For quite a few years I’ve been intrigued by and obsessed with the handmade 3-dimensional radio station call letter signs that I’ve seen at numerous college and community radio stations all over the United States. One of the signs is posted at KFJC, where I volunteer and DJ, so I see it every week. I […]
Archive | Fun Stuff
Art Bell Returns (Again)
I have a soft spot in my heart for Art Bell. As a former overnight DJ and grad student who kept relatively nocturnal hours for a good portion of the 90s, I admired Bell’s unique ability to engage guests and callers in topics that ranged from scientifically plausible (the theory that there have been multiple […]
Have you ever had a “paranormal” experience with radio?
Late last year Scientific American posted a fascinating commentary on an “anomalous event” with an old radio receiver. What caught my eye was that it was penned by Skeptic magazine editor Michael Shermer. It recounted his wedding to Jennifer Graf, who had been raised in Köln, Germany—in part by her grandfather, who died when she […]
Will we regret the “modernization” of radio contests?
The Federal Communications Commission is proposing updated guidelines for broadcaster contests, allowing radio and television stations to post the rules for these events on websites as a substitute for completely explaining them over the air waves. At present “licensees are permitted to employ nonbroadcast methods for disclosing material contest terms,” but “they may not substitute […]
Return of the one minute radio show contest (this time from Montreal)
Montreal based CHOQ.CA of Montreal has launched the first round of its international 60 Second Radio contest. The challenge to producers: submit one minute audio clips to the station that grapple with the concept of liberty. “Liberty can be expressed in different ways and take on multiple meanings,” the CHOQ announcement notes. “Freedom comes from within […]
Retro Radio Farm and an Archive of Radio History
Happy New Year! For your holiday weekend enjoyment I thought I’d share a couple of fun radio-related sites I’ve been made aware of. First, is the Retro Radio Farm, sent to me by Jenny. As described by MessyNessy Chic, it’s an Etsy store run by “a music box wizard of sorts, specialising in bringing some […]
Radio Survivor’s Top Podcasts of 2014
This year I’m pleased once again to share the top podcasts of the year as chosen by my esteemed colleagues, friends and podcast fanatics, Jenny Benevento and Kyle Riismandel. Jenny is an information architect who lectures on branding, social media, musicians and pop culture. She is a taxonomy consultant to Etsy and also hosts a […]
More radio movies for the holidays
A quick addendum to my post on ten essential radio themed movies for the holidays. We got a pertinent tweet from @ResearchDirectr: Best #radio movies and FM didn’t make the list? http://t.co/VmCcg9qQzi — Research Director (@ResearchDirectr) December 15, 2014 Ouchie! Indeed, FM should definitely be high up there on anyone’s list of movies about radio […]
Holiday Gifts for Easy and Enjoyable Radio Listening
For this year’s Holiday Gift Guide I want to focus on some great ways to listen to the radio. Because we are living in the digital age, many of these gifts also work well for consuming other digital media. Also, don’t miss Jennifer’s eclectic holiday gift guide featuring a radio in a jar, a radio […]
Thanksgiving 2014 Brings Another Chance to Hear Alice’s Restaurant on the Radio
Catch Alice’s Restaurant on the 2023 radio dial. See our latest listening guide. Once again it’s time for my annual run-down of some of the radio stations playing the Arlo Guthrie epic “Alice’s Restaurant” as part of an annual Thanksgiving Day tradition. There’s no exhaustive list of stations that plan to air the song, so […]