Interview w/ Byron Powdrell, Owner of Minority Owned Non-Profit 99.9 The Beat

This is the Albuquerque Business Podcast with your host Jason Rigby. Each week we interview leading local business leaders to inspire the vision and the spirit that is in every entrepreneur. We discuss strengths, weakness, strategies, systems and the problems we can all solve together to fulfill a shared vision of a new future for Albuquerque. Byron Powdrell has fostered and nurtured a huge goal for a very long time. He has always wanted to have his own radio station, work with the youth and provide quality programming for the community. After 15 years and thousands invested in a top-of-the-line studio, he was finally able to make his dream a reality in the summer of 2013. No stranger to "giving back", Mr. Powdrell has served two terms as Chair with the City of Albuquerque Head Start Program and several years with City of Albuquerque's Cultural Services Urban Trust Fund Committee. Convinced he could do more, Byron developed Future Broadcasters Inc. and began the long journey to build a radio station from the ground up. 99.9 The Beat FM LP is Albuquerque's first successful non-profit, low-power radio station. It operates under Future Broadcasters Inc., a non-profit that Mr. Powdrell started to mentor children in the art of radio. This is a platform to facilitate the dreams of the youth, to offer a seamless blend of science, math and technology right here at home, all wrapped up in an entertaining, fun format. This station can offer local artists a stage to present their art, which can be near impossible for an unknown artist to do at a commercial station. Though non-profit LP stations pay much less to license and play music, limited range and advertising restrictions mean it can be extremely expensive to run a station. Currently, Byron works two jobs to cover expenses, even two jobs almost isn't enough to help this cover everything. With expenses for the station averaging $2000 a month, it is clear that this is more than a hobby ---- it's a passion. Please go to www.abqpodcast.com where you can get show notes, resources,and links to everything we talked about today to help you navigate your journey as an entrepreneur and business owner in ABQ. Follow me on instagram at @abqjasonrigby or sign up for my email list here where I drop marketing secrets to help your ABQ Business! http://www.99thebeatfm.com/