Radio Station Visit #144: High School Radio Station VCS Radio
It was with great anticipation that I arrived at VCS Radio at Vacaville Christian Schools in Vacaville, California for a full day of immersion into the highly unusual middle school/high school radio station. Having spoken with energetic station manager Ralph Martin previously for the Radio Survivor podcast, I expected that it would be a visit […]
Podcast #144 – Standing Up for LPFM’s Slice of the Pie
Applications for 1,000 translator radio stations may pose a threat to low-power FM stations, say three community radio groups. So the groups filed informal objections against all of them, slowing down the FCC’s processing of these applications. This move has sparked controversy within the radio industry. The Center for International Media Action, Common Frequency, Inc. […]
LPFM Advocate: 998 Translator Objections Create ‘a Needed Pause’
Editor’s Note: Common Frequency is one of three LPFM advocacy groups that on May 16 filed informal objections with the FCC against 998 FM translator applications. CF’s technical director Todd Urick was a guest on episode #144 of our podcast to explain some of the reasoning behind this controversial action. He follows up with this […]
Now Streaming: ‘Corporate.FM’ Clearly Explains the Decline of Commercial Radio
“The radio industry… is an example of an industry that was doing pretty well, and they gutted it.” The “they” is the private equity industry, which provided the financing to companies like Clear Channel (iHeartRadio) and Cumulus to go on the epic buying sprees that resulted in today’s enormously consolidated commercial radio landscape. Investigative reporter […]
Join the Radio Survivor Facebook Community
If you use Facebook, we invite you to join our new group to discuss, learn and share information, thoughts and ideas about community media. Given recent controversies about Facebook’s management of user data you might wonder why we chose Facebook, and why we don’t host the community on our own website. Please let me explain. […]
Radio Review Follow-Up: The Tivdio V-115 – Still Great, But Not a DX Champ
Back in March I released a video review of the Tivdio V-115 portable digital radio. I praised it for being very nice sounding – especially for being so small – having decent reception, and for being able to record airchecks to a microSD card. After using the radio during some travels I decided to record […]
Minnesota’s classical safe harbor hour; cellos and weddings (sacred and profane)
On Wednesday, into my classical/radio newsfeed fell this notification about Minnesota Classical Radio (MPR)’s playlist for May 23, 2018. Through the day you get the usual stuff: Schubert, Elgar, Vivaldi. Then the 10 PM hour arrives, and . . . KABOING: Refuge Baljinder Sekhon Robert McCormick McCormick Percussion Group Gumboots David Bruce Carducci Quartet Julian […]
College Radio Watch: WUEV Sale?, Radio Conferences, and More News
In 2011, I wrote about the heroic efforts in 2006 that resulted in college radio station WUEV being saved from a potential sale by University of Evansville. It was a shining example of how an open-minded university president involved students, alumni and fans of college radio station WUEV in the discussion about its future. The […]
Podcast #143 – The Fight for an Open Internet Advances on Many Fronts
The future of all communications is at stake, explains Tim Karr, Senior Director of Strategy and Communications for Free Press. On May 15 the Senate voted to restore Net Neutrality by overturning the FCC’s decision to undo the 2015 Open Internet order. Now the fight turns to the House. While victory is uncertain, Karr says […]
The Podcast Patent Troll Is Dead and Buried
The final nail in the coffin of the so-called “podcast patent troll” has been struck. Last week the Supreme Court declined the petition for review filed by Personal Audio, the company holding the original patent for “a system for disseminating media content” that it claimed applied to all podcasts. Personal Audio was challenging a 2015 […]