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Radio Survivor celebrates 10 years on the internet and four years podcasting with our 200th episode. Matthew Lasar joins Jennifer Waits, Eric Klein and Paul Riismandel for this review of the last decade in radio that matters.
Matthew tells the Radio Survivor origin story that sprang forth from his I.F. Stone inspired research deep into the digital catacombs of the FCC database, unearthing comments that broadcast execs never imagined would be public – such as one who accused prominent media reformists of being “communists.”
Jennifer recalls how a literature review for a journal article on college radio revealed how little scholarly work existed on the topic, compelling her to document this important media form that Matthew says he has learned is, “the first public radio.” “The present is future history,” Jennifer observes. This prompts Paul to comment how we’ve begun to fulfill that promise, given that Radio Survivor now has dozens of citations in scholarly works.
On the way through these stories, everyone notes the changes in the broadcast and online media landscape since 2009, how some publications have come and gone, and offering reasons why Radio Survivor has managed to survive. It’s a discussion of interest to anyone who has tried to, or wants to, sustain a passion project fueled primarily by volunteer labor.
We’re making a ‘zine!
As we announce on this episode, in August we’ll be publishing our first ever print project, hand made in the spirit of great independent radio.
We’ll send issue #1 to every Patreon supporter who gives at the $5/month level or more. But you have to be signed up by August 1, 2019.
Plus, every new sign-up gets us closer to our goal of 100 Patreon supporters so that we have a foundation to do the work of documenting the upcoming 20th anniversaries of Indymedia and low-power FM.
See our ‘zine page to learn more, or go ahead and sign up now.
Show Notes:
- A Decade of Radio Surviving
- College Radio Watch: Ten Years of College Radio Coverage and More News
- Lasar’s Letter on the FCC: VNR executive files e-mail with FCC against “radically left wing” group
- The Official Website of I.F. Stone
- Spinning Indie
- mediageek
- Matthew’s books:
- Help Us Tell the History of Indymedia & LPFM
- RadioSurvivor’s Top Radio Shows – Paul’s #1: Free Speech Radio News
- A Sad Goodbye to Free Speech Radio News
- Garrett Wollman’s Radio Tower Quest
- History of the Grassroots Radio Conference
- Podcast #190: Radio Spectrum and Transmission Art
- Radio Survivor ‘Zine #1
