“Even if you are new to radio broadcasting and haven't had any experience in the industry before, we can help you to achieve your ambition to start a FM radio station.” (Hoganwest). Starting a radio station can be done within a specific budget, big or small. Both new and experienced groups and individuals may have the opportunity to acquire a short distance frequency station or long distance frequency station to broadcast on. The frequency that is decided upon has a lot to do with the distance in which a broadcast will carry through as well as affecting the amount of the targeted market listeners that will hear the broadcast. After start up cost- licenses, service fees, and equipment-it seems that the broadcast then can be run fairly smoothly. This takes care of maybe the easiest part of broadcasting; it is the staying on and getting ads that make the difference. The history of radio broadcasting is quite intriguing. “Radio broadcasting actually began from the conceptual science behind the wireless telephone” (Adams). At this point, what was known about the concept was applied to determine how to mass broadcast the radio. The location of antenna to broadcast is important due to the fact that interference can be caused by objects in the path of the wavelength signals. Each station has its own specific signal which is measured in megahertz (Brain). “In 1923, WEAF in New York accepts the first "radio ad." Because this station is owned by AT&T, it is the only station allowed to engage in "toll broadcasting" under the RCA agreements. Later on, other networks such as NBC and CBS are formed as the first radio networks by the late 1920s, having broken the AT&T monopoly on "chain broadcasting"” (Adams). The radio broadcasting industry continued to grow and add more networks until broadcasting went from “working hardly” to “hardly working” in the millennium when the decade of automation began. Now walking into a radio station studio, a DJ-disk jockey-may not even be seen, but perhaps a laptop playing a pre-recorded show due to the fact the DJ is out or just using it as the new automation technology for being a live DJ. Radio technology has come a long way (Carpenter, King Curtiss’ Beach Club). Deciding whether long distance or short distance broadcasting is required is another key factor to consider. If the goal is to reach a great deal of people, you will want a cumbersome outputting antenna or use a satellite to mass broadcast but then the only people that will hear you are those who have access to a satellite radios (Carpenter: interview). More people will have an opportunity to tune in if a longer distance antenna is chosen to broadcast, even if there are anonymous listeners tuning in for the first time. Just scanning through the radio brings in high traffic sometimes because all it takes is for a radio listener to hear a song they love before they are hooked.
The process to start radio broadcasting can be easy but equally just as hard. There are several highly important factors to consider when starting a radio station or broadcast, publicly or privately. A location needs to be available for broadcasting. Many