Happy 2015! As we start the year, it’s a good time to reflect on the biggest radio stories of 2014 and also to make our predictions for 2015. Over the past few weeks we’ve shared our thoughts on the state of college radio, low power FM (LPFM), radio in academia, and podcasting in 2014, as […]
In another instance of the FCC giving student-run college radio stations a break, Framingham State University radio station WDJM-FM in Framingham, Massachusetts agreed to pay a lesser penalty of $1,200 for public file violations. According to a Consent Decree adopted on December 31, 2014, the university agreed to pay the penalty and set up a […]
As I reflect back on 2014, the big college radio story for me is low power FM (LPFM). By my count, 64 colleges and universities were granted new LPFM construction permits in 2014. This is incredible to see, as it is yet another sign that terrestrial radio is still relevant to young people. In addition […]
Today, the FCC released its quarterly list of the total number of licensed broadcast stations. The total number of radio stations in the United States remained basically flat at the end of 2014, compared with the quarter ending September 30. As of December 31, 2014, there were 15,432 licensed full power radio stations in the […]
While on vacation this past weekend, I spotted a 1966 Stan Freberg comedy LP in a used bookstore. The album, Freberg Underground Show #1, audaciously announces on its cover that it is “Introducing a ZOWIE! new medium: Pay Radio!” Modeled after Freberg’s radio shows, the album replicates the same format, but was free from network […]
They Might be Giants just brought back its Dial-a-Song series (which debuted in the 1980s) in which the band is releasing a new song every week for a year. As part of the promotion, it will be debuting each week’s song over a Monday night podcast (“The Gist”) on Slate as well as sharing the […]
I was lucky to be able to visit quite a few college radio stations in 2014 and have shared some of those field trips on Radio Survivor and Spinning Indie. Next week I’ll write up a comprehensive “2014 year in review” post about the state of college radio, but as I reflect back on the […]
As we reflect back on 2014, it was an exceptional year for low power FM (LPFM) radio in the United States. Beginning on January 15, 2014, the FCC began granting construction permits to some of the 2,799 groups who submitted applications in the late 2013 filing window and by the end of January, 2014, more […]
I love televised yule logs. I’m drawn to them not only out of nostalgia (the original aired on WPIX in New York beginning in 1966), but also for the minimalist delight. As I stare at the image of a burning log for hours on end, the smallest details and changes in the scene are emphasized. […]
Working in college radio can influence one’s life in profound ways, even helping to shape one’s future career. Earlier this week I posted my Q&A with author Eric Weisbard. Although his new book, Top 40 Democracy: The Rival Mainstreams of American Music, focuses on mainstream radio formats, Weisbard also has a college radio past (at […]
