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 […]
Community Radio to Provide Soundtrack for Films on Coit Tower
Just when people think that radio is dead, there are signs of it continuing to reinvent itself in interesting ways. The morning news today (on both KTVU’s “Mornings on Two” television broadcast and in the pages of the San Francisco Chronicle) brought word of an innovative art installation taking place over the Thanksgiving holiday at […]
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 […]