-107.5 FM Constitution Handbook-

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Mission Statement

107.5 FM is an independent radio station funded and operated by the students and produced for the community of Truman State University. 107.5 FM is different from the mainstream. Our staff strives to stay ahead of the times in every sense. A strong ambition by the staff to play the best music, maintain the most original shows and collaborate creatively is vital to this process. It is our common goal to provide a quality radio service to the community that can’t be found anywhere else in the Kirksville area. Our purposes include:

Providing listeners on the Truman State University campus and its outlying vicinity with a schedule of educational, informational and entertainment programming.

Providing students interested in broadcasting with the opportunity to gain experience in the operation of a radio station with their peers.

Providing Truman State University and its many organizations with an effective instrument of public information.

These purposes shall be achieved through the following means:

The combination of campus, local, statewide, national and international information of value to the community, particularly that which is not provided by other local media.

Allowing the students to actively participate in the administration, organization and programming of the radio station along with the control they exercise over their own shows.

Official Station Policy

107.5 FM operates by the authority of Dobson Hall and Truman State University to serve the public interest, convenience and necessity. 107.5 FM shall maintain its broadcast program policies while voluntarily operating under the specified conditions of the Federal Communications Commission. Any willful violation of 107.5 FM, Residence Life or Truman State University policies shall be grounds for discipline. Internal procedures shall be developed by the staff of 107.5 FM to ensure strict adherence to applicable rules and regulations by all station personnel.



History

107.5 FM, originally known as Dobson Radio, began as a class assignment for several students in 1994 under the 99.7 frequency. The station broadcast until 1996 and then was reborn on St. Patrick’s Day in 1997. The reception varied from the second floor initially to the entire hall in 1999. In 2002, the station was reopened yet again with the 107.5 frequency. This time it was moved to the fourth floor studio and was upgraded with a new transmitter and antennae. 2003 was the first year that the Dobson Radio broadcast reached the entire campus. Dobson Radio was renamed 107.5 FM in January 2005. Since its beginning, 107.5 FM has been a non-profit organization supported by various fund-raisers and donations.

Reception

In 1994, Computer Services Director, David Rector, Instructional Technology Center personnel, Clifton Brown and KNEU advisor, John Hart all approved of the creation of Dobson Radio as long as the station would willingly cease operations if an unforeseen conflict due to broadcast or reception ever arose. Broadcast would be allowed to resume once a solution was formed. Broadcast should be discontinued during times of severe weather and the transmitter should be turned off. The transmitter and antenna can both be easily damaged during harsh conditions.



Requirements

To be on staff, you need not be a resident of any hall. To be considered an active member of 107.5 FM, a person must fill out an application, sign the student contract, go through a training process and be responsible for at least one broadcast hour per week. Each student can use their broadcast time as they see fit. This includes playing the music of their choice. If two staff members are on one show, they must each be responsible for one broadcast hour per week. Broadcast hours can be combined as long as each person has one hour.

Management and Operation of 107.5 FM

107.5 FM is managed entirely by the students. All management positions are filled each year by qualified students who make proper application for the selected position. These positions include:

Station Manager
Assistant Manager
Music Director
Public Relations Director
Promotions Director
Advertisements Director
Technical Director
Webmaster

These staff members have the responsibility of developing, producing and programming for 107.5 FM . Essential policy decisions governing radio station operations are made on the management level with active input from the entire staff. A weekly meeting is required for all management positions except for the Webmaster. New positions are not only allowed, but encouraged as the station grows and the need arises. Although it is not recommended, these positions can be combined if necessary. If a Director is unable to continue holding their position, they should give advanced notice and suggest or find acceptable replacements. All managerial replacements must be approved by the entire management staff. All managerial dismissals must be approved by the entire management staff (the person or persons in question not included) unless the person holding the position violated 107.5 FM, Residence Life or Truman State University codes of conduct. Positions in management should be filled as soon as realistically possible. If the position of Station Manager becomes vacant and the management staff cannot agree on a replacement, the candidate or candidates will be voted on by the entire staff. Often, the workloads for each department can be disproportionate. Sharing tasks and duties is a productive and beneficial obligation which all the Directors share with each other. Although the Station Manager handles financial matters, another staff member should be responsible for maintaining receipts and other financial records.

Station Manager

Plan and implement station policy by assuring the station abides by all rules of Residence Life, Truman State University and the Federal Communications Commission.

Manage station and legal regulatory affairs and oversee the station as a whole.

Supervise all on-air staff and ensure the training of new members.

Organize an on-air schedule for the staff.

Conduct weekly meetings with all directors and a monthly meeting with the entire staff.

Oversee and maintain the financial aspects of the station along with the management team.

Provide a frequent form of communication with all members of 107.5 FM.

Act as the representative of the station and staff to the Truman and Kirksville community.


Assistant Manager

Assist the Station Manager in administrative duties.

Act as Station Manager in the temporary absence of the office.

Check the logs to ensure that the staff is meeting their hourly expectations.

Schedule artists and groups to regularly perform live in the 107.5 FM Concert Series.

Keep a record of all station materials.

Music Director

Maintain the 107.5 FM music library.

Continuously create night time music to be played during off air hours.

Adjust and enforce music guidelines as necessary.

Approve or deny all questionable music to be played over the air.

Actively monitor and ensure that strict music policies are being followed.

Develop relationships with record companies to receive promotional materials.

Public Relations Director

Develop and maintain a strong relationship with the hall, university, community and all campus organizations.

Provide announcements, public service announcements and useful information from these sources for the station.

Encourage the broadcast of local, state, national, international and especially campus news.

Arrange and organize all fundraisers with the Promotional Director.

Act as the public liaison for 107.5 FM in conjunction with the Promotions Director.


Promotions Director

Develop and distribute station promotional and informational materials.

Advertise the events and general programming associated with 107.5 FM using a diverse array of mediums.

Plan and join campus events to encourage the increased listenership, reputation and general visibility of 107.5 FM.

Arrange and organize all fundraisers with the Public Relations Director.

Act as the public liaison for 107.5 FM in conjunction with the Public Relations Director.


Advertisements Director

Actively seek out paid sponsorships for underwriting advertisements on 107.5 FM.

Oversee the regular billing and monitor the customer satisfaction associated with paying sponsors.

Ensure the paid underwriting advertisements are being read or played as required.

Keep all advertising in compliance with FCC restrictions for non-commercial radio.

Technical Director

Be familiar with all station equipment.

Ensure the maintenance of all equipment.

Identify and arrange all necessary additions, updates and renovations to the station and equipment.

Fix or arrange the fixing of all broken or damaged station property.

Maintain staff directory.


Webmaster

Maintain and update the 107.5 FM website and staff message board.

Provide open communication between 107.5 FM and Information Technology Services.


Weekly Management Meetings

The management staff of 107.5 FM acts as a democracy during their required weekly meetings. All members have an equal right to express their opinions and introduce ideas as they arise. All members can vote on an issue if it is deemed necessary. A majority is required for any policy to pass, although most topics rarely require a vote. The Station Manager has the ultimate veto power, but it should be strongly avoided and only used in the best interests of the station as a whole. Extra or emergency meetings may be called by any management staff.

Monthly Station Meetings

The management staff of 107.5 FM is required to hold at least one meeting for the entire staff every month. The Station Manager and the other directors must present station and department updates to generate feedback from the staff. Although the management staff is responsible for deciding what happens at the station, it is best that they represent the needs and desires of the students as expressed in these meetings. There should always be some time set aside for the staff to ask questions, make suggestions and decide with management on pressing issues. Roll call must be taken. Disciplinary action may result if a staff member doesn’t show up without prior notice.

Disciplinary Action

The Station Manager and management staff are empowered to impose disciplinary action upon staff who are operating outside of 107.5 FM, Residence Life or Truman State University guidelines. The action taken will be determined on a case by case basis and may include suspension or termination from the air and the station itself. The signing of the student contract to prevent many of the major offenses is required by all staff members. The rules in this document apply to all staff as a supplement to the ones outlined in the student contract.

Studio

The rules and regulations of Residence Life and Truman State University apply to 107.5 FM as well. The removal of anything from the station without management approval will not be tolerated. Willful or negligent use of station equipment is grounds for punishment. The studio must be returned to order for the following operator. As the operator on duty, never leave the studio unattended.

Language

No obscene or foul language will be permitted. Words and/or phrases relating to excretory functions will be forbidden. Likewise, no racial, sexual or discriminatory references will be accepted. Any intentional use of these words and/or phrases may result in immediate expulsion from the station.

Obscene speech is not protected by the First Amendment and cannot be broadcast at any time. To be obscene, material must fail any part of a three-prong test:

- An average person, applying contemporary community standards, must find that the material, as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest;

- The material must depict or describe, in a patently offensive way, sexual conduct specifically defined by applicable law;

- The material, taken as a whole, must lack serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value.

Politics and Editorials

107.5 FM will not deal with the promotion of any political figures or parties, though interviews and debates are allowed. It is required that all sides of each issue be presented and that all applicable groups must be consulted. If this rule is violated, serious consequences can follow. Therefore, 107.5 FM will not endorse political parties or campaigns. This applies to campus, local, state and national politics.

Editorializing is allowed to a certain extent, but certainly not encouraged. An operator is allowed to report news and give their own opinions, but it is station policy to avoid extremely controversial issues. The same rules about politics apply to editorials. You must tell both sides of the story and be cautious not to libel or slander.

Music

Music that is sexually explicit, glorifies or promotes violence or that is legally obscene will not be permitted. No derogatory references to creed, religion, race or sex should be used on the air. Songs of questionable content should be avoided. Words and phrases of questionable meaning should be edited. Each announcer is directly responsible for any music played during their time of operation. Any questions should be forwarded to the Music Director. Upon approval, music submitted for overnight programming becomes property of the radio station.

Any musical interest one might like to explore is not only allowed, but encouraged.

Sponsorships

Although sponsorships are the job of the Advertisements Director, many students find more sponsors for the station or their own shows. Prices must be set by management. All sponsorships will be announced by the Advertisements Director and included in the daily log. Therefore DJs are not to advertise for other events, stores or activities without permission from management. Because we are a non-commercial station, our sponsorship policies are strict. Sponsorships cannot use qualitative or comparative words orcalls to action. If you have any questions regarding these rules, contact the management team.

Logs

The log must be filled out by the operator for each hour of daily programming. Failure to announce and/or make required log entries is a punishable violation at 107.5 FM. The only person allowed to mark or correct the log is the original operator on duty.

Public File

Every radio station is required to maintain a public file. This is a file containing all letters written or sent to the radio station. By law, the file must be kept up to date and shown to anyone who asks to see it without any delay whatsoever.

Absences

In the event a DJ is unable to fill their time spot, they must find their own substitute. They must notify management immediately if aware of absence. If a shift is left without an announcer, disciplinary action may follow. After three unexcused absences, their position with 107.5 FM will be terminated. The previous operator is required to allow music to run through the next operator’s shift or until they arrive.

Guests

Every guest must follow all guidelines set forth by 107.5 FM, Residence Life and Truman State University. The actions of every guest become the responsibility of the operator on duty once that person is in the radio station. If another person is added as a permanent member of a show, management must be notified. This includes people who are already part of 107.5 FM.


Calls

Callers must be treated with courtesy at all times. By law, callers must be asked beforehand for permission to record and play them over the air.

Announcing Tips

This may sound silly, but smile - the microphone really does pick it up.
Changing the expression on your face changes the tone of your voice.
Think positive and you will sound professional and confident.
Stop before the listener wants you to. Always leave them begging for more.
Plan your show.
Develop segments for your show.
Pre-read all material.
In scripts, write like you would speak. Avoid long or hard to pronounce words and sentences.
In scripts, look up words you don’t understand.
Smooth the transitions between the music and your voice.
Identify the song and artist of each song as much as possible. Lack of identification is a complaint given by up to 90% of radio listeners.
Avoid station humor and inside jokes.
Avoid greeting friends and other staff on the air.
Watch your language in the studio. “The microphone is always open.”
Do not touch the microphone.
Keep distance from the microphone (about ten inches).
Do not touch the table or move chairs while on the air. This makes unnecessary noise.
Avoid dead air.
Watch your voice speed.
Do not discredit other DJs, music or shows.
Do not brag about yourself over the air.
Do not use radio lingo or station words.
Do not mock sponsorships, promos or PSAs.
Do not use material recorded from other radio stations.
Do not beg for requests.



FCC Violations

Failure to identify station.
Use of fake call letters and station identification.
Failure to maintain public file.
Failure to immediately present public file to anyone.
Misuse or false distress and safety frequencies.
Transmission of indecent material.
Unauthorized broadcast of telephone calls.
Violation of political rules.
Violation of broadcast hoax rules.
Violation of underwriting rules.
Failure to permit inspection.
Malicious interference.
Illegal antenna height.
Illegal equipment.


Contacts

107.5 FM Studio Line – (660) 785-5405

107.5 FM Website – http://dobsonradio.truman.edu

Station Manager E-mail – radio1075fm@hotmail.com

Assistant Manager E-mail – radio1075fmasst@hotmail.com

Music Director E-mail – radio1075fmmusic@hotmail.com

Public Relations Director E-mail – radio1075fmpr@hotmail.com

Promotions Director E-mail - radio1075fmpromo@hotmail.com

Advertisements Director E-mail – radio1075fmads@hotmail.com

Technical Director E-mail – radio1075fmtec@hotmail.com

Webmaster E-mail – dobsonrabiowebmaster@yahoo.com

AOL Instant Messenger – Radio1075FM