Why Present on Mushroom FM?

Mushroom FM is a fun, supportive place to broadcast. We promote ourselves in innovative ways that encourage people to hear us, and most importantly, our standards in terms of audio production and presentation are very high. Right from our classy JAM jingle package to our innovative promos, Mushroom FM has become synonymous with excellence.

Every one of us is a volunteer, but we believe that in no way allows us to produce shows of any lesser quality than if we were being paid the big bucks. We all possess a strong work ethic, and a pride in our own and the station's performance. It’s these factors that keep listeners coming back for more, and recommending us to their friends. There's not much point in putting all the hard work in if the listeners aren't there to hear it. With Mushroom FM, you become part of a well-established and popular brand, with a loyal and growing listener base.

The fact that Mushroom FM broadcasters host shows exclusively on Mushroom FM means you won't be working on a project where a colleague one moment is a competitor the next, making for a cooperative, supportive, congenial atmosphere. The Mushroom FM team is like a family. If you'd like to read about our policy on working with competing Internet radio projects, you can read this blog post.

Many of our broadcasters have significant broadcasting, training, and technical experience, meaning you'll be part of a team who can help you develop your craft.

We have a great new broadcaster's manual that will get you up to speed quickly.

Mushroom Fm runs on its own dedicated server. You can be sure we have the infrastructure to ensure stable, quality broadcasting, and the provision of technologies like podcasting so your show gets maximum exposure.

You may want to present a show that features a wide range of music, or perhaps specialize in a genre such as folk, jazz or country. Either kind of show is welcome here at Mushroom FM.

Most of our shows are live, and we prefer live content where possible. This is because listeners can use email and social media to interact with the show. It makes it more fun for them, and it also makes it more fun for you because you're getting real time feedback. However, there may be a number of reasons why you may want to become a Fun Guy and host a prerecorded show. Our popularity means that maybe a slot simply isn't available that works for you at the moment. Perhaps you'd feel happier prerecording a show to begin with, and then work your way up to going live. Maybe you want to host a specialist kind of show which doesn't lend itself to a great deal of interactivity. Whatever the reason, if you'd like to host a prerecorded show, get in touch, we'd love to hear from you.

We look for people who

• Are excellent communicators who can establish a good rapport with their audience.
• Have an engaging style that will encourage listener loyalty to your show
• Are team players, able to interact maturely and cooperatively with colleagues.
• Possess excellent literacy skills with a high standard of written presentation, and the ability to follow clear instructions.

While the majority of our broadcasters happen to be blind, blindness is in no way a requirement. No discrimination here. If you can present to our kind of standards, you'd be very welcome.

How the Mushroom FM Application Process Works

The Mushroom FM application process is designed to ensure that both you and we feel we make a good fit, to make sure you present your first show in a way that maintains our high standards and shows you doing your best work. There is only one time to make a first impression after all.

The Mushroom FM Application Process consists of the following steps:

• Letter of Application and recorded demo
• Skype Interview
• Working with a mentor
• Live Audition if you intend broadcasting live

Letter of Application

If you wish to express an interest in Mushroom FM, send a letter of application to Mushroom FM's Station Manager, Jonathan Mosen, outlining the kind of show you are interested in presenting and why you would like to be a part of Mushroom FM. This letter of application should also include a link to a sample of your work. It can be an archive of an existing show if you currently broadcast elsewhere, or a recording you have made specifically for Mushroom FM. If you would like to host a prerecorded show, send a sample of how it would sound on Mushroom FM. The important thing is, we need to hear what you sound like.

Skype Interview

If we are interested in further discussing bringing you on board, you will be invited for a phone or Skype interview. The purpose of the interview is to allow us to get to know you, and to give you the opportunity to ask questions.

Working with a Mentor

If, after the interview, we believe you and Mushroom FM are a good match in principle, you will be provisionally accepted onto the station. At this point, you will be issued with a comprehensive new broadcaster's manual, and assigned a mentor. The mentor is an experienced Mushroom FM broadcaster who knows the ropes. She or he will work with you up until, and for a while after, your first Mushroom FM show.

A mentor will be assigned to meet your specific requirements. For example, if you have excellent presentation skills but are new to Internet streaming, we'll assign you someone particularly skilled in that area.

Live Audition

If you have reached this point, what it means is that in principle we think you may have what it takes, and are willing to invest time working with you to see if we can make it happen. But the technical and physical rigors of a live show, when listeners are contacting you and time is of the essence, are very different from those of a pre-recorded show. That's why at this point, you'll do a live audition for Mushroom FM staff. This will be on a private server, and current Mushroom FM broadcasters will send you tweets, email you, requests songs of you, to simulate the live radio experience. The show will be of the same length as you expect your regular Mushroom FM show to be. We will do as many of these shows as are required to ensure to Mushroom FM's satisfaction that you are ready for prime time.

This four-step application process is designed to help both you and us decide whether or not Mushroom FM is the best place for your show. Please remember that either party can choose to back out of this process at any point.

Once you've produced an amazing live show on our private server, all the kinks are ironed out, and you or someone else have produced a promo for your show, you're officially on board with one of the most supportive, dynamic teams around. Congratulations!

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Internet Broadcasting Audio Tutorial

If you think you have what it takes to join our team, but you're not sure how all this Internet broadcasting malarkey works, we can help you out. Jonathan Mosen and Brian Hartgen have developed The Mushroom FM Fun guys Guide to Internet Broadcasting. This is an audio tutorial that will help get you up and running. The tutorial runs for 3 hours 20 minutes, and covers things like:

• A detailed look at StationPlaylist Studio that shows how to set up and run this software in an Internet broadcast situation. You'll learn about the benefits of using a mixer, how to cope with requests, how to use cart machines and more, all in the context of the JAWS for Windows scripts for Station Playlist Studio.
• A look at options for getting your broadcast to the Internet, including using facilities within StationPlaylist Studio, using free Winamp tools, or the optional StationPlaylist Streamer.
  Using the Sam Encoders with soon to be released JAWS scripts to optimise your streaming experience.
• A session where you hear all the tools we've discussed in action as an actual radio show goes to air.
• A brief overview of StationPlaylist Creator and how it can be used to make live Internet broadcasting easier.

The tutorial is available for free download in two formats. The DAISY version can be played using DAISY playback software on your PC, such as the free FSReader that is included with JAWS 11 and above. It can also be played on portable devices such as the Victor Reader Stream, Book Sense, Plextalk Pocket and Bookport Plus. The DAISY file is a little bigger to download, however the DAISY navigation makes moving between sections of the tutorial very easy.

The MP3 version of the tutorial can be played on your PC or any MP3 capable device.

Both tutorial files have identical content, they are only different formats. Both downloads are zip files. You can extract them using the built-in zip support in Windows.

Download the Mushroom FM Fun Guys Guide to Internet Broadcasting in DAISY format.
Download the Mushroom FM Fun Guys Guide to Internet Broadcasting in MP3 format.