What is Radio Free Burning Man?

RFBM is a full-time, 24-hour operation radio broadcast station serving the temporary community of Black Rock City, NV.  The station is operated live at all times by members of RFBM staff.  The station interacts with the public via a customer service style counter which happens to also be the on-air studio.  This open-to-the-public approach to broadcasting is intended to bring citizens as close to the medium as possible while maintaining a professional sound over the air.  The station complies with FCC Part-15 rules for intentional radiators.

What is served to the community?

Most citizens of Black Rock bring some sort of broadcast receiver to the playa.  There is little-to-no FM station coverage in northern Washoe County, and none of that is much use to people arriving for a week in this unique city.  A forum for broadcast of news, general information, specific announcements and cohesive entertainment from the center of this community is vital for the well being of all who attend.  What RFBM does goes far beyond the limits of real-world contemporary broadcast theory, where the audience itself is offered to advertisers and marketers as a product.  RFBM follows the various models and ideals of community broadcasting as practiced by the ever marginal non-commercial broadcast sector. It is hoped that with a liberal open-door policy to the community of Black Rock, most people’s ideal of what a radio station should be, can be satisfied. For many listeners, RFBM is their first encounter with non-commercial community broadcasting. The station is able to be non-commercial because there is no ownership-control issue in its programming. Air time is neither bought nor sold. There are no advertisers or commercial interests. The open-to-the-public design allows Black Rock City to serve itself.

What is the Station’s Format?

Format in radio programming is intended to sell advertising time based on perceptions of audience demographics.  Radio Free Burning Man, as non-commercial radio should be, has no commercial interest in reaching the largest share of audience available, so trying to target a specific audience has no incentive.  Since the content of programming is totally dependent on what staff members and visitors bring to the studio, there is no “format” that can accurately describe what one is likely to hear on the air.  People who ask about format are generally unfamiliar with the kind of programming typical of well run community non-commercial radio.  Also, format mostly describes a kind of radio which is exclusively music-oriented providing no local news, interviews, live descriptions of entertainment events, other than brief banter provided during back-announce breaks between advertisements and blocks of over-played music.  (see on-air schedules...)

So what is likely to be heard on the air?

There are practical limits for RFBM staff to provide full-bore news and public affairs programming as RFBM’s technology is quite limited to the live on-air studio.  What anyone is likely to hear at any given time are unfamiliar music tracks surrounded by live mic breaks consisting mostly of spontaneous interviews and the reading of freshly written public service announcements from people who have come to RFBM to get a message out. Music is what most listeners use to identify a station and decide whether or not they will continue to listen. Radio Free Burning Man staff challenge listeners to treat radio as a foreground medium rather than the background for some other activity. Listeners are treated to a wide range of music atypical of contemporary popular radio formats, but not necessarily unique to Black Rock City.

Why not just build a puppet stage or a laser-rave camp?

We do radio. We like radio. There is a built-in culture around radio broadcasting, and while much of that culture is indistinguishable from the rest of Black Rock City, radio is still something worth doing and worth doing right. We provide a radio station that all of Black Rock City's participants can be part of.

Can I get my band's CD added to your music library?

RFBM's music library is of what the on-air staff have bring to do their show. Since our studio is our public office, you can bring in your own recordings of yourself or your band and give it to whomever is on the air. Maybe the DJ will play it if you're willing to do an interview on the spot. We are currently trying to build a special library of contributions for repeated airing at the event. Some material may be added to this library.

We accept submissions before the event. Please email our music department to find out more:

music [AT] rfbm [DOT] org

 

Our music director has set these rules for submitting music:

1. Submissions won't be returned.
2. Only one copy of a title should be submitted.
3. There is no guarantee that your submission will be aired.
4. Vinyl is acceptable only if I decide to add something, and I have the capacity to digitize it.
5. If somebody wants to send MP3's, then the file size needs to fit within the parameters of what Yahoo email allows for send and receive.

 

Submissions are seen usually as shallow promotional ploys, not consistent with the norms of the Burning Man community. Consider that a live-mic performance at RFBM is worth a lot more than a recorded one. See our new music page.

If I contact you now, will you schedule me for air-time?

We are always looking for new people who can contribute in a meaningful way and keep this station happening. Our work ethic stresses that staff get to be DJs only if they work toward the logistical, operational and financial goals of the station. If you feel you have what it takes to join RFBM, please contact our station's general manager:

info [AT] rfbm [DOT] org

Can I get something announced over the air?

Yes. Come up to the station, open the front door and walk in. Sometimes people are on the air doing something live, sometimes they are just playing a song. Be prepared to go live at the next break and be interviewed. Your own voice is much more attractive than our reading your handwriting. To submit material to us prior to the playa, email our station's general manager:

info [AT] rfbm [DOT] org