RE: [WSG] Good radio station sites?

[Michael Kear]

Title: FW: [WSG] Good radio station sites?

Thank you  Peter, that’s exactly the idea I had in mind.  I could design it myself but I think it’s an opportunity for a designer starting out in standards/css/xhtml design.    It’s a project that doesnt pay anything in money terms. But there’ll be credit on the site, and the designer can put it in their portfolio.   There is no restrictions on the design, except for good sense, and the fact that we don't want to change our  logo because its used in lots of places.   So a designer has a pretty wide brief.  It’s a way for a designer to learn to design a site that covers a lot of different types of pages,  and using only CSS for styling.    On a resume that’s going to look pretty good.  A media site, designed to the latest standards.   Looks good to me.       Not many people have time to take on probono projects, but I have 3 I look after, as part of my commitment to my hobbies and a way of adding back to organisations that do a lot for me.   But it also offers me the way to use my skills and learn to do things where I don't have a client wanting that done right now.     For example, when I needed to learn how to convert a site from old fashioned tables based layout to CSS based layout, I didn’t have a client ready to do that at the time.  But I have these probono sites, and I picked one for a re-vamp.  I needed to learn how to make a content management system,  and didn’t have a well-heeled client ready to build one, so I built one for one of my probono sites.   If this site works out as well as we hope,  we’re going to be making an issue of it on the station. Our listenership covers most of the Sydney metro area and we run ads pointing to the site 8 times a day. We’re going to be raising its profile a lot in the national radio organisation CBAA and other media groups.  We’re going to be putting effort into making it a feature of the station.   Our station is one of the oldest community stations in the country – 25 years continuous 24hour a day broadcasting and we are technically very advanced.   For example our sports calling equipment is more advanced than 2GBs.     We might run the station on a shoestring but the equipment we use is state-of-the-art.  It’s an all-digital station and our gear isn’t old second hand cast-offs from other stations.  We’re one of the few radio stations in the country that can run 3 outside broadcasts simultaneously with no one back in the studio in town.   (we recently had a group doing crosses from a hospital fundraiser, and calling the NRL game at Panthers Stadium at the same time as running the station from the Hawkesbury Show from our OB bus).   The station is prepared to have a go at things.   As to the design brief,  the station management has accepted my idea that we should rebuild our pretty boring site into something that’s a showcase – an example for others to follow.  We’ve laid out a pretty ambitious siteplan for the content we’re going to have, and I have ambitious plans for how I’m going to build it.   I want to use the latest coldfusion techniques, and use XHTML strict if I can manage it, so the resulting code is right up to date.   And we need a design that’s eyecatching, up to date, and cuts some new ground in media web sites.   I hope someone sees some personal benefit from committing their time to doing a design for it.    I’ve found doing probono work gives me the confidence to say “yes I can build a site like that” because with probono I can take risks and try things I wouldn’t be game to try on a client’s dime.   I haven’t had any offers so far Peter, but if I don't, I’ll definitely take you up on it. Thanks for your offer.   Cheers Mike Kear Windsor, NSW, Australia AFP Webworks http://afpwebworks.com       From: Peter Ottery [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, 16 July 2004 10:52 AM To: 'Michael Kear' Subject: FW: [WSG] Good radio station sites?   Hi Michael, sounds like a really worthwhile cause and good on you for taking on the challenge! :) I'm guessing (and hoping) you get a few offers from young designers that have some time on their hands and are willing to contribute some design talent to the project. But in the event that you dont - let me know and I'd be prepared to contribute a design for it. What i mean is - theres potentially some young and talented kids out there that could really benefit from adding something like this to their portfolio (and get something out of the exercise for themselves) but yeah - i know what its like, and everyone is busy - so if you dont get any offers to help out - let me know and I'd love to help out. pete ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Peter Ottery Head of Design f2 Network (02) 8596 4450 [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.f2.com.au