The carnival has come to Night Vale. Is this just as bad as it sounds? More on that in a moment. But first: any Welcome to Night Vale fans in the EU that haven’t need to get around to purchasing tickets for the European tour. The western countries are sold out (except one overflow show […]
Archive | Pop Culture
Revelations: Night Vale Shows Us A Darker Side
Where even to start. It’s been awhile since an episode of Welcome to Night Vale has absolutely blindsided me like that and, if you’re anything like me, those of you that have heard it probably share my exhilaration. Released on Labor Day, Episode 53: The September Monologues provides a new and daunting depth to an […]
Remembering Robin Williams as Irreverent DJ Adrian Cronauer in Good Morning Vietnam
It’s always sad to learn about another great talent who left this world too early. As you probably know, comedian and actor Robin Williams died on Monday. So many of his performances are permanently etched on my psyche, from watching Mork and Mindy during my 80s childhood, to memorable performances in The World According to […]
Welcome To Night Vale Returns To “Normal”
Welcome To Night Vale, soon to embark on their first European tour, has just released their fifty-first episode, “Rumbling”. After a drawn out corporate conflict, a mayoral “election”, and some reconstruction, the little desert burb of Night Vale has finally returned to a state we could dubiously call normal. Indeed, many facets of the show […]
Spike Lee’s ‘Radio Raheem’ returns to protest Staten Island man’s death
Filmmaker Spike Lee has revived his iconic cinematic radio figure “Radio Raheem” in protest of the death of Eric Garner. The Staten Island, New York resident perished last Thursday after three police surrounded and locked him in a choke hold. Garner, 43, had five children. Lee took the section of his movie “Do the Right […]
So Long, Casey Kasem, and Thanks for All the Hits
Broadcasting legend Casey Kasem passed away Sunday at the age of 82. For those who grew up in the 70s and 80s Kasem is an icon of classic pop radio. His passing is sad, but causes me to reflect on how a single weekly broadcast so neatly encapsulated American music culture for a time, and […]
Format Swap, One Direction Hoax & More April Fool’s on the Radio
April 1st is a day when you must not turn off your critical faculties if you’re planning on turning on the radio or TV, surfing the internet, or even leaving the house. Luckily, most pranks are fun and harmless. Also, the FCC is watching broadcasters, who won’t be off the hook if a hoax results […]
Radio and Podcasting Events at 2014 Society for Cinema and Media Studies Conference
There’s been a lot of great energy in recent years surrounding the field of sound studies, in which scholars are increasingly looking at the importance of the auditory aspects of media culture. Within the world of sound studies, a growing group of radio scholars is working hard to ensure that an academic lens is focused […]
Chromecast as Radio, PSH & Pirate Cat – Our Top 10 Most Popular Stories in February
Every week in our Radio Survivor Bulletin email newsletter we count down the top 5 stories of the week, along with alerting readers to other important radio stories. Now, here are our top 10 stories for February, as ranked by unique hits: My Chromecast Is an Internet Radio Remembering Philip Seymour Hoffman in Pirate Radio […]
Radio Shack’s Super Bowl ad tickles and teases radio nerds
Even though fans attending the Super Bowl received a free radio from Westwood One so they could listen to the game at the stadium, I discovered that the Super Bowl broadcast was indeed blacked out from stations’ internet streams yesterday. So I settled down in front of the television to watch the Broncos get utterly […]