Be a DJ, host a talk show, produce broadcast content! Entertain, educate, uplift… share your passions… teach people new things… learn new things yourself… keep your neighbors informed… play under-represented music that people ought to hear.

We’re the most powerful community-owned radio station in Vermont and New Hampshire, perhaps the entire northeast. We’re here for the mid-Connecticut River Valley community on both sides of the microphone.

As a program host, you’ll get a weekly time slot; they’re usually an hour or two, and we’ll do everything we can to accommodate your schedule. We provide the training and tools, and you take it from there. You’re the board operator, the producer, the phone screener, the receptionist. It’s all you!

As a dynamic, volunteer-driven organization, our documentation may change from time to time to keep up with our consensus and equipment. Most of WOOL’s policies are memorialized in our Program Host Training Manual; some of them aren’t in the manual, but are nevertheless valid.  Active members of our community should acquaint themselves with all of these documents. Ignorantia legis neminem excusat.

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS TO BE A PROGRAM HOST:

1. Read the WOOL Membership Policy and the The 1-2-3 Policy: From New Member to Host. Fill out the WOOL Membership Form.

2. You have to be a member in good standing at the $60 host level. (If you’re already a member at the regular level, you can upgrade. If you need to do that, let us know.)

3. Apply to become a Program Host by filling out the following documents and submitting the forms:

A) Program Host Application         
B) Host Contract

4. There will be a minimum of three 2-hour training sessions. When you let us know that you’d like to do a show, someone from the station will contact you to arrange a training schedule that works for both you and our trainers. (Please note that WOOL is an entirely volunteer-run organization, and sometimes things unintentionally fall through the cracks. We do our best to be as quick and efficient as we can, but if you don’t hear from us within a few days, please do contact us — you can send an email, or call the station at (802) 463-WOOL (9665).)

5. You’ll need to pass a hands-on test and a multiple-choice written test to demonstrate your understanding of the rules, regulations, and policies that we have to follow, and the proper use of the broadcast equipment. Here is a list of documents that you need to read, sign, and/or initial the pages:

A) Broadcasting Policies and Guidelines
B) Dropbox Policy
C)  A Broadcast Indecency Quiz
D)  Political Advocacy and Candidacy Policies
E)  Community Responsive Programming Log (Issue Log)
F)  Visitor Log
G)  Station Log
H)  Broadcast Release Agreement

STUDY GUIDES:

A)  Host Training Manual
B) The Public and Broadcasting (An FCC overview)
C) Administration Policies
D)  Great Falls Community Broadcasting Company Bylaws
E)  Host Refresher Notes

EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM (EAS)

A)  EAS Manual Activation Instructions
B)  EAS Manual Activation Log
C)  EAS Handbook (need to study)
D)  EAS Log Instructions
E)  EAS Log

5. After you finish training and are a certified WOOL program host, we’ll work with you to find the best available time slot for your show. Many time slots are already spoken for, but together we’ll figure something out that fits your schedule.

WHAT ABOUT PEOPLE UNDER 18 YEARS OLD?

Hosts under the age of 18 are required to have a trained adult supervisor with them in the studio at all times. WOOL does not provide adult supervisors. The supervisor is typically a parent or guardian who takes training at the same time as the minor child, and they assume legal responsibility on the air and on the premises. Additional Documents for Youth Hosts:

A)  Parental Authorization Form (for Youth Training)
B)  Adult Supervisor Agreement

WHY SO MUCH TRAINING?

It’s WOOL’s goal that the program hosts are comfortable on the air and are very familiar with the rules. Following the rules is important, especially the ones imposed by the FCC. Compliance is essential to keeping our broadcasting license — yes, it can be taken away. Other policies and procedures mostly have to do with being respectful: of the equipment, the studio, the listeners, and your fellow program hosts.

A COUPLE OTHER THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT:

Before becoming an official program host, you need to sign a host contract in which you agree to abide by the rules and regulations, and to accept responsibility for the consequences if you don’t. It also contains our harassment policy, and a parental/guardian authorization in the case of legal minors. The contract is non-expiring, but you may be asked to renew it periodically anyway.