About Free-Form Broadcasting
Having "freeform" broadcast format simply means that the selection of recordings we play is not predetermined or limited in scope. A live radio program where the DJ[s] select tracks on the fly at their own descretion [along with listenser requests], represents the essence of freeform radio, and that is what you will most often hear on WMCN.
How WMCN does it:
At the start of every Macalester semester the WMCN staff selects about 60 proposed weekly two-hour shows from applications and reapplications [see DJ application info]. These DJs are essentially granted complete control of the content during their two-hour program, which usually fall under the theme of that program. We require only that our DJs respect FCC regulations and make occasional public service announcements that benefit the community. Also, though it is not required, we ask that DJs try to include new releases in every show because it benefits independant artists.
Having 68-70 short programs per week is a necessity for WMCN since all of our DJs are volunteers and most are full-time students that cannot commit a great deal of time to being on-air. We also feel that the community benefits of making so many people a part of the station outweigh what we lose in consistancy. To keep things from getting too confusing, we try to group programs with complimentary themes as much as possible, and release a detailed guide.
Why WMCN does it:
We choose to be a freeform station not because it's a lot of fun [though it is], but mainly because we believe that the radio convention of restricting musical content to a predetermined playlist is a disservice to the public. Also, WMCN seeks to provide a service that is significantly different from other local stations' [see charter] and broadcasting in freeform certainly achieves that.
There are two common justifications behind
the use of such playlists. Most commercial stations use them first to please advertisers, and second to please recording giants. For one thing, it is a misconception that catering to advertisers first and listeners third increases profits. With sufficient promotional cash, a station that truly put the listener first would be so wildly popular that advertisers would beg for spots. Regardless, neither corporate sponsors, nor recording giants, nor profit has a place at WMCN. Many public & nonprofit stations point to various studies justifying limited playlists on the basis that most people prefer to hear mostly songs that they already know while new tracks are gently phased into rotation. This does indicate that people will enjoy a non-freeform format that fits their tastes, but it does not indicate that a freeform station is less effective. In fact, a freeform station has the same sorts of heavy-to-light rotations that listeners enjoy, as would be defined in a playlist, but freeform rotations develope dynamically from listener requests and DJ preferences. Thus, a freeform broadcast can have the same benefits while providing far more more interesting and original radio with far greater variety and flexibility. Long live freeform.