BMIR

Burning Man Information Radio
City Black Rock City, Nevada, USA
Broadcast area Burning Man Festival, Black Rock Desert, Nevada
Slogan The Voice of the Man, the Voice of Black Rock City
Frequency 94.5 MHz FM
First air date 2000
Format Community radio (public)
Callsign meaning Burning Man Information Radio
Webcast BMIR stream
Website www.bmir.org

BMIR 94.5 FM (Burning Man Information Radio) is the unlicensed community radio station for Burning Man, an event held annually in Black Rock Desert, Nevada. BMIR begins broadcasting on 94.5 FM on the playa in the week leading up to Burning Man and broadcasts over the internet year-round. Currently, the station hosts more than 40 DJs that produce the programming played over the course of the event.

History

BMIR was founded by Carmen Mauk in 2000. Although the station violates federal regulations related to pirate radio and licensing radio stations id not in jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management, BMIR is a required aspect of the event special use permit (SRP). Other licensed radio stations do exist that are within broadcast range of the Burning Man event however the event depends upon its self operated pirate radio station. During the period of the Burning Man Festival appears to remain operational and no enforcement action has been successful by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to shut the station down. The station is currently managed by two project managers, Bobzilla and Kanizzle.

Prior to 2010, BMIR only broadcast live during the day, with automated nighttime programming. Starting in 2010, BMIR began broadcasting 24-hours a day with live radio personalities and interviews. This change allowed for the radio station to move into a prominent position at the event, moving away from its purely informational roots into a form of full-time entertainment for participants and staff at the event.

Current Status

BMIR usually broadcasts from the event from the Wednesday before to the Tuesday after, with a full-time staff present during that time. When not at the event, the stream broadcasts primarily from the Bay Area. BMIR is utilized during the event to broadcast important information regarding traffic, weather, and other BLM/LEO notices. The station has played a prominent part in dealing with issues happening in the "default world" including Hurricane Katrina and earthquakes in the Bay Area.

The station's primary operating crew is composed of a wide variety of skill sets, including and RF/FM engineer, a sound engineer, and IT engineer, and a full-time volunteer coordinator. The station accepts new volunteers every year, with on-air slots becoming available in the second year of service to the station.

Future Development

BMIR is currently in the process of developing itself into a year-round radio station. Already doing live talks as well as broadcasting from regional events, the station has a plan to produce interviews, musical sets, and live performances in the other 50 weeks when not at the Burning Man festival.

References

  • "Burning Man Information Radio (BMIR)". Burning Man. Black Rock City, LLC. Retrieved 2013-12-29.
  • "The FCC Won't Let BRC Be". Piss Clear. Piss Clear. 2003. Retrieved 2014-02-08.
  • Gez Smith (2013-09-17). "10 Things I Learned at Burning Man". Worthy FM. Worthy FM. Retrieved 2014-02-08.
  • Veltman, Chloe (2010-08-26). "Burning Man Radio Steps Out of the Box". The Bay Citizen. Berkeley, CA. Archived from the original on 2014-12-29. Retrieved 2013-12-29.


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