Right now there are a pile of applications for translator stations in the queue for at the FCC. Translators are often called booster stations because their only purpose is to rebroadcast the signal of a full-power station. This backlog of applications is important because translator stations can be spaced closer on the dial to a […]
Archive | Policy
Citizen Radio coming to San Francisco with Daily Kos founder
If you’re looking for something fun to do this Saturday, and you live in or will be visiting the San Francisco Bay Area, there’s an upcoming Citizen Radio Live! sketchfest to consider. The time: three PM, Jan 22; the place: the Punch Line Comedy Club. Citizen Radio is run by Jamie Kilstein and Allison Kilkenny, […]
Was firing Juan Williams a “costly mistake” for NPR?
The review of NPR’s firing of Juan Williams is out. The NPR executive who gave Williams the axe over the telephone has resigned. And NPR’s ombudsman Alicia Shepard warns that the brouhaha could prove “costly” for the radio service. “The Williams firing was a very costly management mistake on many levels,” Shepard opines. The commentary […]
LPFM expansion: it’s official!
Yes, the Local Community Radio Act of 2010finally passed both the House and Senate almost two weeks ago. But it’s not official until the president signs it. And that he did, today. Today is just the start of the process to bring more community radio stations to the air. There is a lot of work […]
What’s in store for radio at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show
The annual Consumer Electronics Show kicks off this Thursday in Las Vegas. While all the biggest buzz around the show is in anticipation of new tablet competitors for Apple’s iPad, we can still expect to hear announcements of new radio gadgets across the spectrum, from analog broadcast and HD Radio to satellite and internet radio. […]
Should NBC finally apologize to Mae West?
Everybody’s waiting for the United States government to decide whether to approve the merger of Comcast and NBC Universal. The Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Justice have to bless the marriage, and it appears that the FCC is going to do so with some conditions. These include requirements that the new entity make […]
Radio’s Fall – Part One: No Money, Mo’ Problems
Editor’s Note: Radioactive Gavin has collected more than 300 articles on radio and digital music over the past 3 months for Common Frequency. This is the first of a series of seven posts he will be contributing in the coming weeks, looking back at the end of a rough year in radio. Conservatives crying “Defund NPR” […]
Breaking: The LPFM bill just passed the Senate
Talk about a nailbiter. After languishing for months in the Senate due to a series of anonymous (then outed) holds placed by republican senators, followed by gridlock over the tax bill, it was starting to look like the Local Community Radio Act was never going to make it to a vote. But thanks to the […]
Breaking down the House’s new LPFM bill
It’s certainly easy to understand the sentiment expressed by a commenter to my last LPFM post: If the NAB is for it, you can pretty much guarantee that it is to the detriment to LPFM. And while the LPFM bill passed by the House yesterday, HR 6533, does contain compromises agreed to by the NAB, […]
Public Radio Station WLIU Sold to Community Group, Renamed WPPB
When universities put their radio stations up for sale, more often than not the people lining up with cash in hand are non-local radio groups. So, it’s a wonderful surprise when those who work at a station that’s on the chopping block take the initiative to save the station from outside parties. As we reported […]