• 4 Boot Camps for in-depth training on a particular topic
• 3 Tracks for broader knowledge in a particular area
• 2 full session days to fit the most number of sessions into the shortest amount of time so you can take the most information home
• 1 Banquet to end the Conference on Friday evening for easier flights out on Saturday
• LOWER REGISTRATION PRICES

What is LPFM?

Low Power FM is a service that was created by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to fill a need to provide truly local programming to an area. A projected Low Power FM application window by the FCC early 2013 will provide for nearly complete coverage of the United States with Catholic radio.

LPFM’s are very versatile and can be used to provide catechetical programming, Spanish programming or Catholic music.

In order to make the LPFM station accessible to non-broadcasters, the FCC significantly relaxed its rules. Stations are available on the FM band from 92.1 to 107.9 and cover approximately 8-12 miles in diameter or more; enough to adequately cover most small to medium-sized cities, or a significant portion of a metropolitan area.

The only way to bring Catholic radio to most communities is to purchase an already existing radio station, since the potential to apply for a new radio station in most areas is quite limited or nonexistent. This cost is a high hurdle for many communities.

LPFM is one of the few remaining cost-effective opportunities available to obtain a new license and build a station to bring Catholic Radio to your community.

Go here for a good article regarding LPFM.

About CRA

The Catholic Radio Association (CRA) is a nonprofit apostolate that was created to foster Catholic radio in the United States. It provides technical, programming and operational expertise to assist in the procurement, development and operation of locally operated Catholic-programmed radio stations. The Association helped local organizations through the first LPFM process 11 years ago. It assisted dozens of organizations through the AM station and FM translator processes of 2004. In 2007 the Catholic Radio Association provided the legal and technical support to assist 225 local groups apply to the FCC for a noncommercial FM license. It possesses the knowledge and competence to assist groups through the coming LPFM.

The CRA’s engineers are among the best in the business! Their capacity to engineer winning applications was most recently displayed in the 2007 Noncommercial Educational FM window, winning over 70% of applications in a highly competitive environment. Equally important is the ability of the CRA to help coordinate the applications of multiple Catholic applicants in an area to maximize the opportunity for wins and lessen competition amongst Catholic applicants.

How We Help You

Initially, the CRA will provide the engineering and application services required to make application to the FCC. This includes:

• A preliminary survey to determine the availability of FM spectrum.

• The final Engineering portion of the application.

• Step by step guidance in selecting/creating the most competitive applicant for this competitive process.

• Referrals to Catholic communications attorneys to provide direct counsel at discounted fees.

• Step by step guidance through incorporating and applying for federal nonprofit status

If the applicant is successful in securing the license grant, the CRA will assist the applicant in bringing the permit to air as a station through helping obtain and install the necessary equipment to begin broadcasting.

Once you are on the air, the CRA offers continued operational support, such as: referrals to program providers including EWTN, Relevant Radio, Ave Maria Radio, Catholic Answers, St. Joseph Radio and others; station acquisition assistance; station operating systems; marketing support; fund raising support; insurance; resource sharing; purchasing discounts; regulatory updates and guidance; newsletters/information exchange; training; education & consulting; national radiothon.

Getting Started

What is necessary to apply for an LPFM?

• The belief that Catholic Radio can be a powerful, positive influence in listener’s lives and the willingness to act.

• The applicant must be a non-profit entity with an educational goal or purpose, which would be furthered by use of a station. This can be as simple as two people being members of an unincorporated association (we’ll help you form it), a parish or a school.

• The residence of the parties to that entity or the headquarters of the entity must be within 10 miles of the proposed Community of License.

• Contact us by phone at  (864) 438-4801 or email to inquire, or begin the process.

Answers to Common Questions

What is the coverage area? The stations have a range of approximately 4-6 miles or more, enough to serve most small to mid-sized cities or a large section of a metropolitan area. Because of terrain and lack of adjacent channel interference, some LPFM’s are serving listeners over 15 miles from the transmit site!

What is an applicant? An applicant is an entity which makes application to the FCC for the authority to own and operate a broadcast facility.

What is the applicant’s responsibility? If the license is issued, the applicant becomes the licensee. The licensee is a public trustee of the license and is responsible to see that the station is operated in the public interest.

Could I use the FCC’s online channel finder to submit my application? Yes and no. It is possible to use the channel finder to locate a possible channel. Yet, the online finder is unwieldy and only searches a specific point of latitude and longitude which you enter. It does not locate available towers, show you the effect which height and terrain will have on your signal, maximize your height relative to average terrain or help you to locate the signal to provide the greatest coverage to population and highways.

The CRA’s engineers are among the best in the business. Their capacity to engineer winning applications was most recently displayed in the 2007 Noncommercial Educational FM window, winning over 70% of applications in a highly competitive environment. Equally important is the ability of the CRA to help coordinate the applications of multiple Catholic applicants in an area to maximize the opportunity for wins and lessen competition amongst Catholic applicants.

Will anything be placed on my property? In most cases, the stations are engineered for the antenna to be placed on a tower in the community. Depending upon how much local programming you desire to produce, the minimal space needed at the studio site would be for a personal computer.

How much will it cost me as an applicant? The cost to engineer and apply for the license will likely be $900 to $1,500.

What are some of the costs? The initial cost to acquire the broadcast equipment and construct the broadcast facilities is approximately $11-15,000. Ongoing costs would include electricity and internet and could include a tower lease, some liability insurance and music licensing. The CRA can help you estimate these costs more accurately once an engineering assessment is done and the antenna location is determined.

Are there any Catholic LPFM’s on the air today? Yes! They have been serving their communities well for several years already. Some of them include Great Falls and Helena, MT; Rogers, AR; Fort Madison, IA and Owensboro, KY.

Call (864) 438-4801

The Fruits of Catholic Radio

The effect Catholic Radio has on its listeners is powerful! In 2010 over 3,550 Catholic Radio listeners were polled about how Catholic Radio has impacted them. As you read the statistics, apply them to your local community and imagine the change Catholic Radio could bring to you and your neighbors!

94% say I am more spiritually engaged and inspired

38% say I’ve learned more about my faith from Catholic Radio than from any other source

29% say I have come back to the Church

48% say I attend Mass more often

52% say I am more active in my parish

40% say I tithe more

63 % say I am better equipped to pass on the Catholic faith to my kids

Go, and make disciples of all nations!

Catholic Radio Travel Guide

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Outlook:
The junk mail filter built into Microsoft Outlook, while unpretentious, is pretty capable and often sufficient. It is not perfect, though, and a helping hand does not hurt its performance.
One way you can help Outlook achieve better spam filtering accuracy is by adding known senders to its list of Safe Senders. This makes sure mail from these senders always goes directly to your Outlook Inbox, no matter what the junk mail algorithm might think.

You can also whitelist complete domains using Safe Senders. After signing up for The Catholic Radio Association newsletter, I have added “catholicradioassociation.org” to the list, for example.

To add an address or domain to Safe Senders in Outlook:

• Select Actions | Junk E-mail | Junk E-mail Options… from the menu in Outlook.
• Go to the Safe Senders tab.
• Click Add….
• Type the email address or domain name you want to whitelist.
  • To add a single address, type “info@catholicradioassociation.org”
  • To add a complete domain, type “catholicradioassociation.org “
  • Click OK
  • Click OK again

If you already have a message from the sender you want to add to the Safe Senders list in your Outlook Inbox (or the Junk E-mail folder, of course), the procedure is even easier:

• Open a message from the sender (or a sender at the domain) you want to add to Safe Senders.
• Select Actions | Junk E-mail and then Add Sender to Safe Senders List or Add Sender’s Domain “@catholicradioassociation.org” to Safe Senders List.

Outlook 2003:

Add a name to your Safe Senders or Safe Recipients List

You can add either the sender’s e-mail address or their domain name to the Safe Senders List.

On the Tools menu, click Options.
On the Preferences tab, under E-mail, click Junk E-mail.
Click the Safe Senders or Safe Recipients tab.
Click Add.
In the “Enter an e-mail address or Internet domain name to be added to the list” box, enter the name or address: info@catholicradioassociation.org, then click OK.
Repeat steps 4 and 5 for each name or address that you want to add.

Yahoo!:

To ensure that your RadioActive Messenger newsletter from the Catholic Radio Association is delivered to your Yahoo Inbox (not the Bulk Mail folder), you can instruct Yahoo to filter it to your Inbox. Here’s how:

• Open your Yahoo mailbox.
• Click Mail Options.
• Click Filters.
• Next, click Add Filter.
• In the top row, labeled From header: make sure contains is selected in the pull-down menu.
• Click in the text box next to that pull-down menu, then enter the address in the “From” line of your most recent RadioActive Messenger newsletter or E-Blast.
• At the bottom, where it says Move the message to: select Inbox from the pull-down menu.
• Click the Add Filter button again.

Thank you for white-listing the Catholic Radio Association.

Hotmail:

If you are using Hotmail, you can ensure that your RadioActive Messenger newsletter from the Catholic Radio Association is delivered to your Inbox by adding our “From” address to your Safe List. Here’s how:

• Click the Options tab.
• Select Safe List. (It’s under the heading Mail Handling.)
• In the space provided, enter the address in the “From” line of your most recent RadioActive Messenger newsletter or E-Blast.
• Click Add.
• When you see the address you entered in the Safe List box, click OK.

Thank you for white-listing the Catholic Radio Association.

 
AOL:
If you’re using AOL, you can ensure that your RadioActive Messenger from the Catholic Radio Association is delivered to your Inbox by setting your Mail Controls. Here’s how:

• Go to Keyword Mail Controls.
• Select the screen name to which we are sending your RadioActive Messenger newsletters.
• Click Customize Mail Controls For This Screen Name.

For AOL version 9.0: You need to add our sending address (info@catholicradioassociation.org)   to your “People I Know” list.

Open your latest Catholic Radio Association e-mail.
Click the Add Address button (over on the right) to add Catholic Radio Association to your “People I Know” list.
Alternatively, you can just send an e-mail to Catholic Radio Association (info@catholicradioassociation.org) “From” address, and that will add us to your “People I Know” list automatically.

For AOL version 7.0:   In the section for “exclusion and inclusion parameters”, include:
@catholicradioassociation.org
For AOL version 8.0:   Select Allow email from all AOL members, email addresses and domains.

• Click Next until the Save button shows up at the bottom.
• Click Save.

Thank you for white-listing the Catholic Radio Association.

Others:
Many popular e-mail programs, including Outlook, Outlook Express, Eudora, and Netscape Mail, don’t provide a convenient way for you to white-list the folks you want to receive e-mail from. If you’re using this sort of e-mail system and you either aren’t getting your Crossroads message from Dr. Marcellino D’Ambrosio or want to make sure you continue to receive your Crossroads Initiative Newsletter in the future, you can do something about it.

Contact the customer service people or the Postmaster at the company that provides your e-mail or Internet connection (your ISP). Explain to them that Crossroads Initiative Newsletter is e-mail that you asked for and value. Ask them if they can white-list Crossroads. They’ll probably ask you for some information about us. Here’s what to tell them:

• Sending Address: If they ask for our address, give them the address in the “From” line (info@catholicradioassociation.org).
• Domain: If they need to know the domain we’re mailing from, tell them: @catholicradioassociation.org
• IP Address: If they ask for our sending IP address, tell them: 216.84.198.225

Notes:
If you want your Contacts to be considered safe senders, select the Also trust e-mail from my Contacts check box on the Safe Senders tab. All e-mail addresses in your Contacts folder will then be used by the Junk E-mail Filter to evaluate messages.

If you want people who are not necessarily in your Contacts but are people you correspond with regularly to be considered safe senders, select the Automatically add people I e-mail to the Safe Senders List check box on the Safe Senders tab. By default, the check box is selected. This check box is introduced with Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 1. To get Service Pack 1, go to Downloads on Office Online. Under Office Update, click Check for Updates.
If Automatic Picture Download is turned off, messages from or to e-mail addresses or domain names on the Safe Senders and Safe Recipients Lists will be treated as exceptions and the blocked content will be downloaded.
If you have existing lists of safe names and addresses, you can import the information into Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 by saving the list into a text (.txt) file with one entry per line, and then importing the list.

To quickly add a sender, domain name, or mailing list name to the Safe Senders or Safe Recipients Lists, right-click the message you consider safe, and then on the shortcut menu, point to Junk E-mail, and then click Add Sender to Safe Senders List, Add Sender’s Domain (@catholicradioassociation.org) to Safe Senders List, or Add Recipient to Safe Recipients List.

If you are using a Microsoft Exchange Server e-mail account, names and e-mail addresses in the Global Address List (Global Address List: The address book that contains all user, group, and distribution list e-mail addresses in your organization. The administrator creates and maintains this address book. It may also contain public folder e-mail addresses.) are automatically considered safe.

If you are using an Exchange Server e-mail account and working online, you must be using Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 or later. If you do not know what version of Exchange server your e-mail account is using, contact your Exchange administrator.

Thank you for taking the time to whitelist the Catholic Radio Association!