PURE RETRO 2PR FM - Lobbying for New FM Station in Sydney Begins


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	NEWS-FLASH WE HAVE A WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY! Updated Sunday 6th May 2012 at 1:55 pm It was announced that National MP Tony Crook has officially joined the Coalition. This has made Julia Gillards numbers very, very vulnerable in the house. With Gillards defences weak, it's our best opportunity to blast all the independents with our lobbying guns. SO PLEASE GET YOUR LOBBYING LETTERS TO US AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. THIS IS TRULY OUR CHANCE!!


	This is 2PR FM's BIGGEST FIGHT WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT! Updated Saturday 5th May 2012 at 10:25pm Please note if your time is tighter then Elle Macpherson's bust, head on down to: Part 4 - What are we exactly lobbying for? QUICK REFERENCE: Part 1 - 2PR FM's Long and Winding Road to Canberra. Part 2 - A Special Broadcasting License for the Handicapped. Part 3 - Value from the Listeners Point of View. Part 4 - What are we exactly lobbying for? Part 1 - 2PR FM'S Long and Winding Road to Canberra: Well listeners, this is it, this is the real pinnacle of 2PR FM's chance of becoming a FM radio station. As stated from day one, our mission goal is to provide Sydney with not just another terrestrial station, but a true listening experience, a playlist with over 20,000 tracks. Yes, this is the part where we are going to really need your help. We are glad to say, NOT in the form of MONEY, but rather in the form of LETTERS, LETTERS, and lots of LETTERS. We need heaps of lobbying letters, and I mean thousands to persuay the folk down in Canberra, that 2PR FM is worthy of a full power FM license for the Sydney area. We want to tell them that we are a genuine radio station that has something truly unique to offer Sydney. Aside from the other Commercial FM Stations, the entire personnel of the station have disabilities, but most importantly are all very capable and independent people. NOW THE NUTS AND BOLTS! The Licensing, Political, and Government System: Without beating around the bush, here is the situation as frank as we can put it. WE ARE LITERALLY PUSHING MT EVEREST. We'll have to convince both ACMA, and the current sitting politicians in parliament that there is a REAL NEED for 2PR FM. Without this we will not stand a chance. ACMA, The Australian Communications and Media Authority are the government agency that administers the radio spectrum across Australia. This includes the FM spectrum in Sydney. Again to be frank, this spectrum is HIGHLY PRIZED real-estate. A full-power transmitter in the Sydney Basin has a listener potential of up to 4.5 million listeners. Because of this, ACMA are not just going to roll over for anyone who has a desire to start a radio station. The FM spectrum in Sydney is almost full. To emphasise this point again, THE SPECTRUM IS ALMOST FULL, as 90% of it is already allocated to existing commercial and community stations. At the time of writing this, there is one possible allocated spot 2PR FM could broadcast. WHY THE NEED TO WRITE TO CONROY, NOT ACMA! Unfortunately many folks forget that the ACMA are just a government department that follows what is written in legislation. So with this in mind, though we will eventually have to persuay ACMA, our real fight is convincing Senator Steven Conroy, (The minister for Broadband, Digital Economy, and Communications). Like the ACMA his view-points will be the same, the Spectrum is very valuable, why should 2PR FM get it. We will also need to lobby several other politicians, but Conroy will be the main man we'll need to convince. Part 2 - A Special Broadcasting License for the Handicapped: When I'm going to Canberra, I will be taking a copy of my submission, which is a proposal for a CLASS H (H for people with Handicaps) BROADCASTING LICENSE; this is what the last spot in Sydney should be used for. This is the main brief on what the CLASS H License is: CLASS H LICENSE IN BRIEF The Class H License is a broadcast license designed to be granted to a person who has special disability conditions. As broadcast spectrum is of a precious commodity in many of Australia's markets, the license would be granted only if the applicant can demonstrate a severe case in which their disability has prevented them from obtaining stable full time paid employment. In all cases the person would have to of been out of work for an extremely lengthy period of time, and meet strict criteria as noted below. In short, the license would be the same as a full powered commercial broadcast license; however license and copyright royalty fees would be based on a percentage of the person's income, rather then set costs. The person must be able to fit the minimum criteria as set out below. 1. UNEMPLOYMENT: The person must be able to demonstrate that they have had no meaningful employment for the last fifteen (15) years. This can be cross referenced with the Australian Taxation office, relating to when the applicant last paid taxes. 2. COMPETENCE: Can demonstrate the ability to produce a continual 24 hour feed of professional quality program material that is in accordance with the Federal Broadcasting Act of 1992. This will include the airing of material that is not racist, defamatory, blasphemous, derogatory, insight hatred, or violence, or any other material that may be deemed offensive. Technically the material must be of an audible quality, easy to tune in and listen, without interfering with other stations, services and other equipment. 3. PUBLIC INTEREST: The service must contain program material of a variant nature. This for example would be formats covering either music, special interest material such as current affairs, etc. In other words, the service can not be used for such simplistic things like the repeated playing of a pre-recorded announcement, or for interpretation sake; such things like the repeating sounds of animals, droning noises, etc. In this context, material that would be acceptable is someone who may wish to have a format based on their extensive Jazz and Blues collection, such as a collector who may have thousands of titles. This could also be for pop and rock. Though this format is covered by commercial radio, it is usually of a tight playlist of a few hundred tracks. In the area of a Class H license, again, someone may have tens of thousands of titles that would never be played on a conventional commercial station. Part 3 - Value From The Listeners Point of View: Why the last allocated spot should go to 2PR? Now that we understand how precious the FM spectrum is in Sydney, there is a secondary vital and most important aspect that also has to be understood. With one, yes ONLY ONE allocated spot left on Sydney's FM Spectrum; we want it to go to a station that will offer something very different, but still related to main-stream pop and rock. Getting to the crux, from a listener's value point of view, it is important that this last spot goes to a station that: In short: a:) has a huge variety playlist. b:) operated by small passionate group of people. c:) station operates on sustainable and stable model. d:) format is focused and consistent, but not repetitive. To elaborate: a:) offers a true difference in programming style, as in the vane of a playlist of over 20,000 tracks. We DON'T want another "play the same 300 songs over" commercial station; Sydney has enough of those musical marry-go-rounds. b:) is owned and operated by a small passionate group of people who love what they're doing, and NOT another huge corporate network with incompetent management and staff. c:) is focused on what they are doing, with the flexibility to carry the station through good and bad times. The station should start lean and sound, without too much liables. This is to avoid the "wow" factor syndrome, where after about six months, personnel, management, equipment, and other station elements fall into a state of disrepair and flux. One of the reasons for starting lean would be to avoid operational vulnerabilities, such as sudden losses, and low staff morale. d:) with a sound operational structure in place, the station can concentrate on presenting and branding its unique format to the best of its abilities, with its staff focused. Sydney needs a station that has a consistent program style, not one that changes every six months.


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	WHAT TO WRITE AND HOW AND WHO TO SEND IT. PLEASE READ THIS CAREFULLY SO NEITHER YOU NOR WE ARE WASTING OUR TIME. Part 4 - What are we exactly lobbying for?: Simply put for two things. First of all and most importantly, getting 2PR FM on the air. We need to show government that there is a demand for our station and unique format in Sydney. Secondly, getting an amendment made to the Broadcasting Services Act 1992. This would be for the insertion of a "Clause H" (described in Part 2 above) into the specifications of a Commercial Broadcast License. Effectively this would introduce the "Class H Broadcasting License in to legislation, and most importantly in to law. WHAT TO WRITE? Here are some pointers to get you started. For us these are the biggest motivations on why there is a pressing need for change in Sydney FM Radio. 1. We would like to think from a listeners point of view, how much more enjoyable a huge playlist of over 20,000 tracks would be. Aside from this, our playlist would also present the full spectrum of 60s 70s 80s 90s pop and rock. This would not just be from an entertainment aspect, but importantly preserving our past pop and rock sounds for future generations. 2. Current commercial stations simply repeat the same 300 tracks, and have no intention to change, because the government is currently heavily protecting their business model with an unethical moratorium on new FM licenses. This is unfair as no new entrances can come into the market place until June 2015. 3. 2PR FM will be operated by a small group of people with disabilities, demonstrating their capabilities and independence. The station will be a very important role model for breaking down the stereotype conceptions, that special needs people like living on pensions, and are all just a responsibility to their families. WHO TO ADDRESS THE LETTER TO? Simple: To the Hon Sen Steven Conroy Minister for Broadband and Communications Level 4 4 Treasury Place Melbourne Vic 3002 When writing your letter, this is who it will be address to, but I EMPHASISE, please do not post it, please read on below on how to submit your letter. SUBMITTING YOUR LOBBYING FOR 2PR FM LETTER: Eventually we are going to get a dedicated letterbox to accept administration for 2PR. Currently we want ALL letters to be e-mailed to the e-mail address that's noted on this page. This is so we can keep all letters together in the same place, and that no extraneous letters get lost in the system. We please ask if all letters are sent as attachments in either one of the following formats: Typed straight into an e-mail, Microsoft Word - .doc Portable Document Format - .pdf Microsoft Wordpad - .rtf If you use an Apple iMac or similar computer, many modern models of Apples have a version of word. When you send it, please make sure it is in .doc format NOT .docx format. Though this may be commonsense for many, we would just like to emphasise that we want to present our lobbying efforts in the best way we can. With this in mind we would like the letters to be dated, addressed correctly, and signed. We realise this may be impossible to do in word, so just having your name and details like address would be fine. We are Calling "ALL" with a Disability, particularly Asperger's Syndrome: This may also include parents, family, friends or relations: We need everyone to write in. The main motivation for 2PR FM has been my incredible difficulties in locating paid work. I've never had a fully paid job since leaving school in the late 80s. Though I've done several courses and work experiences, I've not been able to locate any worthwhile employment. I should imagine this is the same with others on the Spectrum. I feel key to answering this is creating an environment where people on the spectrum can be understood, and feel at ease to be themselves. This is what we want 2PR FM to be. When financially stable and established, I would like to have something in Sydney similar to the Danish company, "The Specialists". Established and operated by Thorkil Sonne, the company specialises in employing people with Asperger's Syndrome. More about the company can be found here. Thorkil Sonne's The Specialists Denmark OUR SINCERE THANKS: We hope that we haven't come across as too brash or condescending, but want to note how important it is that we do this together in the best way that we can. Down below are some sample letters to get you started off, but PLEASE, I emphasise PLEASE DO NOT JUST DO A COPY AND PASTE, It will make us look cheap and lazy. So as a final note, we would like to extend our gratitude for all of you out there who will help us in this endeavour. This is not going to be easy, but we are determined to get there. So thanks again for reading this, and we look forward to your support. Many thanks. Mark Boerebach Station administrator.


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	Monday 7th May 2012 To the Hon Sen Steven Conroy Minister for Broadband and Communications Level 4 4 Treasury Place Melbourne Vic 3002 Dear Mr Conroy, I would like to take this opportunity to inform you of the pressing need for 2PR FM in Sydney. I recently heard one of 2PR FM's test broadcasts over the internet, and was completely amazed that such a station can play a large variety of music. Judging by the website, the station is aiming to have over 20,000 tracks in its playlist. I believe that FM licenses are very valuable, as there is not much room left on Sydney's FM dial. Though the value of a license could be measured in geographic area and audience reach, I feel strongly different about this. The value of a license should reflect what a radio station can give back to its audience. This is in what value the listener is getting out of the stations program material. I know they are community stations that offer different programming styles, however I feel that they are no stations in the "Main Stream" area that are trying something different. Sydney's current main stream stations are playing the same 200 songs every day, which I would consider a waste of precious FM space. Value cannot be judged on music taste, as this would be a subjective argument. However, I would consider a station that has a playlist of 20,000 tracks to be much more valuable to a listener, then a station that repeats the same songs every day. It could also be argued if the public don't know a large proportion of the stations music that this would be an issue too. However 2PR FM's archive of music is familiar to everyone, as 70% of its playlist comes from 50 years of music charts. Having __________ I know how difficult it is to find work. This is why I love the idea of 2PR FM, as it's operated by people with disabilities. (Insert more or less here - tell us about your own experiences). So to conclude I strongly support 2PR FM getting a full-power FM license in Sydney, and hope legislation can be amended to make this happen. Regards John Citizen Unit 4 123 Smith Street Bexley NSW 2207 Ph 9123 4567


	Monday 7th May 2012 To the Hon Sen Steven Conroy Minister for Broadband and Communications Level 4 4 Treasury Place Melbourne Vic 3002 Dear Mr Conroy, I would like to express how excited I am about 2PR FM. This is about it's endeavours of transforming from an internet station to a physical FM radio station. I've been following the station's owner Mark for some time, and remember his documentary, Rainman goes to Rockwiz. I understand that because of his asperger's syndrome, he has found it impossible to locate employment. I think him operating his own radio station would be good not just for him, but for others experiencing similar issues, if the station was given a license to properly broadcast. This is in reference to enabling the station to broadcast over Sydney, with the same kind of transmission power of a regular commercial station. Aside from helping those on the spectrum, the station also plays a very enjoyable format of retro music, particularly from its very large playlist. My son is currently going through high-school and soon will be looking for employment. I feel if 2PR was given the ability to broadcast over Sydney, it could potentially earn good advertising revenue. Most importantly from this, it could be a sustainable model for assisting people on the spectrum, and making others aware of the condition. Because of their attributes, those with Asperger's Syndrome commonly find it extraordinarily difficult to first find paid employment, and secondly to hold down a job. This is because the disorder effects ones intuition, the ability to interpret body language, verbal ques, and other communications that may not be direct. The common misconceptions of people with autism is that they maybe rude, stubborn, inflexible, shy, or a number of other qualities, because there is not sufficient understanding of the condition in a given environment. I also feel that 2PR FM has a dramatically different approach to programming, one that will give value back to the listener. I've have become frustrated and annoyed from the repeated garbage on main-stream radio. Though I like pop and rock, I like the way 2PR FM is playing an archive of music, not just a very select playlist. I hope you can consider 2PR FM for a full-power license. Yours sincerely, John Citizen 123 Garden Circut Sunnytown NSW 2200 Ph: 9999 8888


	Monday 7th May 2012 To the Hon Sen Steven Conroy Minister for Broadband and Communications Level 4 4 Treasury Place Melbourne Vic 3002 Dear Mr Conroy, I would like to express my strong support for 2PR FM. As a past regular listener of Sydney FM music radio, I've become so disillusioned and bored with the programming that I hardly listen. I love listening to 2GB, as I find talkback radio informative. It's become a sad reality that main stream music stations are playing the same few hundred tracks over and over. As a radio listener, I would like to see the value of an FM license returned back to me, as in a station that plays a large selection of music. A format that has interesting music shows, like 2PR FM. I enjoy the Mystery Memory Tour, because I've never heard a station play such a huge selection of 50s and 60s tracks. I also like the stations selection of 70s songs, as they are several numbers I've never heard in many years. 2PR FM receiving a FM license would be a fantastic idea. It will generate new vibrancy into Sydney's boring music stations, something that's been missing for many years. I hope to hear from you soon Yours sincerely, Sue Smith 1967 Flower Parade Woodhurst NSW 2100 Ph: 9876 5432


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