# If you ran your own radio station...



## Lukecash12 (Sep 21, 2009)

What would you do with it? Who would you like to interview? What performances would you like to feature? Would you host it yourself?

But let's cut past idyllic fantasies and think of a few tough questions too: how would you keep and attract interest? Do you think you're capable? Would you have the necessary time to devote to it? Are enough people in your area even interested enough to listen to the music you love? Where would you do it at? Maybe a college campus?


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

For a broadcast radio station, no. I wouldn't have the time, the patience for licensing or funding, and it would certainly be the tiniest of target audiences in my area. 

Podcasts however are another story. They are quite doable, inexpensive and reach a potential world wide audience. In fairness I still wouldn't have the time, but assuming I did, I would seek out and interview young composers of what is being called "new music" in academic circles and provide a venue for their works. Of course with podcasts, even that is moot. They could as easily provide their own venues, but it would be nice to have something monthly to showcase new music. This is something I'd like to hear in a podcast. The selections in the new music area are very sparse. (Obviously fishing for suggestions here.)


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

It would be a commercial- and talk-free classical music station, the kind I would like to listen to, that plays music from my collection and music that should be in my collection. It would not require any time commitment on my part, as others would run it (university students, as you suggest, or interested volunteers). The point is that I would be listening to the music :tiphat: It's my station.


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## Dim7 (Apr 24, 2009)

deleted post.............


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

I'm sure most of us would program 24 hours of classical music with limited interruptions, except that's simply fantasyland.

One has to take in money to stay afloat, either by commercial sponsors and/or listener contributions.

As to the former, forget about it, because advertising on a classical music station will not be a viable revenue producer-you wouldn't get any commercial sponsors.

As to the latter, you wouldn't take in enough money from listeners to stay afloat.

Nice idea....on paper.

Of course, if you are a billionaire....


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## Lukecash12 (Sep 21, 2009)

hpowders said:


> I'm sure most of us would program 24 hours of classical music with limited interruptions, except that's simply fantasyland.
> 
> One has to take in money to stay afloat, either by commercial sponsors and/or listener contributions.
> 
> ...


Which is why many such broadcasts instead have the patronage of art lovers or learning institutions. I still tingle to remember the pleasure of playing live for a radio station at UOP when I attended the conservatory, they let a few friends and myself from the orchestra play a whole program with lots of early folk music and gobs of Baroque music. It was the only time I performed with a theorbo in public.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

If I owned a radio station, I'd sell it.


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## Esterhazy (Oct 4, 2014)

It would be quite fun to broadcast a particular genre, period of classical music once a week say at a given time slot.


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## mcaparula (Apr 4, 2015)

I would strictly play music from the last hundred years mostly by composers no one has ever heard of (including myself!) Then, I would be looking for a new job in about two days!


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

It would be Morton Feldman 23/7/365. Seriously.

And then perhaps I would end up like that host in Ollie Stone's film Talk Radio.


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## MoonlightSonata (Mar 29, 2014)

I doubt I would have the time or inclination to look after one. I would probably end up selling it.
In an ideal world, though, where I could run one, it would play about 30% 20th and 21st century music, 20% baroque music, 20% romantic, 20% classical and 10% early music.


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## Guest (May 26, 2015)

hpowders said:


> I'm sure most of us would program 24 hours of classical music with limited interruptions, except that's simply fantasyland.
> 
> One has to take in money to stay afloat, either by commercial sponsors and/or listener contributions.
> 
> ...


Not so, Mr Powders! My local classical music station - _*Accent4*_ - survives (and has done so for the last 25 years) on listener contributions with no advertising !!


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Definitely a more talkative radio from my part - aspects of culture, biographies, travels, history, comparing recordings, etc. - but not of the light-weight stuff.

A kamikaze project probably, under most circumstances, so some hours of music streaming too - maybe 50% ...


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## Guest (May 26, 2015)

Bulldog said:


> If I owned a radio station, I'd sell it.


and I'd buy it off you.


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

Well, I never could run a radio station.
But if I did, I'd try to make it a place of introduction for people. I'd probably do that best with a local radio station, where I could get sponsorship from local businesses. I'd have request shows, & try to get fund-raisers for local charities involved. I'd interview local musicians, music teachers, community orchestra leaders, and have a slot for music-learners where a piano teacher demonstrated a technique, or someone explained a point of musical theory with sound illustrations, or a new biography of a composer was reviewed and excerpts read.
I'd definitely have a series about baroque music, which would include the lesser-known people.
And I'd also get someone in to host a programme about 'Composers of Today'.


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