The first new low-power FM construction permit since January has been issued, to Wimberly Texan Radio, in Wimberly, TX. Also, in the last two weeks 18 new LPFMs have received their licenses. There was one interesting dismissal from an applicant that the FCC determined was associated with an unlicensed station. As discovered and reported to […]
We dig into the Copyright Royalty Board’s decision on new royalty payments for internet radio, looking for clues about the future of small and medium-sized webcasters. In our final review of the 20th anniversary of the Telecom Act of 1996, Matthew Lasar explains how the Act and the political environment of the time affected community […]
This is our second episode examining the history and legacy of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 in recognition of the law’s 20th anniversary. This time around Prof. John Anderson from Brooklyn College explains how Reagan-era deregulation, culminating in the Telecom Act, triggered civil disobedience on the airwaves along with citizen action that continues to push […]
February 13 is World Radio Day, a day set aside to celebrate radio as a medium, sponsored by UNESCO. This year’s theme is “Radio in Times of Emergency and Disaster.” Though celebrated globally, World Radio Day is less well known in the United States. To help better connect us with global community radio, Eric talked […]
Five new low-power FM stations have been granted their full licenses in the last week: KQRZ-LP, Oregon Amateur Radio Club (Hillsboro, OR) WTPB-LP, Third Presbyterian Church of Rockford (Rockford, IL) WEMV-LP, Elijah Message Ministry (Vandalia, IL) KMYB-LP, Killeen Independent School District (Killeen, TX) WBNH-LP, Town of Bedford, NH LPFMs Mostly Unaffected by New Performance Royalty […]
Twenty years ago a piece of legislation was passed that would change radio forever–and not for the better. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 lifted ownership restrictions on stations, unleashing an onslaught of acquisitions, consolidation and the ultimate devastation of local radio in communities across the country. Dr. Christopher Terry from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee joins […]
Thousands of internet radio stations have gone silent in 2016, while thousands more may yet shut down, primarily because of new performance royalty fees that have skyrocketed for small and mid-sized internet radio stations. In this piece I explore how this challenge might encourage some webcasters to give up complying with the law and simply […]
Internet radio expert Kurt Hanson declared January 31 to be Sunday Bloody Sunday for the medium. Most significantly, that was the day that Live365 turned off 5000-some internet radio streams it hosted for broadcasters large and small. The shutdown comes after several other internet stations announced their closure, and countless more quietly went away. The […]
Looking for info on how to listen to this 2021’s Super Bowl LV? Click here. For football fans who can’t be in front of a TV or an internet-connected device this Sunday, February 7, radio remains one of the best ways to catch Super Bowl 50. In the US Westwood One Sports remains the exclusive […]
The FCC just ruled that radio stations will have to upload their public files into an online database, making certain records much more accessible. We discuss what this means for both stations and listeners, and why, even though it seems like an extra burden, this can be a good thing for college and community radio. […]
