audioport.org Join our gathering if you are in the network or if you are just interested in us.

Affiliate Representative to the Pacifica National Board Robin Collier, Pacifica Affiliate Network Manager Ursula Ruedenberg, Pacifica Internet Manager Otis Maclay, and Assistant Network Manager Stephanie Schubert, will lead the meeting for talking things over together, sharing news, accomplishments, problems, and friendship. We will also be discussing a new incorporated association of Pacifica affiliates for the purpose of facilitating sending Directors to the Pacifica National Board.

Radio Branding
Jeffrey Jones and Jacquelyn Jordan, Community Voice Radio Show WPPM-LP

Are you just starting your radio show or have you been at it for a while and things just don’t seem to be going the way you want them to? Has your listener base not grown as expected? Is your radio show lacking the pop that you desire? Do you want to know the keys to having great guests and content on your show? If the answer to any of those questions is "yes", then this presentation is for you. During this presentation you will learn how to maximize your show performance, improve your listener base in order to increase your radio show brand awareness. You'll also receive resources so that you'll be able to immediately apply these techniques to your very next show or podcast.

Upon completion of this presentation the participants will learn the following things to help their radio show thrive and grow. They will understand that the work of being a show host takes more than just a "want to" and a microphone, it takes deliberate actions and a purposeful strategy. Here are a few of the taka-a-ways from this presentation:
- Learn how to build your listener base for sustainable program growth
- Intentional radio creativity
- How to be resourceful with limited resources
- Getting guests that add value to your show

How to Improve Coverage
Al Davis
Jeff Siebert, KPPS-LP

Choosing a site, power/height tradeoffs, fringe coverage, etc. How to get the best coverage for your station. Jeff will also provide a short demonstration of creating a Longley-rice coverage map using the fre Radio Mobile tool.

Keynote Speaker

Glen Ford

GRC Closing Meeting