Happy 2012. Over the past few weeks, Matthew, Paul and I have written up our obligatory “year-end” pieces, summarizing some of the big radio trends from 2011. I covered college radio in my article, 2011: The Year that College Radio Fought Back, Paul wrote about some of the technological changes in music in his piece, […]
Archive | Religious Radio
Ryerson University Students Compete with Christian and LGBT Radio Stations for Spot on Dial
Nearly a year ago, campus-community radio station CKLN at Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada had its license revoked by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). Last month’s “Reclaim Your Radio” event across Canada was meant to bring attention to not only the plight of CKLN, but also to draw attention to the opportunity for […]
Family Radio to Sell WKDN to Merlin Media for $22.5 Million
Christian radio conglomerate Family Radio is in the process of selling off radio stations in 2 major markets. On the heels of its November sale of WFSI 107.9 FM in Annapolis, Maryland to CBS for $8.5 million (Family Radio programming left the station’s airwaves last Thursday, December 1), paperwork was accepted for filing by the […]
Harold Camping Issues Vague Apology, Says World will End without Warning
October 21, 2011 came and went and Family Radio founder Harold Camping’s dire predictions about the end of the world occurring on that date never came to be. Although he’s been recuperating from a stroke and is rumored to be retiring from Family Radio, the 90-year-old Christian radio host was noticeably silent on his latest […]
Family Radio’s Harold Camping Speaks: End of World “Probably” on October 21
Now that it’s October, my thoughts have turned to the pronouncements by Family Radio that the end of the world will take place on October 21. As we reported, the worldwide Christian radio network spent a fortune advertising the May 21, 2011 “Judgment Day,” and its founder Harold Camping had to back pedal after the […]
Family Radio Airs Replacement Programs in Open Forum Slot
Much of my obsession with Harold Camping’s Family Radio empire has been a direct result of his live call-in radio show “Open Forum.” On the air for 50 years, the show was an amazing glimpse into the beliefs of the founder of the large Christian religious broadcasting network. Through that show, Camping spread the word […]
Family Radio’s “Open Forum” On Hiatus While Harold Camping Recovers from Stroke
Last week there were reports that Family Radio‘s 50-year-old “Open Forum” program was being cancelled in light of Family Radio founder Harold Camping’s recent stroke on June 9th. In recent months, the religious network’s call-in talk show has been a vehicle for discussions about the predicted May 21, 2011 “Judgment Day” and Rapture. When I […]
Commercial Radio Station Donated to Meridian Community College
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 […]
Family Radio’s Rapture Fallout Prompts Letters to FCC and Congress
The hype surrounding Family Radio’s prediction of Judgment Day and the Rapture on May 21 (and subsequent pronouncement that the Rapture will be delayed until October 21, 2011) not only attracted the attention of mainstream media, religious scholars, and atheists; but it also has led to much conversation amongst proponents of non-commercial educational radio. Before […]
Harold Camping Explains that Judgment Day was Spiritual
When Harold Camping concluded his call-in talk show “Open Forum” on Thursday, May 19, 2011, he said goodbye to his listeners as he anticipated that he would be whisked away in the Rapture on Saturday, May 21. On the program he said that he planned to spend Friday and Saturday with his family as he […]