As we reported last week, radio stations in Somalia have been pressured to cease playing music by militant Islamist groups. Under threat of violence, these stations opted to replace music with all-talk formats, punctuated by sounds of animals, nature, and machinery. On Tuesday the government of Somalia actually ordered four Mogadishu radio stations to play […]
Author Archive | Jennifer Waits
Celebrating Non-Digital Music on Record Store Day and in College Radio
Over the past few days I’ve been thinking a lot about the importance of music that can be held in one’s hands. The third annual Record Store Day on Saturday (if you missed it, take a look at our Radio Guide for the event) celebrated both physical record stores and the non-digital releases sold within […]
Record Store Day 2010 Radio Guide
The 3rd annual Record Store Day is taking place tomorrow (Saturday, April 17, 2010) in independent record stores all over the world. In honor of the event, stores will be hosting live performances, meet and greets with artists, and will be selling and giving away exclusive releases on both CD and vinyl. It’s a wonderful […]
Music Banned from Radiowaves in Somalia
There are growing concerns about the control that militant groups are wielding over citizens and media outlets after music was banned from Somali radio on Tuesday and school bells were outlawed from a Somali town on Thursday. Today’s New York Times reports that, “Insurgent groups in Somalia have increasingly alienated the population by imposing a […]
Radio Still Relevant, Although not Necessarily for Music Discovery according to Infinite Dial Study
Yesterday Edison Research and Arbitron (ARB) released the latest findings from their ongoing series of studies about the convergence of radio and technology. The Infinite Dial 2010: Digital Platforms and the Future of Radio is based on a February, 2010 telephone survey of more than 1700 people in the United States and serves as a […]
Colby Community College Station KTCC Fined $7K by FCC for Failure to Renew License
If you’re running a college radio station it’s a good idea to beef up your understanding of FCC rules and deadlines. Recently Colby Community College radio station KTCC was schooled in the lesson that ignorance is no excuse when it comes to FCC license renewal. Because they missed several deadlines for the renewal of their […]
College Radio's Love-Hate Relationship with Non-Student DJs
When you tune in to your favorite college radio station you might be surprised to learn that the people behind the microphones might not actually be college students. Many college radio stations rely on non-student DJs and it’s not uncommon for some stations to have more DJs from the community than from the college. On […]
Hear Something a Little Different on the Radio Today?
Did you get fooled today? Radio stations are often one of the last remaining outlets to celebrate April Fool’s with gusto. Morning show DJs read fake news reports, radio shows are replaced, and some stations switch their formats for 24 hours. Howard Stern once pretended that he’d been fired on April 1st over his crude […]
Virgin America's Innovative In-Flight Radio Options
Often music is thrust upon us in public places, from elevators, to telephone hold music, to restaurants. Sometimes it’s amazing and notable, but when it’s bad, it can be torturous. I can never just ignore these background sounds that are meant to calm elevator passengers, amp up teen mall shoppers, or increase worker productivity. Memories […]
Radio Obsessive Profile #6 and #7: Jonathan Winter and John Jenkins of American Museum of Radio and Electricity
Folks in Bellingham, Washington are lucky to have an amazing resource for radio history right in their backyard. What is now known as The American Museum of Radio and Electricity (AMRE) began in 1985 as the Bellingham Antique Radio Museum as an outgrowth of Jonathan Winter’s personal collection of vintage radios and radio-related objects. As […]