Jim Murphy of Edgewater Radio

Edgewater Beacon: A radio station in Edgewater? How did you come up with the idea?

Jim Murphy of Edgewater Radio: The idea for Edgewater Radio came to me after someone in my Grand Cove apartment complex commented, “Wouldn’t it be great to have a radio station that served our complex?” Little did he know that I would take him seriously.

EB: How did you go about getting actually getting your station on the air?

JM: I began to research how to start a small community radio station that would be within the “legal” Federal Communications Commission limits. I learned that Part 15 of the FCC regulations covers individual and extremely localized stations, allowing for broadcasting at very low power levels.
  Unfortunately the rules are difficult to interpret. I began by purchasing two small FCC compliant transmitters, an AM and FM. The next task was to purchase an audio mixer and connect the input sources. I had two CD players, a microphone and two cassette tape decks.

EB: Sounds like a lot of work to put it together.

JM: Although I worked in the broadcast industry for over 20 years, I wasn’t an expert at the engineering process, to say the least. After several attempts, I had the mixer and audio connected. I now had to get the transmitters working properly and select available frequencies, which was a very difficult task in this area because so many frequencies are already taken up by stations. I first chose 94.5 for the FM. I realized that even though my power was too low to cause interference, I was too close to 94.7, a religious station that covers the metropolitan area. I decided to change the frequency to 94.3, with no New York stations to the immediate right or the left of my frequency.
  I tuned the transmitter to this frequency and began programming my CD’s and tapes as my initial broadcast. Although the signal covered only my building and nearby townhouses, I reassured myself that at least it was on the air. But I kept reading and researching ways to improve the signal and coverage area.
  I continued airing CD’s and tapes ranging from oldies to country to rock. I then connected the AM transmitter and set the frequency to 1630. The FCC allows a little more coverage for AM under Part 15 rules.

EB: Did you run into any other obstacles?

JM: Well, this is where my problems began. AM Radio requires a good ground system. Being located on the second floor of my complex, it was very difficult to establish an effective ground connection. The signal went basically nowhere (it barely covered my apartment). I kept working on the grounding and antenna. Height is also a problem since the top of the antenna is less than 20 feet off the ground. Even though I’ve improved the signal somewhat, I’m still having problems getting the AM signal to cover the area that it is supposed to (it now covers about 60% of the Grand Cove Complex). I’m considering purchasing a second transmitter to add additional coverage.

EB: For those who haven’t tuned in yet, what can you tell them about the station’s programming?

JM: I quickly settled on a permanent format for the station. Since I’m an avid music collector, I did not have to invest in music. The format is a wide variety of oldies ranging from popular standards like Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole and Ella Fitzgerald, to 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s pop hits. I try to stay away from anything too “hard.” Although most of this music can be heard on several types of radio stations, you can’t hear this combination of music on one station.

EB: How do you handle the actual broadcasting?

JM: The next step after settling on the format was to automate. I purchased a new computer and began converting my music to MP3’s so they could be played on the computer. I chose software to run the programming. I then connected the computer to the audio console. This worked perfectly. I can either record my voice to insert into the program or announce live. For practical purposes, it makes more sense to record voice inserts. I started inserting local events and community information into the broadcast.

EB: How can people who don’t live in the immediate vicinity of Grand Cove listen to your broadcasts?

JM: Since the air signal’s coverage area is so limited, I decided to put the station on the Internet so that it is available to everyone. I did more research and chose a web host. I developed a system to upload the programming to the Internet. I’m currently working with two databases, one for the “on air” transmission and one for the internet, although the programming is essentially the same. I then developed a Web site, at www.edgewaterradio.freeservers.com, and established a link to the radio station.

EB: So, now Edgewater has its very own radio station. What do you hope to achieve?

JM: One of the my main goals is to develop another outlet for the citizens of Edgewater to air community information, ideas, news, upcoming events and ideas, no matter how big or how small they may be. Radio today has lost its local flavor and has become consumed by big business and consultants that deliver very limited “cookie cutter” formats.
  I’ve lived in Edgewater for two years. During my twenty years of radio experience, I’ve worked at seven commercial radio stations and have been an adjunct professor in the Communications Department at William Paterson University. I have a love for the industry and would like to use my experience to serve the community.

Edgewater Radio can be heard on the web at www.edgewaterradio.freeservers.com, and on the air at 1630AM and 94.3FM.

9/4/00

2/10/00: Councilwoman Neda Rose