For local experiences on air

tinyfm enables you to broadcast podcasts to analog radio devices in a tiny spatial range.

For a cost as small as a Raspberry Pi… and a wired string.

tinyfm in action

tinyfm is an implementation of the Raspberry Pi FM transmitter hack and proposes 3 layers of software:

  • a mobile interface to interact with tinyfm;
  • a backend layer to manage the playback;
  • a close range FM transmitter and Wi-Fi hub.

Use cases

Broadcasting to underserved audiences

We developed Tinyfm in Qatar, and we’ve sent it to South Africa already. Soon, we’ll be testing it in India. In all of these places, western media organisations struggle to attract an audience, in particular a young one.

Preserving endangered and rare dialects

Some languages are lost because nobody has the chance to listen to them, in addition to not being able to speak them.

Tinyfm’s playlist is controlled by the local community itself. Its tiny spatial range is ideal for a community café or a neighbourhood.

Sending the radio experience to remote places

You only need one Raspberry Pi connected to the internet to push and deliver content to your audience on the airwaves. Obviously, the bigger the antenna, the more distance you’ll cover. Tinyfm’s web interface and control allow you to remotely send content - whether you’re a broadcaster or a member of the community.


Created in 2 days at the first Al Jazeera Canvas hackathon

Thomas Parisot - Basile Simon - Alexandre Vallette

Check us out on Github


Created by BlackTie.co - Attribution License 3.0 - 2013