A commercially licensed radio station expects to make a profit from the sale of advertising, merchandise, and services, so the station must be able to attract a large number of listeners who are able to receive the radio signal.

Therefore, commercial radio stations are typically located, either, within a community, or close enough to cover the community from a nearby location. It is extremely difficult to start a new commercial FM station in most populated areas of the U.S.

The FM band, 88.1 – 107.9, only provides about 100 different frequencies that can be used; and, only frequencies from 92.1 – 107.9 can be used for commercial purposes, further reducing the available frequencies for commercial use.

Over the years, radio stations have already been built on just about every available frequency, in just about every community. So, the chances of finding an available frequency in the location you wish to serve are very low.

Buying an existing radio station in the community you wish to serve is an obvious alternative, if you are prepared to buy out an existing owner who may be interested in selling.

In any case, we recommend you visit the FCC’s website dealing with commercial and other types of radio broadcasting, at http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/howtoapply.html

From there, you should be prepared to hire a professional broadcast consultant to assist you with searches for open frequencies or available stations to buy. This consultant can also help you with all aspects of filing documentation, creating a list of needs (including broadcast equipment needed), etc.

But, please understand that, as a distributor of professional audio and broadcast equipment, any consultation we provide will be product and application specific only.

Before requesting equipment quotes, we recommend you review other websites to learn more about the broadcast industry. You should also consider hiring a professional broadcast consultant to guide you through the time-consuming and expensive ($15,000.00-$20,000.00 or more) process of gaining a broadcasting license.

Unless you have already become licensed by the FCC (or a similar governing body, if overseas), gathering equipment prices at this time will not be very helpful.

To find out how to apply for a U.S. broadcast license, please visit the following FCC webpage:

http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/howtoapply.html

The CP provides the approved ERP (effective radiated power) and HAAT. Once you have this information, we can, then, help you determine the proper antenna system and transmitter that will allow you to, effectively, meet the ERP specification. Of course, studio equipment can be determined at that time, as well.

If you do not already have a CP, there is no way for you to know what your ERP will be...so, equipment quotes at this stage should not be requested.

Since you will need to apply for a license first, you should consider hiring a professional broadcast consultant to assist you during this process (which can last for a year or two in many cases). Most consultants will be able to give you budgetary numbers for construction costs of most types of radio stations. But, they are especially useful in doing frequency searches for the area you wish to locate your station, and for filing necessary documentation with the FCC.

For more helpful information, please visit the following FCC webpage:

http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/howtoapply.html

1) You could buy an existing open CP (construction permit) from someone who has already received one, and is not planning to build (there are FCC restrictions involved).

2) You could buy an existing radio station that the current owner wants to sell.

Again, you should work with a professional broadcast consultant to learn about available opportunities of these kinds, what issues may be involved, for help in filing necessary documents, etc.