Are the music features in Verizon’s Mobile Web browser worth the data costs and high early termination fee? We talked with current and prospective Verizon consumers about the issue.
Archive | Op-Ed
Opinions, editorials and fun stuff.
The Decade’s Most Important Radio Trends
Myself, I can hardly believe that another decade is coming to a close. It seems like just yesterday we were stockpiling canned goods, bottled water and batteries in anticipation of the Y2K global computer meltdown. Of course, on every millennial survivalists’ compound shopping list was a good battery-operated radio. Now, ten years on, radio has […]
Home Star Runner explains radio
I still think the last word on explaining radio genres goes to Strong Bad of the Home Star Runner series. Listen and loin:
Losing the Magic of Radio?
I spend a lot of time thinking about how changes in technology are affecting radio. I worry that the “kids” (college radio DJs as well as everyday folks) are getting lazier and lazier, bypassing physical music for digital, thinking that it’s easier to find and play. I also worry that the pleasure of enjoying an […]
Broadcasters: use FM subcarriers for smart grids
An interesting filing from the National Association of Broadcasters in response to the Federal Communications Commissions’ call for feedback on ways that broadband can help smart grids. The NAB says let FM radio stations lend their subcarrier channels to the cause: “Smart Grid devices, implanted in home appliances, thermostats, and plug-in hybrid vehicles, could receive […]
A letter from Radio France
Radio France has quite a few devotees in the San Francisco Bay Area, among them the noted filmmaker Veronica Selver. You can listen to the service live, or you can download podcasts via your iPhone, as does Veronica. It helps if you understand French, of course. If not, she sent us this summary of some […]
SF Supes pass resolution urging return of Energy 92.7
The SF Board of Supervisors passed a resolution asking Ed Stolz to bring Energy 92.7, which critics see as part of a “pressure campaign” that includes, well, me.
Recording Radio for Fun, Games and Posterity
I started reading the Professor’s detailed travelogues of his AM and shortwave radio band excursions back when he was writing for WFMU’s Beware of the Blog. After he quit contributing to BotB I learned that he was keeping things going at his own Radio Kitchen blog. The Professor belongs to a group of radio enthusiasts […]
Apple's cutting edge tech? Radio!
Today’s highly anticipated 9/9/09 Apple product announcement brought the return of the Messiah (Steve Jobs) but not the band bigger than Jesus. Alas, the much hoped-for debut of the Beatles in the iTunes music store did not arrive, despite Yoko telling Sky News to the contrary. The really big news today is a second coming […]
Digital radio revenues up; terrestrial way down
If you are looking for the bright spot in radio’s future, it’s streaming from a digital platform. The Radio Advertising Bureau’s report for this year’s second fiscal quarter makes this abundantly clear. Local and national over-the-air radio saw a 25% drop in revenue, while digital saw a ten percent boost. Digital radio’s revenue from advertising […]