MAKING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR MISSION STATEMENT
A Mission Statement defines the organization's purpose and primary objectives. Its
prime function is internal – to define the key measure or measures of the organization's
success – and its prime audience is the leadership team and stakeholders.
Mission Statement Creation
1. To create your mission statement, first identify your organization's "winning
idea".
2. This is the idea or approach that will make your organization stand out in the
broadcast community, and is the reason that listeners and benefactors will support
your station.
3. Next identify the key measures of the station’s success. Make sure you choose
the most important measures (and not too many of them!)
4. Combine your winning idea and success measures into a tangible and
measurable goal.
5. Refine the words until you have a concise and precise statement of your
mission, which expresses your ideas, measures and desired result.
PUT IT TO THE TEST
The idea of "core competences" is one of the most important ideas currently shaping our
world. Using this method helps to define the group’s intent, identify their unique ability
to serve their community and better positions them to potentially be awarded a
construction permit and ultimately, a broadcast license.
When a group focuses on their core competences for making a media outlet, and
continually work to build and reinforce them, their mission and goal will be more
advanced and concise, creating a focus on areas of strength and ability to lead.
Now you'll probably find this an attractive idea, and it's often easy to think about a
whole range of things that your group does that it can do well. However there are three
tests to see whether they are true core competences:
1.
Relevance: First, the competence must give your community something that
strongly influences it to choose your station over the others in your listening area.
If it does not, then it has no effect on your competitive position and is not a core
competence.
2.
Difficulty of Imitation: Secondly, the core competence should be difficult to
imitate. This allows you to provide programming that is unique, locally originated
and different than what is currently available in the listening area . And because
you're continually working to improve these skills, means that you can sustain its
unique position.
3. Breadth of Application: Thirdly, it should be something that opens up a good
number of potential participants. If it only opens up a few small, niche groups,
then success in the community may not be enough to sustain significant growth.
Using This for Your Station
To identify core competences, use the following steps:
1.
Brainstorm the factors that are important to your listeners and potential
benefactors.
Identify the factors that influence people's listening decisions .
2. Brainstorm your existing competences and the things your station do well.
3. For the list of your own competences, screen them against the tests of
Relevance, Difficulty of Imitation and Breadth of Application, and see if any of
the competences you've listed are core competences.
4. Review the results, and think about them:

If you've identified core competences that you already have, then
great! Work on them and make sure that you build them as sensibly
possible.

If you have no core competences, then look at ones that you could
develop, and work to build them.

If you have no core competences and it doesn't look as if you can
build any that your community would value, then there must be something
else that you can use to create uniqueness in the market .
Tip 1:
As with all brainstorming, you'll get better results if you involve other (carefully-chosen)
people.
Tip 2:
On a personal basis and in the short term, it might be difficult to come up with truly
unique core competences. However, keep this idea in mind and work to develop unique
core competences.
Sample Mission Statements
WMNF Mission Statement
WMNF is a listener-supported community radio station that celebrates
cultural diversity and is committed to equality, peace and economic justice.
WMNF provides broadcasts and other forums with a grassroots local
emphasis, that promote creative, musical, and political vitality.
WMNF Values Statement
WMNF advocates for peace, social and environmental justice through
independent media and programming neglected by the mainstream. We
embrace diversity, tolerance of others’ opinions and freedom of expression.
WMNF celebrates and promotes the creative, cultural and political vitality of
the local community.
WMNF Vision Statement
The force that drives this organization is its sense of values, and therefore
WMNF provides programming that is consistent with those values.
Our music, arts, and cultural programming cover a wide spectrum of
expression from traditional to experimental, reflecting the diverse cultures we
serve. We strive to foster an appreciation of music and cultures we serve. We
strive to foster an appreciation of music and culture that is not generally
available to listeners in the Tampa Bay area.
Our news and public affairs programming emphasize controversial,
neglected, and non-mainstream points of view on important local as well as
national or world issues, illuminating our values particularly regarding peace,
human rights, and environmentalism.
We provide access to the airways for individuals and organizations that
support our mission. The statement provides a forum for the gathering,
exchange, and transmission of ideas in a cooperative environment that is
respectful of each individual’s cultural or political perspective.
Community events also serve as a public extension of our programming and
mission.
We are committed to the values expressed by our mission, especially as they
relate to issues involving the various ethnic groups living in our community,
women, the economically disadvantaged or challenged, and other groups who
may be disenfranchised in our society. We offer safe haven for expression by
members of these groups, regardless of their social status, race, gender, or
sexual orientation, and by our activities hope to promote peace, goodwill and
a sense of community beyond the walls of this radio station.
KAOS is a non-commercial, community radio station broadcasting at 89.3
FM in the South Sound area of Washington state. The station is located on
The Evergreen State College campus, in Olympia. KAOS programming
includes a wide range of music, women’s issues, Native American, Spanish
language, public affairs, and more
KAOS is a non-commercial, community radio station, located in Olympia,
Washington, serving and broadcasting to the South Sound area.
The station broadcasts at 89.3 FM at 1100 watts, 18-22 hours a day, 365 days
of the year. Its coverage area includes Olympia/Lacey/Tumwater, Thurston
County, Shelton, Mason County and portions of Lewis, Pierce and Kitsap
Counties.
KAOS programming includes a wide range of music, women's issues, Native
American, Spanish language, comedy, Democracy Now!, local, national and
international public affairs, call-in discussion and more.
KAOS is licensed to The Evergreen State College, Washington's innovative
four-year college, nationally acclaimed for its interdisciplinary studies in the
liberal arts and sciences.
KYRS Spokane
Thin Air Community Radio fills needs that other media do not, providing
programming to diverse communities and unserved or underserved groups.
Thin Air Radio provides a forum for neglected perspectives and discussions
on important local, national and global issues, reflecting values of peace,
social, economic and environmental justice, human rights, democracy,
multiculturalism, freedom of expression and social change.
Thin Air's arts, cultural, and music programming covers a wide spectrum of
expression from traditional to experimental and reflects the diverse cultures
Thin Air serves. Thin Air Radio strives for spontaneity and program
excellence, both in content and technique.
KALX Berkeley
KALX 90.7 FM broadcasts freeform radio 24 hours a day to a large portion
of the San Francisco Bay Area. You can catch all stripes of underground
music accented with news, sports and alternative informational programming.
As part of our mission to educate, every KALX DJ is encouraged to play a
variety of musical styles and genres. Rather than segregating music into
limited boxes, this philosophy is an an attempt to entertain the listener while
broadening their musical experience. A pretty fun way to be educated, don't
ya think!
KBOO
Core Values:
Values that are the essence of KBOO and should remain intact no matter how
the station changes:
Community: local, accessible, empowering. welcoming, inclusive,
participatory, involved
Progressive Perspective: questioning, vital, uncensored, controversial,
activist resource, educational, journalistic integrity, reflecting justice,
peace, sustainability and democracy.
Emotional Maturity: respectful, honest, fair, positive, peaceful, non-violent,
engaging, open
Diversity: valuing, embracing, bridging, listening, understanding, giving
voice
Leadership: bold, exploring, independent, cutting edge, responsible,
excellence
Creativity: eclectic, traditional to experimental, idiosyncratic, innovative,
iconoclastic. evolving, compelling
Programming Charter
KBOO shall be a model of programming, filling needs that other media do
not, providing programming to unserved or underserved groups. KBOO shall
provide access and training to those communities.
KBOO news and public affairs programming shall place an emphasis on
providing a forum for unpopular, controversial, or neglected perspectives on
important local, national, and international issues, reflecting KBOO’s values
of peace, justice, democracy, human rights, multiculturalism,
environmentalism, freedom of expression, and social change.
KBOO’s arts, cultural, and musical programming shall cover a wide spectrum
of expression from traditional to experimental, and reflect the diverse
cultures we serve. KBOO shall strive for spontaneity and programming
excellence, both in content and technique.
WORT-FM is a non-commercial, listener sponsored, member controlled
community radio station broadcasting to south central Wisconsin. WORT
volunteers and staff provide quality programming and services to a broad
spectrum of the community through:
promotion of communication, education, entertainment, and understanding
by providing a forum for both the discussion of public issues and the
expansion of musical and cultural experience;
facilitation of community expression and provision of community access to
the airwaves for the purpose of sharing music, culture, news, and
information;
challenge of the cultural and intellectual assumptions of our listeners through
unique and diverse programming;
orientation towards the audience with concern for those under- represented
by other media.
WORT is committed to radio programming with a human perspective -respecting all peoples and their environments.