I’ve visited more than 23 radio stations all over the world, from tiny store-front operations like East Village Radio in New York City to small town community radio stations to a big corporate commercial station and everything in between. Not only am I passionate about what goes on in the DJ booth, but I’m also […]
Archive | Noncommercial Radio
Hey NPR: bring back the word "reactionary"
National Public Radio’s ombudsman Alicia Shephard pondered an interesting conundrum this week. What do you do when you are covering elections in a state like Utah, where just about everybody can be classified as a “conservative”? How do you grade the distinctions in conservatism? The network’s Howard Berkes decided to roll out the term “ultra-conservative” […]
Christian Radio Station Quells Violence after Mehserle Verdict
Although I still haven’t sleuthed out the origins of “Oscar Grant Radio,” the mobile radio station that offered up a voice for citizens on the streets of Oakland following the Johannes Mehserle verdict on Thursday, today I learned about another station that was live on the street in order to both discourage violence and offer […]
Oscar Grant Radio on the Streets of Oakland
After the verdict was read yesterday in the trial of former BART police officer Johannes Mehserle in the shooting death of Oscar Grant, there was a great deal of media coverage about local reactions in the San Francisco Bay Area. Most interesting to me was a brief glimpse of a mobile radio station in Oakland […]
College Station KVTI Hands Control over to Public Radio Group
Why do I always feel like I’m the bearer of bad news about college radio? In another sad sign of the times, Clover Park Technical College in Tacoma, Washington has decided to cut costs by passing along control of its 51,000 watt college radio station KVTI to Washington State University’s Northwest Public Radio. As a […]
The Storm Brewing at University of Virginia radio station WTJU: Crisis or Opportunity?
University of Virginia radio station WTJU was at the center of much buzz and heated online debate last week, as staff and listeners reacted to news about proposed changes to both the station’s format and volunteer involvement. Concerned and frustrated DJs turned to the Internet, with one penning a blog post called, “WTJU is Facing […]
Democratized Pacifica radio has spent over $2.4 million on its boards
Since democratizing itself, I estimate that Pacifica radio has spent $2,424,662 on its complex governance system and board elections. Where the heck did that money go?
FCC Fines Non-Commercial Radio Station KUFW for Airing Commercials
As everyone in non-commercial radio in the United States knows, there’s often a fine line between underwriting messages to indicate sponsored programming and commercial announcements. College, community and other non-commercial radio stations are not allowed to air commercials, but they can play underwriting announcements which simply acknowledge the support received by an outside entity. It’s […]
Bonnie Simmons for Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame!
Attention all Bay Area Radio Survivor readers, it is time for you to go to the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame & Museum and vote for the Class of 2010’s best radio announcer. BTW: I’m urging you to vote for Bonnie Simmons of KPFA-FM. Now if you want to vote for one of the […]
DIY Radio hits Motown for Allied Media Conference
If I were anywhere near Detroit this weekend I would grab a seat at the Allied Media Conference. Held at Wayne State University, this is the 12th annual conference put together by Allied Media Projects. Sessions focused on media, technology, community-organizing, social justice, and the DIY ethos all began today. With topics ranging from radical […]