Chicago Public Radio Calls Out LPTV Stations Exploiting Backdoor to FM Dial
Far outside the view of the general public, the virtual cratediggers of the FCC’s electronic recesses like Matthew and myself are sometimes privy to the little slap-fights that go on between broadcasters. In this case things are getting a little heated over the far left end of the FM dial, with a prominent public radio […]
Early termination fees – an issue for mobile radio?
Four United States Senators are on the warpath over the Early Termination Fees that wireless services charge if you duck out before the completion of the contract. Their Cell Phone Early Termination Fee, Transparency and Fairness Act would bar carriers from charging ETFs that exceed the price break on the phone you get for accepting […]
How 'Teenager Party' helped bring down the Iron Curtain
It was 1958, and the staff of Radio Free Europe pondered what to do next. The CIA funded broadcasting service was still reeling from the disastrous Hungarian Revolution of 1956. The United States had encouraged Hungary to revolt against Communist domination, then did nothing when the Soviet Union crushed the uprising. RFE took much of […]
Vinyl-Only Show on Commercial Radio Station WRXP
If I were ever to be interviewed for my own “Radio Obsessives” series on Radio Survivor, the topic would no doubt be my Spinning Indie Radio Station Field Trip project. Since April 2008 I’ve visited 20 different radio stations, ranging from tiny online-only college stations like WECB, to renowned community radio station WFMU outside of […]
Bay Area Radio Museum Saved, But Still Seeking Help
I was happy to read in Ben Fong-Torres’ Radio Waves column yesterday that the Bay Area Radio Museum has been saved. As we reported earlier this month, the online-only museum had scaled back recently under mounting costs. Well, not only has the California Historical Radio Society stepped up to provide some help; but the site’s […]
Congress will hold hearing on Arbitron Portable People meter
Arbitron’s controversial Portable People Meter is still in hot water with the government. The device, which measures user listening habits sans a written diary, is scheduled to be the subject of a hearing by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on Wednesday, December 2.
Scanning the Radio Dial: Chinese Radio in L.A. and College Radio in Ithaca
It’s a good sign that people continue to write articles praising radio offerings from coast-to-coast; so I just wanted to take a moment to share a couple of stories about some interesting things happening in various radio markets. A piece in the L.A. Times profiles AM station KAZN in Pasadena, California, which was the first […]
Texas says no to the FCC's proposed localism rules
The Texas Association of Broadcasters opposes the FCC’s proposed localism rules. Why not? Everybody else does. Two years ago this December the Federal Communications Commission proposed a quartet of new regulations to nudge radio stations to provide more local news, music, and public affairs programming. These included rules requiring a certain amount of local programming […]
The Record Store vs. the Search Engine
This past week I visited San Francisco. In addition to finally meeting my co-bloggers Matthew and Jennifer in person, I also made my pilgrimage to one of the best music stores in the country, Aquarius Records in the Mission. The oldest music store in the city, Aquarius is not big, and it’s far from comprehensive […]
Cellphone Radio in Rural India
I think it’s clear that even if people don’t have access to traditional terrestrial radio stations, there is still a desire for radio-like content. An article in today’s Wall Street Journal, “Cellphone Entertainment Takes Off in Rural India,” discusses rural villages in India where there is limited access to FM radio, but there is cell […]