I know a lot of people who would love to have a terrestrial broadcasting license, so it seemed odd to me when I read about a Chattanooga radio station turning its license back to the FCC. Why on earth would a station opt to dispense with their license when there are so many entities out […]
The owner of commercial radio station WKZB in Stonewall, Mississippi is donating the station to Meridian Community College. The “classic hits” station, dubbed 106.9 “The Buzz,” is part of a local network of radio stations in Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana owned by Clay Holladay under the auspices of Mississippi Broadcasters, LLC (and branded as “The […]
Time and time again we are reminded of the vital importance of terrestrial radio following a natural disaster. Just this week, six commercial radio stations in Joplin, Missouri have stepped up following the horrific tornado there. As was the case after the recent tornado in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and after the hurricane in Haiti; radio has […]
I’m not sure how I missed this bit of news, but I just learned that Cumulus, which boasts being the second largest owner of radio stations in the US, is bidding to buy the third largest, Citadel Broadcasting. Such a merger would create a conglomeration of 572 stations nationwide. This would still be about 300 […]
On April 27, a massive tornado hit Tuscaloosa, Alabama, devastating entire neighborhoods. Parts of the city’s basic infrastructure were damaged and power outages were rampant. As was the case following natural disasters in other parts of the world (such as the earthquake in Haiti), radio has been a lifeline for residents of Tuscaloosa. WVUA-FM at […]
The Federal Communications Commission has called off its investigation of Arbitron’s controversial Portable People Meter. The PPM gadget replaced Arbitron’s old diary system, in which users jotted down their radio preferences. Instead they wear PPM’s like pagers, which listen to the signals in the consumer’s immediate vicinity. A group of minority media advocates, the PPM […]
Everybody knows by now that legendary screen actor Elizabeth Taylor has died at the age of 79. You can expect plenty of well deserved praise to be heaped on Taylor over the next few weeks —for her terrific performances in movies like Suddenly, Last Summer, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolff, and Cat on a Hot […]
I felt like such a traitor this week. Instead of keeping my radio dial locked to college radio, I decided to delve into commercial territory and see what was going on at San Jose station KSJO 92.3 FM. Rumors were afoot that they were about to change formats after their recent station sale and curiosity […]
Relatively under the radar, the jewish lifestyle magazine Tablet reported a story on Premiere Radio Network’s Premiere On Call service which provides voice actors to call in to radio shows. Premiere is the syndicator for the nation’s top conservative talk radio programs like Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity. The article’s author, Liel Liebowitz, quotes an […]
The New York Times features a short video piece on an Egyptian Top 40 DJ, Mohamed Safi, who is now returning to work after being away to join the protests in Tahrih Square. On his playlist for the first show back? “Break on Through,” “Winds of Change,” and “RESPECT.”
