You can run your station without a website insofar as it’s not essential to the ability to broadcast, but you’ll be missing out on a whole load of opportunities for connecting with your community. Here’s some of the jobs a website will do for you:
- show schedules to help listeners see the full range of programming and help them choose when to tune in
- provide marketing and publicity for the station and its services
- attract and recruit volunteers
- inform potential partners in the community about your work
- provide opportunities to interact with volunteers and supporters, for instance in forums, guestbooks or a news page
- assist revenue generation through online advertising, webshops and sales
- demonstrate to potential funders some of your achievements
- offer the facility to listen online for those out-of-range
- and much more
These are just some of the advantages of having a web presence. Take a look at some suggested content for a community radio station in the following pages.
Any arguments for not having a website? The only disadvantages really come down to time and money:
- you need someone to build and populate it
- it will need updating
- you may sometimes get more enquiries than you can deal with
Whether you’re setting up a website from scratch or have one you want to kick into shape, whether you’re doing it in-house or using an outside web designer, we hope you find these resources helpful guidance and food for thought. The reality for most of us is that developing a website is an ongoing process subject to a number of hurdles rather than being a one-off effort producing the perfect site. Good luck.
No Comments, Comment or Ping