Republican Senator Scott Brown and his Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren have released dueling radio statements over the Blunt Amendment, which would give the green light to heath insurance providers to nix birth control coverage for “religious beliefs or moral convictions.” The bill is introduced by Senator Roy Blunt, Republican of Missouri, and co-sponsored by 37 […]
Archive | Policy
Reed College Donates KRRC License to Community Radio Group
Reed College’s tiny radio station KRRC struggled to be heard over the Portland, Oregon airwaves and now its terrestrial days may be over. Last week paperwork was filed to transfer the class D license for KRRC to Common Frequency, a non-profit devoted to community and grassroots radio. There’s a silver lining to this story, as the […]
Paul Smith’s College Radio Station WPSA Turns License Back to FCC
Over the winter holidays, Paul Smith’s College in The Adirondack Park in New York sent a letter to the FCC asking that its class D FM license for college radio station WPSA be cancelled. The December 12, 2011 letter was accepted by the FCC on December 20, 2011 and the 98.3 FM license was deleted. […]
What’s news in unlicensed broadcasting: Retired Navy air traffic controller in Florida faces state charges, but overall FCC enforcement is down
The biggest news in pirate radio so far this year is the story about Ft. Myers, Florida resident Albert Knighten, a retired Navy air traffic controller who was arrested in December on charges of unlicensed broadcasting. Knighten’s Dunbar Radio, named for his neighborhood, focused his broadcasts on the city’s underserved population of older residents who […]
Internet, satellite and cable music royalty payments up 17% in 2011
This is certainly an indicator of strong growth for internet radio and streaming services. Music royalties agency SoundExchange announced Tuesday that it ended the year collecting $292 million in royalty payments, up 17% from 2010. These royalties are paid by internet, satellite and cable TV music-only services for the right to play sound recordings, and […]
They can take the radio out of Clear Channel (but that won’t take Clear Channel out of radio)
Friday the 900 lb. gorilla of commercial radio announced that it is changing its name to Clear Channel Media and Entertainment, striking the word “radio” from its name. Even though the company still owns 850 terrestrial broadcast stations–down from its post-1996 height of 1200–Clear Channel is trying to emphasize its belated focus on the internet, […]
DoJ to Supreme Court: radio is where the “vile and lewd” stuff is
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Fox vs. Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday. That’s the case reviewing the First Amendment constitutionality of the FCC’s sanctions against Fox for broadcasting Cher and Nicole Richie’s famous “fleeting expletive” potty talk comments during the 2002 and 2003 Billboard Music Awards. Also attached to the case are Commission […]
Central College Turns License for KCUI Back to FCC
Just before winter break, college radio station KCUI officially ended its life as an FM station when its license holder, Central College, turned its class D FM license back in to the FCC. Although it was a tiny station at just 10 watts out of Pella, Iowa, it had been a fixture at the private […]
One step closer to more low-power community radio; FCC says LPFM no threat to commercial stations
Last week the FCC released its report on the economic impact of low-power FM stations on commercial radio. The report was mandated by passage of the Local Community Radio Act of 2010 (LCRA), and its primary conclusion should surprise nobody with any knowledge of LPFM: “LPFM stations are unlikely to have more than a negligible […]
Radio Still Growing in U.S. According to Latest FCC Stats
The FCC released a list today, updating its statistics on the total number of licensed broadcast stations in the United States. Based on this list, there are more radio stations today (14,952) then there were a few months ago. The number of AM stations, FM commercial stations, and FM educational stations all increased since the […]