A New Radio Station In Maechan

[gerry1011]

Next month, Insii Thai House and the Chao Phya Abhai Raja Foundation will launch a new radio station.

The radio station is aimed at a young public and will be run by disadvantaged youngsters.

The station is based in Maechan and will progressively cover a larger area, including Chiangrai.

The main guidelines of the programs are: "funny, enjoyable, and informative programs aimed at a young public, lots of music, lots of games, no politics at all".

The radio station will be run seriously, but it is not a business, so, there will be no advertising.

One of the main goals of this project is to open new opportunities to disadvantaged youngsters.

The radio station will offer them opportunities to learn about being DJs, technicians, sound engineers, managers...

It is our intention to open these opportunities to the largest number of interested disadvantaged youngsters.

You might want to help some of the kids in your area, and introduce them to this project.

Here is (more or less) what a candidate should be:

- No previous experience in being DJ is needed. We will send candidates to training.

- Aged between 18 and 25.

- Hill tribe youngsters most welcome.

- Level of education not a concern, but character should be suitable for a radio DJ position.

- Must come from a disadvantaged background (the goal is to help people who lack opportunities).

- Must be available during week days too, not only weekend.

- Must have a nice personality, able to make lively programs and of course able to speak clearly.

- Must (of course) be honest and trustful.

If a candidate is suitable to participate in this project and be a DJ with the radio station, the foundation will offer him/her to be employed permanently.

We think that if this project is successful it will make several disadvantaged youngsters happier in their life, with an interesting and enjoyable occupation.

If you know anyone who needs such an opportunity be welcome to drop me a message.

[matt268]

Next month, Insii Thai House and the Chao Phya Abhai Raja Foundation will launch a new radio station.

The radio station is aimed at a young public and will be run by disadvantaged youngsters.

The station is based in Maechan and will progressively cover a larger area, including Chiangrai.

The main guidelines of the programs are: "funny, enjoyable, and informative programs aimed at a young public, lots of music, lots of games, no politics at all".

The radio station will be run seriously, but it is not a business, so, there will be no advertising.

One of the main goals of this project is to open new opportunities to disadvantaged youngsters.

The radio station will offer them opportunities to learn about being DJs, technicians, sound engineers, managers...

It is our intention to open these opportunities to the largest number of interested disadvantaged youngsters.

You might want to help some of the kids in your area, and introduce them to this project.

Here is (more or less) what a candidate should be:

- No previous experience in being DJ is needed. We will send candidates to training.

- Aged between 18 and 25.

- Hill tribe youngsters most welcome.

- Level of education not a concern, but character should be suitable for a radio DJ position.

- Must come from a disadvantaged background (the goal is to help people who lack opportunities).

- Must be available during week days too, not only weekend.

- Must have a nice personality, able to make lively programs and of course able to speak clearly.

- Must (of course) be honest and trustful.

If a candidate is suitable to participate in this project and be a DJ with the radio station, the foundation will offer him/her to be employed permanently.

We think that if this project is successful it will make several disadvantaged youngsters happier in their life, with an interesting and enjoyable occupation.

If you know anyone who needs such an opportunity be welcome to drop me a message.

sounds a fantastic idea.. what is your frequency? we are working up here in Doi Mai Salong for a new resort and will certainly see if any of our staff know of anybody!

[gerry1011]

Hello Matt.

Our frequency is 94.00.

At this time you might be able to hear our frequency in Maesalong but it is only music, since we are still testing the signal.

We also test three different types of sender to see what option is best to cover the largest possible area.

The "real" launch is set for July the 12th, if we are totally ready.

[lukamar]

Congrats Gerry. That's really good news and yet another very worthwhile project.

Does the station have a name yet?

I'll put together a public service announcement or run a tag at the end of our Thai news for you.

I'm really happy that this project went through.

As always, anything I/we can do just email me.

Marty

[gerry1011]

Congrats Gerry. That's really good news and yet another very worthwhile project.

Does the station have a name yet?

I'll put together a public service announcement or run a tag at the end of our Thai news for you.

I'm really happy that this project went through.

As always, anything I/we can do just email me.

Marty

Hi Marty and thanks again for your support.

The station has a name: วิทยุ แวะ (which we write in English like this: "Weah Radio").

We did especially built a very nice studio for this project at Insii Thai House and we will try to give the station all the necessary tools to be successful.

It is still a bit too early to really start to communicate about the station and its concept, but we hope to be ready soon.

We are also preparing a simple website which should be ready soon.

I keep you updated for sure !

[gerry1011]

The interested djs can read the following page and send an email with their details.

The page is in Thai. See here

[goski]

Under construction. Under construction. Under construction. Under construction. Under construction. Under construction. Under construction. Under construction. Under construction. Under construction. Under construction. Under construction.

[Limbo]

Under construction. Under construction. Under construction. Under construction. Under construction. Under construction. Under construction. Under construction. Under construction. Under construction. Under construction. Under construction.

Dear Goski,

Next week the sender will be strong enough to reach Chiang Rai town.

What I understand is that the waves of FM move horizontally and that it is necessary to level down some mountains between Maechan and Chiang Rai first.

Limbo

[lukamar]

The interested djs can read the following page and send an email with their details.

The page is in Thai. See here

We've been running a tail on our Thai newscast (18 times a day) since the 14th are you still on target for on air the 12th of next month? If not I'll change the date. Once you get some more on your website I'll put a Link on our link page as well.

Marty

[lukamar]

What I understand is that the waves of FM move horizontally and that it is necessary to level down some mountains between Maechan and Chiang Rai first.

Limbo

You can improve FM reception by standing on a stepladder and elevating your radio as high over your head as possible. This should only be attempted when Thunderstorms are not transiting your immediate area.

http://www.friendsofhaikustairs.org/

Edited June 29, 2009 by lukamar

[gerry1011]

The interested djs can read the following page and send an email with their details.

The page is in Thai. See here

We've been running a tail on our Thai newscast (18 times a day) since the 14th are you still on target for on air the 12th of next month? If not I'll change the date. Once you get some more on your website I'll put a Link on our link page as well.

Marty

Hi marty.

There is some more info on this page , but the website will not be ready before a while.

It will be upgraded little by little, with chat room, webcam showing the studios, outdoor broadcasting, etc... It should be ready in a month.

The website will be all in Thai (even the "under construction" will disapear soon )

We most probably will miss the launch date of July the 12th. We want to start only when our djs are fully ready.

[lukamar]

You will probably have lots of glitches for the first little while. We had a low level hum problem arrive that was really hard to track down, finally upgraded to a large diameter studio condensers and it disappeared.

What automation software and editor are you using? We use Zara radio with Audacity as our program recorder/editor. There is a big learning curve on some automation software, I'm still finding features in Zara. Audacity is a dream to use though.

I'll just mention the launch date has been pushed back a bit. I'm also saying that you are broadcasting a music only test signal, is that still up?

Later

Marty

[Ajarn]

I would LOVE to sponsor such a radio station in Chiang Mai. Can someon provide me with the information ?

[gerry1011]

You will probably have lots of glitches for the first little while. We had a low level hum problem arrive that was really hard to track down, finally upgraded to a large diameter studio condensers and it disappeared.

What automation software and editor are you using? We use Zara radio with Audacity as our program recorder/editor. There is a big learning curve on some automation software, I'm still finding features in Zara. Audacity is a dream to use though.

I'll just mention the launch date has been pushed back a bit. I'm also saying that you are broadcasting a music only test signal, is that still up?

Later

Marty

We use SAM and Cubase. And at this time we only broadcast music.

We changed the sender today with a more powerful one. Since we are located north of Chiangrai, we hope that this new sender will allow us to pass the mountains separating us from Chiangrai city, and have a better sound there.

We will also have a customized "internet radio / outdoor broadcating / webcam" system especially done for us by a programer. This will allow us to broadcast live events through the website and be on air at the same time. This will be ready in about a month.

The problem we have is that we want to open opportunities to disadvantaged youngsters, sometimes with low education (but lots of good will ) which means that we need programs as easy to use as possible.

Well, we work on all that

[lukamar]

Sam is a very good and well proven. It's also quite easy to learn and is 100% bomb proof. I found Cubase was way more power than i needed and I had been using Audacity for a long time for audio editing so just stayed with that.

If you need extended reach you may have to talk to an antenna expert. As long as your height is at the maximum there isn't much you can do with your transmitter, unless you have a repeater, and stay within the legal requirements.

I've always said that some of the stupidest people I've ever met had PHD's. You will find that education isn't a problem as most of the radio business, and all of it's software, is intuitive. Once they get a feel for it it will just flow, to them it will be like learning a video game and in 6 months they will know the system much better than you.

I should add it also helps if the on air personalities are outgoing, really like to talk and are good at telling a tale. I used to spend a lot of time in the late 60's at a couple of stations trying to get some air time, which didn't come often because I have a nasal tone in my voice. One very popular top 40 hired my buddy for the overnight shift. That was in the day when they actually spun records and used 8 track cassettes for commercials and the whole show was scripted on a piece of paper, with the sound engineer pasting up pieces of paper on the window telling you Bob or Sally was on the phone"." It's a lot easier now with automation. (BTW my friend Fred is still on the air but not with the kids station anymore...LOL)

Edited July 2, 2009 by lukamar

[Ajarn]

I would LOVE to sponsor such a radio station in Chiang Mai. Can someone provide me with the information ?

This thread was advertised as a way to help kids in my area....

I do, but nobody has responded to my call for informatiion..

[Limbo]

I would LOVE to sponsor such a radio station in Chiang Mai. Can someone provide me with the information ?

This thread was advertised as a way to help kids in my area....

I do, but nobody has responded to my call for informatiion..

Dear Ajarn, it might be a good idea to present it as a project to the members of the Chiang Mai forum.

I think Marty is located in Payao and Gerry in Maechan.

I myself live in Chiang Rai and I don't consider Chiang Mai to be my area either.

It would be great if you would work out the idea, because you know the Chiang Mai situation.

I am sure Gerry and Marty would be very happy to share their experiences with you as they already started to do among themselves.

Working together with other like-minded people on similar projects saves time, energy, bahts and a lot of w*rk (sorry for using dirty words!).

And it is fun!

I really hope it could work out fine (here the dirty word is used in another, more permittable context).

Limbo

reason for editing: vanity!

Edited July 3, 2009 by Limbo

[Ajarn]

I would LOVE to sponsor such a radio station in Chiang Mai. Can someone provide me with the information ?

This thread was advertised as a way to help kids in my area....

I do, but nobody has responded to my call for informatiion..

Dear Ajarn, it might be a good idea to present it as a project to the members of the Chiang Mai forum.

I think Marty is located in Payao and Gerry in Maechan.

I myself live in Chiang Rai and I don't consider Chiang Mai to be my area either.

It would be great if you would work out the idea, because you know the Chiang Mai situation.

I am sure Gerry and Marty would be very happy to share their experiences with you as they already started to do among themselves.

Working together with other like-minded people on similar projects saves time, energy, bahts and a lot of w*rk (sorry for using dirty words!).

And it is fun!

I really hope it could work out fine (here the dirty word is used in another, more permittable context).

Limbo

reason for editing: vanity!

I'm not going to present it to the CM forum because I'm not interested in them until I can get some information about how to get licenses, where to buy equipment, how to contact someone who can help set things up, etc...

If you want to help, I don't care where you live

[gerry1011]

I would LOVE to sponsor such a radio station in Chiang Mai. Can someone provide me with the information ?

This thread was advertised as a way to help kids in my area....

I do, but nobody has responded to my call for informatiion..

Dear Ajarn, it might be a good idea to present it as a project to the members of the Chiang Mai forum.

I think Marty is located in Payao and Gerry in Maechan.

I myself live in Chiang Rai and I don't consider Chiang Mai to be my area either.

It would be great if you would work out the idea, because you know the Chiang Mai situation.

I am sure Gerry and Marty would be very happy to share their experiences with you as they already started to do among themselves.

Working together with other like-minded people on similar projects saves time, energy, bahts and a lot of w*rk (sorry for using dirty words!).

And it is fun!

I really hope it could work out fine (here the dirty word is used in another, more permittable context).

Limbo

reason for editing: vanity!

I'm not going to present it to the CM forum because I'm not interested in them until I can get some information about how to get licenses, where to buy equipment, how to contact someone who can help set things up, etc...

If you want to help, I don't care where you live

At this time it is not possible to register a new radio station anymore.

All existing stations had to register before the end of last month. The stations of the north had to do so at a big meeting in Chiangmai about three weeks ago.

The registered stations received a temporary licence for 300 days. During that time, the government hopes to be able to prepare a new law regarding the radio stations in Thailand and issue proper licences to the ones which meet the (to be defined) criterias.

The future law will restrict the power of the sender, the advertisements, the height of the antena, the range, etc... However, all existing station can still operate as they did until now, until the new law appears. Many say that this new law might not be ready before the end of the 300 days of the temporary licences.

What was made clear at the meeting is that radio stations operating without the temporary licence are considered as illegal. In other words, from now on, any new station is illegal (but many will probably not care about this).

For the setting up, we can count on the help of a friend and the company that came to build the antena (60m high) and install the sender.

[lukamar]

I'm not going to present it to the CM forum because I'm not interested in them until I can get some information about how to get licenses, where to buy equipment, how to contact someone who can help set things up, etc...

If you want to help, I don't care where you live

I sent you a PM but on checking it's been delivered into the black hole of the Internet abyss.

Feel free to contact me and ask any questions you want.

[brahmburgers]

Very good to hear about. To anyone involved with the radio project, right on!

[lukamar]

Gerry, any updates?

[bradthai]

this is such a worthwhile project.

the infrastructure that has been put in place, the time,money and expertise brought to the project deserve all the support people can give.

another well devised project from a very capable and caring man.

way to go gerry

[gerry1011]

Gerry, any updates?

Here are some updates...

1) The website is progressing ( here ) but not ready yet. So, unofficially you can go to have a look

2) Studio and antena are all working good now. However, the signal is weaker in Chiangrai city because of the Kew Tap Yang mountains between Maechan and Chiangrai. We will concentrate on the Maechan, Maesai, Maesalong, Chiangsaen areas, and try to have Chiangrai listeneners to connnect with us through the website and internet radio.

3) Since a while we are on air 24hrs a day with only music and a few jingles, testing the signal.

4) On 1st of August we start the programs progessively (with one experienced dj first, who will train our future djs)

5) The live section of the website (internet radio, webcams, chatroom) will be ready around September.

6) The games (8 prizes to win every day) will start in about a month.

7) We already have many listeners in the Maechan district. They love Weah radio because there is no advertisement at all and lots of music.

8) Everybody is very excited about the project.

9) I think that in about 45 days we should be totally ready to go!

10) One of the slogans is "Weah Radio is the first radio on Earth that has no listeneners at all ! The station has only friends. If you are listening to us now you are already our friend "

11) This slogan reflects the will of the youngsters involved in the project not to make the station "serious". It will be very easy going...

12) We have been in contact with the Justice department to see if they want to join hands with us and offer "troubled youngsters" an opportunity to become part of this project. As I said before, the goal of this radio project is to offer new opportunities to disadvantaged youngsters of our region.

Well well, more soon ok?

[lukamar]

Good news Gerry.

For adverts you could do public service ads. It would give the kids some practice with advertising production and a chance to see how different techniques go over with the listeners.

Also something that is popular in small markets is a daily classified section, where the listeners call up and advertise something they have on the air, great for interaction with the community. You can do it live but it's normally pre recorded to filter out the strange calls.

Be warned there are times if you go 24/7 that you feel like " there are no listeners at all".

A worthwhile project Gerry, you must sleep very well at night.

Edited July 31, 2009 by lukamar

[gerry1011]

Be warned there are times if you go 24/7 that you feel like " there are no listeners at all".

A worthwhile project Gerry, you must sleep very well at night.

Thank you very much for your support and advices

Concerning the 24/7, at first we decided to do it like this only because "nobody would have to wake up early to swtich everything on every day"...

But since then, we hear several people telling us that they listen to our station day and night... So, I think that it was a good idea to do it this way.

More soon !

[lukamar]

Concerning the 24/7, at first we decided to do it like this only because "nobody would have to wake up early to swtich everything on every day"...

But since then, we hear several people telling us that they listen to our station day and night... So, I think that it was a good idea to do it this way.

You can always automate overnight it's easy to do with Sam just set a play-list. I have mine setup to reset and come back on-line after a power outage. If you do it right no one is any the wiser that they are not listening to real people. Once you are streaming live, you will be amazed at the places that you get listeners from when you check your server reports. Today someone was listening from Latvia and Liechtenstein. We also get lots of hits from the EU and North America but Brazil and the Caribbean countries are always a surprise.

[gerry1011]

Concerning the 24/7, at first we decided to do it like this only because "nobody would have to wake up early to swtich everything on every day"...

But since then, we hear several people telling us that they listen to our station day and night... So, I think that it was a good idea to do it this way.

You can always automate overnight it's easy to do with Sam just set a play-list. I have mine setup to reset and come back on-line after a power outage. If you do it right no one is any the wiser that they are not listening to real people. Once you are streaming live, you will be amazed at the places that you get listeners from when you check your server reports. Today someone was listening from Latvia and Liechtenstein. We also get lots of hits from the EU and North America but Brazil and the Caribbean countries are always a surprise.

Yesterday we got our first on air call from an auditor in Laos

[mumbojumbo]

jerry, u say u have non stop music, wat kind, thai, frarang-? Hope no rap

[gerry1011]

jerry, u say u have non stop music, wat kind, thai, frarang-? Hope no rap

Hello Mumbojumbo.

We play music that our main target group (16 to 23 years) likes. In other words, "Thai pop music".

We include a few English songs, but it will always be a majority of Thai songs.

In a few weeks we also want to include two hours a week of "western techno music", probably on Monday nights.

Since our target group is rather young (or young in the mind), we are not playing other popular styles, such as "Luk Tung", because it appeals to another kind of auditors.

If you are not in our area and cannot hear us with your radio, please be a bit more patient. We will be on air through internet soon