Opinions, editorials and fun stuff.
The big radio companies are massively dittoing a proposal from Entercom that would relax Federal Communications Commission requirements that radio stations announce the “material” rules of a radio contest over the airwaves. “In today’s fast paced world, Americans expect to instantly access information at their fingertips by merely logging on to a website, conducting a […]
And here’s an alternate viewpoint on AM talk radio, compared to the earlier xkcd post. It’s from 20 years ago, before consolidation and Clear Channel. Orson Welles promotes New York’s WABC talk radio:
In honor of the official start of the holiday shopping season, it’s time for an update to my annual list of radio gift ideas. If you are making your purchases online, you can help support Radio Survivor by shopping through our Amazon links. Over the years we’ve compiled various lists of recommended radio gear, accessories […]
Halloween approaches, and the more creative among radio folk are preparing for the occasion. Turntable.fm has once again broken out the Halloween avatars. Here are some samples: “They’ll only be here for a limited amount of time,” tt.fm warns, “so enjoy them while they last! Halloween avatars, like lives, are fleeting.” Meanwhile, Goddess bless NPR, […]
I’m not particularly scared of heights, but watching this video definitely raised my heart rate. It’s a helmet-camera view from a tower worker scaling a 1768-foot broadcast tower to perform maintenance. The first 1600 feet are in an elevator, but the last 60 are a “free climb” without safety harnesses. I know the video has […]
My fellow Radio Survivor Jennifer alerted us to the fact that today is apparently National Radio Day. It was never declared as such by Congress or any other arm of government, and according to the sketchy details on the Holiday Insights website the day seems to have its orgins in the 1990s when radio professionals […]
As the troubles facing Pacifica radio persist without apparent end, I sometimes wonder whether the five station listener supported radio network should voluntarily dismantle itself—that is, transfer its licenses to five local non-profit entities. I am not the first person to suggest this. Community radio pioneer Lorenzo Milam more or less laid the idea out […]
The BBC has launched an online mockumentary series that follows the exploits of Kurupt FM, “West London’s second most popular pirate radio station.” The leader of the Kurupt crew, MC Sniper, penned a short guide to being a pirate radio DJ for The Guardian in which he doles out valuable advice, such as this treatise […]
Perhaps inspired by its new report indicating that almost one in five Americans have listened to Internet radio in their cars, the Edison research group has a new revelation: Twitter is a form of broadcasting. Upon what evidence is this thesis based? The responses to a survey question that the outfit put to a sample […]
The National Association of Broadcasters annual show and convention just started in Las Vegas, bringing together nearly every sector of the broadcast industry to show off new products, discuss trends and hob nob. Unfortunately, the Radio Survivor travel budget doesn’t yet cover more than cab fare across town, so we don’t have a correspondent on […]
