Good grief, I did not even know that the Beach Boys still existed, and here they are with a new album titled That’s Why God Made the Radio. Lyrics excerpt follows: Tuning in the latest star From the dashboard of my car Crusin’ at 7, push button heaven Capturing memories from afar In my car […]
Archive | Music
Following KCNL Sale to USC, Classical Music Begins on 104.9 FM and Spanish Programming Moves to KSJO
On Friday, May 25, the sale of KCNL to University of Southern California (USC) was officially consummated and classical music programming began airing on 104.9 FM in the San Jose area. These preliminary broadcasts are just a hint of what’s to air on the future home of KDFC programming in the south bay. According to […]
KCNL ends Save Alternative weekend programming as Sale to USC Draws Near
On Tuesday we broke the news that the FCC has approved the transfer of Spanish language radio station KCNL in Sunnyvale, California to the University of Southern California (USC) for use as an outlet for classical music station KDFC. KCNL, which is owned by Principle Broadcasting Network, has been airing brokered Spanish talk programming as […]
FCC Grants Assignment of KCNL to USC for use as a KDFC classical radio outlet in San Jose
Yesterday the FCC granted the request by Principle Broadcasting Network to assign the license for San Jose-area radio station KCNL 104.9 FM to University of Southern California (USC) for use as an outlet for classical radio station KDFC. Along with granting the license assignment (part of a $7.5 million deal), the FCC also granted the […]
BBC radio makes you an expert in dubstep in four minutes
To me, dubstep is a bunch of trolls who show up at the turntable.fm classical music room and try to play DJ Fresh or Magnetic Man (we boot them in seconds). But if you’ve ever wanted to know something about the history of the genre, BBC Radio 1 has a YouTube clip that purports to […]
Classical radio’s allergy to the human voice: the case of KDFC
Controversy continues to swirl around San Francisco Bay Area classical radio station KDFC, reinvented as a listener supported outlet. The Federal Communications Commission still hasn’t ruled on its parent organization’s acquisition of an FM frequency from the University of San Francisco. No need to remind Radio Survivor readers about the crude way in which KUSF […]
Donna Summer (1948-2012): On the Radio
Disco singer extraordinaire Donna Summer has died after a long struggle with cancer. There will be many reminiscences of Summer and her work. I remember her best for her wonderful 1979 song, On The Radio, written with Georgio Moroder. Someone found a letter you wrote me, on the radio And they told the world just […]
There’s still jazz on Chicago radio, despite the death of Smooth 87.7
Editors’ note: Since the publication of this article the smooth jazz format has returned to the Chicago airwaves. Read this December 31, 2014 update for more details. My post about the demise of Chicago smooth jazz station Smooth 87.7 two weeks ago continues to gather comments lamenting the station’s passing. Many of the commenters express […]
Remembering Adam Yauch and the Beastie Boys’ on-and-off relationship with college radio
Adam Yauch, also known as MCA, of the Beastie Boys passed away from cancer today at the age of 47. Although I knew Yauch had been battling cancer for the last few years, the news still hit me as a shock. I started to think about how my relationship to Yauch and his bandmates’ music […]
The rocky ride and kiwi-flavored future of Turntable.fm
Regular Radio Survivor readers are doubtlessly aware of Turntable.fm, my colleague Matthew’s favorite online music site. Turntable lets users join a room, pick an avatar and play DJ for all the other listeners in the virtual club. Matthew likes the “Classical of all kinds” room, but there are rooms dedicated just about every other genre […]