HELP SAINT FM COMMUNITY RADIO TO COME ALIVE

Saint FM is gearing up for its highly anticipated ‘Saint FM Come Alive’ initiative, with a target launch date of Friday 29th November.

The Current Situation

We have an agreement to keep Saint FM operational at least through Christmas, the New Year and on until the end of January. We know this is a significant challenge, but our goal is to explore every possible solution. That is why we Need Your Help NOW!

We are starting from scratch with no financial reserves, “We don’t have a money pot, we have no pot” so the support of the public and Saint FM listeners is crucial in generating funds to keep the station running in this start up period.

In response to community feedback, Saint FM has launched this GoFundMe appeal. This initiative was the most popular suggestion from our audience, and we will also explore other creative ideas shared from on Island.

Here are some key points of our vision for Saint FM:

Operational Control: The new, volunteer team will provide a reduced level of operational support throughout this period, and it is essential that everyone understands that all helpers are purely voluntary. Therefore, the community can expect changes and variations from the previous service.

Financial Management:

We will manage all revenue and cover all expenses for the next two months, focusing solely on keeping the station running with a focus on future planning. The majority of that funding will be generated from this, and on-island's appeals.

All new funds raised will go towards maintaining and enhancing the station’s services, not settling existing debts.

Presenters:

All presenters will be contributing on a voluntary basis.

What’s next once have 'Soft Launched' Saint FM?

• We will strategise on public funding and seek input on ideas for keeping the station alive.

• We also want to set realistic expectations; our operating model will initially change due to financial constraints. Only essential paid services will be considered, and even these will depend on available funding.

• We aim to deliver a fresh start with updated media and polished processes.

• Enhance the IT Infrastructure: Ensuring reliability and a smoother user experience. We have already started to install some of these.

Join Us in This Effort.

This is just the beginning. We aim to secure funding, develop long-term strategies, and engage the community to ensure a seamless transition. By doing so, we hope to maintain Saint FM’s vital role in connecting St Helena. During this time, we also aim to build a strong reputation and explore new revenue streams through advertising and listenership.

This appeal is just the 1st step to help fund the operation in this ‘soft launch period’

This is not just about keeping a radio station alive; it’s about sustaining a vital part of our community.

Together, we can create "Saint FM Community Radio Powered by the People for the People". Let’s keep Saint FM alive.

Your involvement and support can make all the difference!

Many thanks in advance for your support

Who am I? - I am a voluntary Producer/ Presenter with Saint FM Community Radio since 2016 - I reside based in Laindon UK and have been supporting the Station not only as a presenter but supporting with social media and website updates and media provision to other team members.

I ran a successful JustGiving appeal to fund Saint FM's Internet streaming capability in 2022/23, which maintained the stream up to this point.

Check out my Saint FM Profile

All funds raised on this appeal are and will be transferred to one of my own Personal Bank Accounts less GoFundMe's fees, on a regular basis. Unfortunately, there is no credit interest on that account.

The funds will be held there until the New Saint FM Community Radio Bank account at Bank of St Helena (BOSH) is up & running.

The funds will be transferred to our BOSH account - Mindful of the fees involved in international money transfer - the aim is to minimise these transfers to reduce the outflow of the donations that cannot be used directly for the purpose of the appeal. I will pay any bills from my own personal BOSH account if required to reduce transfer costs. I have already funded over £200 upfront costs with my own money to get us up and running.

All these transactions will be available for anyone to inspect upon request and will be published once we have completed our soft launch.

To reiterate: All funds generated from this appeal which go directly to fund the operations of Saint FM Community Radio from November 14th 2024 ONLY

Paul Blake on behalf of the Saint FM Stand Up Team.