Hurricane Sandy is taking its toll on community radio. This just in from WFMU in New Jersey: Frank The Storm has taken our 91.1 fm transmitter off the air, as of Monday at 3:00pm. We’re trying to get the transmitter back up as soon as we can, but Frank knocked out all electric at the […]
This month saw an uptick in solar flares—huge Coronal Mass Ejections from our Sun that can spark gorgeous Aurora Borealis effects around the world, but also disrupt radio communications. By “radio” the experts often mean high frequency communications systems, but could broadcast radio stations be affected as well? Well, according to the solarstorms.org site, one […]
If you are getting a jump on holiday shopping on this Cyber Monday, then it’s a perfect time to start sleuthing out radio-related gifts for your friends and family. While you’re at it, you can also help support Radio Survivor by shopping through our Amazon links. Since radio gifts never go out of style, you […]
While many broadcasters had no problems receiving and retransmitting last week’s nationwide Emergency Alert System test, many others reports of problems are surfacing. John Anderson at DIYmedia.net compiled some of the glitches: Here in Wisconsin, radio stations broadcast 30 seconds of garbled audio that effectively degenerated into static. Similar results have been reported in Pennsylvania, […]
At 2 PM Eastern time this afternoon some percentage of US radio listeners and television viewers heard or saw the national EAS test. I was in the main studio of Northwestern University’s WNUR-FM (where I serve as advisor), and waited patiently for our EAS unit to receive the signal from WBBM-AM, triggering the alert to […]
Here’s some interesting fare for discussion as the Federal Communications Commission prepares to test its Emergency Alert System on Wednesday. Radio stations in big markets know that they’re responsible for disaster assistance, a new study observes, but are sometimes reluctant to coordinate with public officials. They may also assume that neighboring stations serving smaller areas […]
The first national test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) will take place next Wednesday, November 9th at 11am Pacific time. According to a letter issued by the FCC today: “The test will occur simultaneously across the United States and the U.S. territories and will last approximately 30 seconds, after which regular programming will resume. […]
It’s really no surprise to Radio Survivor readers that terrestrial radio is vital during an emergency. We’ve seen some amazing stories about how stations have stepped up to provide needed information and help after disasters around the world, such as in the wake of recent tornados in Joplin and Tuscaloosa and after the 2010 earthquake […]
FCC Chairman Julius Genchowski held a press briefing this afternoon to give an update on communications infrastructure after Hurricane Irene battered much of the East Coast. The good news is that while some cable systems, wireless and wireline providers are out of service, Genachowski says, “there hasn’t been major damage to our communications infrastructure.” He […]
The Federal Communications Commission activated the Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS) yesterday. Currently the system is focused on coastal North Caroline where Hurricane Irene has recently made landfall. DIRS provides communication providers a way to inform the Commission of their operational status during emergencies. Broadcasters, wireless providers, cable companies and other communications providers may voluntarily […]
