We’re always interested in new shows! But first, let’s make sure this is the right station for you. Our mission is to be an open voice to inform, connect, amplify, and entertain the diverse communities of Baton Rouge. Programming is created by the community and we generally expect to broadcast a diverse mixture that:
- entertains and educates people’s musical, literary, and cultural interests;
- inspires action-oriented listeners who seek civic improvement and fresh visions for Baton Rouge;
- nurtures ongoing dialogues across races and cultures; and,
- fosters collaboration for community progress.
Our diverse audience of listeners includes people committed to:
- environment and conservation;
- education innovation, showcasing, and reform;
- youth-oriented and youth-conducted programming;
- civic engagement, leadership, and neighborhood action;
- community work of and by special populations, i.e., women’s issues, crime abatement, and transportation;
- “think tank” seekers of innovative civic ideas from other communities to build local knowledge and discourse; and,
- local arts and cultural expansion, including the process of creation in multiple mediums, the writing and reading of poetry, and the up-close look at local artists and musicians engaged in the craft of creation.
Submission and Selection and Scheduling Process
To submit a proposal, download the proposal form, complete it, and turn it in along with an MP3 program sample of at least 10 minutes (see Audio Editing Tips and Show Preparation Guidelines). Our Programming committee chair should let you know the items were received, and then makes them available to the rest of the committee, which meets to review all proposals periodically throughout the year. After meeting, they may write back and ask you to modify the proposal or fix a problem with the sample, or invite you to an in-person meeting to further discuss the show idea. Through this process, we should arrive at a show proposal that fits the station, and should end up with a high quality show sample that demonstrates your technical ability to handle the production work. Then you’ll need to attend one of our volunteer trainings where we go over FCC regulations and station policies, and you may be asked to prepare a full-length episode for final review.
Show Host Guidelines
- Indicate your commitment to this station (and the idea that non-profit community radio should flourish) by becoming a member of the station.
- This is a volunteer-run station. Show hosts don’t get paid.
- Having a show is a responsibility. Shows must be produced on-time and be of high quality.
- Our shows are mostly prerecorded, although some are live. You can produce your show here in our production studio, or at home on your own equipment.
- WHYR seeks unique programming otherwise unavailable in the area. Your show proposal should articulate how the program will distinguish itself from other local shows on this station and elsewhere on the dial.
- WHYR would like to bring something new and different to the Baton Rouge community. WHYR is not interested in topics and areas of interest that have already saturated the airwaves. Individuals proposing a program should understand WHYR’s programming prospectus, program grid, and understand how their program fits into the mission of the community radio station.
- Shows are typically 30 minutes, 1 hour, or 2 hours in length, and are typically run once-a-week. But we welcome unique proposals that are exceptions to this rule: for example, we would welcome a daily-produced 5-minute “cultural calendar” to be run a few times each day.
- Programming candidates should plan ahead. There are 52 weeks in a year. Hosting a radio program requires a lot of work and much preparation. It is easier to start with a 30-minute slot to get used to the amount of work involved, and then expand to a longer time slot when you are prepared to do so.
- All show hosts and DJs are considered ambassadors of WHYR and must display professional and polite behavior when performing duties in WHYR studios and interacting with the public on behalf of WHYR.
- Show hosts and DJs are expected to help raise funds for WHYR by seeking potential underwriters for their program, participating in on-air fund-drives, and/or being present at WHYR fundraising events and public functions. In other words, get involved in the station and help make it a success!
- WHYR’s broadcast license is noncommercial. Prospective programmers should disclose conflicts of interest during the proposal process. Shows focused on promoting one’s products, record label, books, etc. will not be considered. Your show should be a labor of love without financial gain to you or others.
- We wish to unite Baton Rouge and speak to listener’s minds. A calm conversation or debate on a religious or political topic is acceptable, but dogmatic preaching is not.
