WRIR is a community radio station born from the first wave of low-power FM in the early 2000s. Yet the station has roots in the rich history of independent media in Richmond, VA. Intrepid radio tourist Jennifer Waits shares her tour of the station, uncovering obscure cable radio history along with some unexpected facts about […]
Author Archive | Paul Riismandel
Video: Radio Is the Best Way to Reach Farmworkers
Low-power community radio station KPCN in Woodburn, OR serves the unionized farmworkers of the Willamette Valley, with news, information and entertainment in Spanish and indigenous languages. The station recently celebrated its 10th anniversary on the air, which we recognized on episode #72 of the podcast. At this past weekend’s Alliance for Community Media Northwest Summit […]
Podcast #87 – Crossing Platforms, from Radio to TV and Beyond
Community radio stations are not just transmitters and studios. Similarly, public access TV stations aren’t just cable channels with studios. They are community media platforms, with a privileged place and sense of permanence that comes from their FCC license or franchise agreement, respectively. This week we explore how community radio and public access TV can […]
Northwest Community Media Gathers in Portland this Weekend
This weekend the Alliance for Community Media’s Northwest Chapter will hold its conference on March 31 and April 1 in Portland, OR, hosted by Open Signal community media. Although ACM has historically represented public access, educational and government cable television channels (so-called PEG channels), this event also invites community radio folks to participate. This cross-medium […]
Jay Allen Tested All the AM Radios For You
Though FM has a part of the dial reserved for non-commercial radio, along with the LPFM service, there are still plenty of interesting sounds to be found on the AM dial if you’re willing to do a little scanning. Having a good AM radio will make this a more pleasant and successful endeavor. We met […]
Podcast #85 – Dreaming of a Better CPB
The president’s proposed budget would eliminate funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting by 2018. Radio Survivor’s own Matthew Lasar joins to help us put this attack on public broadcasting in historical perspective. He analyzes the inherent weakness in the design of the CPB and proposes ways in which the system could be both stronger […]
Station not on the Internet? You’re Losing Young Listeners, Big Time
Your broadcast station–LPFM, community, college–needs to have its programming on the internet, one way or another. Now. Why? Because you risk missing a generation of listeners whose media intake is primarily online. YouTube is where they hang out the most, but online radio is also a destination. Where they’re moving away from is your AM […]
How To Improve Your LPFM, Community & College Radio Reception
One of our Patreon supporters dropped us a line to ask if we’d take up the question of how to improve reception of low-powered stations. It’s a challenge most radio lovers have faced, not quite being able to tune in your favorite college or community station, especially inside a house or office, even when that […]
Podcast #84 – Improving Your Radio Reception
LPFM, college and community stations are great, but because of low power many of them are also hard to hear, especially inside your house or office. Based on an inquiry from one of our Patreon supporters, we dedicate this episode to helping you improve your reception. Broadcaster and radio reviewer extraordinaire Jay Allen, the man […]
Podcast #82 – Busting Myths & Counting Charts
Conventional wisdom says young people don’t listen to the radio. Jennifer Waits talks to two college broadcasters from KUOZ-LP at the University of the Ozarks who bust that myth. She also takes us on a tour of a new community LPFM, KPSQ-LP, located in a hotel in Fayetteville, AR. But first, Paul and Jennifer discuss […]