ACB RADIO Frequently Asked Questions on Becoming a Broadcaster

What experience and background must I have to be on ACB Radio?

Do you have any restrictions on what my show can be about?

Do you pay your broadcasters?

What equipment is required to host a show on ACB Radio?

How do I get my productions to you?

Is it possible to broadcast live on ACB Radio?

Sounds great. How do I submit an idea for consideration?

I have a great idea, but I'm not comfortable with the technology.

ACB RADIO FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT BROADCASTING

Q. What experience and background must I have to be on ACB Radio?

A. We don't require you to have had any past experience in broadcasting, computing, or audio production, but a background in any or all of these areas will certainly make it easier for you to get a good quality show together. You must be a blind person in order to host a show, in keeping with our "by the blind, for the blind" mission.

Q. Do you have any restrictions on what my show can be about?

A. Very few. Your show doesn't have to be about blindness-related issues. We certainly know that blind people do more than take an interest in blindness issues. If you have an idea for a great music show, a general talk show, or something we haven't even thought of, that's fine. Of course, we will not allow the broadcast of anything that promotes illegality, bigotry, or extremely poor taste.

Q. Do you pay your broadcasters?

A. At this stage, no. ACB Radio very much values the work of the volunteers who help to make the station what it is, and obviously in the future would love to be in a position to reimburse people for their efforts.

Q. What equipment is required to host a show on ACB Radio?

A. Ideally, you should have a computer with a sound card, a good quality microphone, and software capable of producing your content digitally. We recommend Sound Forge XP which costs just $49 and can be obtained from the on-line store at http://www.sonicfoundry.com. We prefer to receive material in MP3, Windows Media, or if there is absolutely no other option, RealAudio format. If you work with older media, such as cassette, or non-computer media such as minidisc, and you are willing to commit to the production of a regular programme, we may be able to convert the material here.

Q. How do I get my productions to you?

A. If you have produced material on your PC, we will give you information about how you can send material to us using the FTP (file transfer protocol) system.

Q. Is it possible to broadcast live on ACB Radio?

A. Yes. Keep in mind that live broadcasting is not for the faint hearted. You will also need to be familiar with the Shoutcast DSP plug-in in Winamp, which is how you would transmit your live content to the ACB Radio server. If you want to take phone calls on the air, you will probably need a mixer, and will require some sort of interface that connects between your mixer and your phone line. A speaker phone simply doesn't sound good enough. But we would certainly welcome live content. If you have proven broadcasting ability, you may also be able to use our conferencing facilities that have been donated by Spiderphone, and run a talk show that way.

Q. Sounds great. How do I submit an idea for consideration?

A. Drop an e-mail to support@acbradio.org and we'll discuss your idea. We may ask for a demonstration edition of the show you have in mind. If we can reach agreement, we'll add you to our schedule and make space on our site to make your content available on demand.

Q. I have a great idea, but I'm not comfortable with the technology.

A. This is a common problem, and unfortunately there is little we can do here at ACB Radio due to limited resources. The Sound Forge XP manual is available in electronic format, and there are useful resources we can point you to where you can discuss audio with other blind people. We are unable to give detailed instruction due to the time involved in keeping the station running. But as mentioned previously, if you are looking at a talk show, you may be able to use the Spiderphone facility so the technology may not be a problem.