By Taryn Champion

Russell adds, “With advances in software and hardware you no longer need to host your radio station from a dedicated machine at home or your place of work. It can all be done in the cloud.”

Having said that, below are five important steps to take in order to start your own radio station with the possibility to expand.

Obtain a License

First things first, obtain the required licenses. Just like you need a license to drive, the first step to starting your own Internet radio station is to request a broadcast license from the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA). In South Africa three kinds of radio licenses are offered which include PBS (Public Broadcasting), Commercial and Community. Make sure you know which direction you want to follow to ensure that you apply for the correct licence.

Music Rights

What is a radio station without music? The second step which is necessary to take is to apply for music rights. In order to broadcast music it is important to register with the South African Music Rights Organisation (SAMRO) which is in place to ensure the intellectual property of composers and artists is protected.

Decide on your programming type

This is usually related to your passion. What topics of interests do you have?

This is confirmed by paulbrec,” This is important, because without knowing this, you will not know what you need to continue. Will your programming be mostly talk, or have some music. If it is music, what kind?”

By deciding on your programming- audience type, genre and how you would like to portray your radio station should come into mind. If music is going to play an important part of your station think about the genre of music. This additionally will lead to the type of audience that will be targeted or drawn to your radio station.

Equipment

Radio expert, Corey Deitz, emphasises, “You're going to need some basics no matter what you do: a microphone, a recording application, and maybe an audio mixer or more depending on how complicated your radio show is going to be (sound effects, music, etc.)”

However, before purchasing equipment, make sure you have obtained a broadcast license to ensure that you don’t splurge in vain.

Get the good news out there

Once you have successfully obtained a broadcast license, music rights, have come to a decision regarding your programming type and have purchased the necessary equipment, you are indeed good to go.

The next step would be to promote the station and encourage people to tune in.

Deitz confirms, “When you feel it’s ready for Prime Time, don’t expect people to find you; go out there, be a little aggressive and don’t be shy about recruiting your audience.”
Write press releases, use social media, billboards and whatever else you can get your hands on to ensure that you build an audience.

What are your thoughts? Are there any other steps that we missed? Tell us below.