
How to get the Grateful Dead Hour on the air in your town!


* The Grateful Dead Hour has been in national syndication since 1987.
It is the only authorized Grateful Dead radio program, and the only one
with complete access to the Dead's tape library.

* David Gans, the producer/host of the Grateful Dead Hour,  is the
author of two books about the Dead: Playing in the Band: an Oral and
Visual Portrait of the Grateful Dead (with Peter Simon) and
Conversations with the Dead.

* The Grateful Dead Hour is produced on a Macintosh computer using the
Sonic Solutions system, from analog and digital master tapes.

* More than 70 radio stations air the Grateful Dead Hour each week.

* This is not a cult, this is a culture. And an economy: The Grateful
Dead grossed $45.6 million in 1993 in ticket sales alone.

* Cost: Radio stations pay money for the Grateful Dead Hour. It's an
unusual arrangement in this day and age, but it gives each local
community a stake in the success of the program.


Choose a station

There are two kinds of radio stations: commercial and public. We deal
with both types, but they are handled differently. Among commercial
stations, obviously, rock-oriented stations are more likely to be
interested than jazz, classical, news-talk, etc. Public, community and
college stations generally have more eclectic fare, so it's often
possible to get the Grateful Dead Hour added to the schedule on the
basis of listener demand and the excellence of the program itself.

Sponsorship

Commercial stations will be much more interested in the Grateful Dead
Hour if we bring them a sponsor.  If you know of a record store, bar,
law firm, car dealership, or whatever - anyone who might be willing to
buy advertising - ask them to contact the station's sales department.
Public (or college or community) stations do not take advertising, but
most of them accept "underwriting" (similar to advertising, but with
specific restrictions as to what is said on the air).  Again, if you
know of any business that might be interested (and it can be just about
any kind of business, or even a group of individuals!), ask them to get
in touch with the station.  The other thing that's important to
public/community stations is memberships.  If we can show them that
large numbers of listeners will become members and contribute money to
the station, we will definitely have their attention.  If the first
station you contact just plain refuses to take on the show, try another
one.  Sometimes a station won't be interested no matter how many
listeners stand on their heads.  Sometimes a station warms up to the
idea right away but simply doesn't have a time slot open.  Give the
station time to do what it needs to do to determine if and when it can
add the Grateful Dead Hour. If it declines the offer, turn to another
station in your area.  The Grateful Dead Hour is available to any
station that wants it; the trick is to find one near you that does.

Get every Deadhead in town to write to that radio station

Every radio station wants more listeners. We need to show them that
there are hundreds, even thousands, of fans ready to tune in and stay
tuned.  Write to your local station's program director and say in your
own words why you'd like to hear the Grateful Dead Hour.  A thoughtful
and enthusiastic letter carries more weight than a phone call; letters
have a way of piling up on a program director's desk, providing a
concrete indication of listener interest.

A week or two after you write, place a call to the station to see if
anything has developed, and ask if there's anything you can do to help
make it happen. Letters from a large number of listeners will be more
persuasive than multiple contacts from a small number of people. Be
positive, and be polite.  Sometimes a petition can be helpful. A few
hundred signatures, gathered at a sympathetic record store, bar, or
concert will show the radio people how serious this community is about
our radio program. Be sure to present this petition as a show of
enthusiastic support, not as pressure.

Keep us posted

If you get some interest from the station, give them our address and
phone number and give us the name and number of the person you've been
in touch with.  We will follow through and keep you posted.  Be
inventive. You know your city much better than we do. Make something
up! Organizing the community is a great way to meet other Heads in your
area, make new taping con-tacts, etc.


And when the Grateful Dead Hour is on the air...

Let the station, and especially the advertisers or underwriters, know
you appreciate their support of the Grateful Dead Hour. If you're a
member of your public radio station, be sure to mention the Grateful
Dead Hour when you renew your membership; if you haven't joined the
station, make sure you (and all your friends) sign up with a specific
notice that you're doing so in support of the Grateful Dead Hour.  If
it's a commercial station, write to the station and support those
advertisers!  

