Mr. Okra has died, Henry Cowell’s “Tiger,” George Clinton on aliens
“We gonna be dealing with aliens. You think black and white gonna be a problem? Wait till you start running into motherfuckers with three or four dicks!” – George Clinton
College Radio Watch: WNUR and KBOO History, WRFH at CPAC and More News
I’m so inspired by radio historians and this week I highlighted the work being done for Northwestern University’s college radio station WNUR. While a student, Brock Stuessi started the WNUR Underground Archive Project to help preserve the unique materials in the WNUR music library. Although he’s since graduated, he’s still working on the project as […]
WNUR Underground Archive Project Sheds Light on College Radio History
College radio history is near and dear to me; so I am thrilled to learn about the WNUR Underground Archive Project. Launched initially as a student project by WNUR (see my 2008 station tour) participant Brock Stuessi, the website features a glimpse into the Northwestern University radio station’s rock music collection. Featuring scans of album […]
Do we really know the history of classical music in America?
I am listening to South Dakota Public Broadcasting interview Joseph Horowitz, author of Classical Music in America: A History of its Rise and Fall. Judging from the author’s tone, the book decidedly focuses on the decline aspect of the story. “What we take for granted today,” Horowitz tells his radio interviewer David Gier, “that the market […]
Podcast #130 – How To Preserve 50 Years of Community Radio History
Portland community radio station KBOO-FM celebrates its 50th year on air in 2018, and to commemorate the anniversary the station is hosting an exhibit at the Oregon Historical Society Museum. While an exhibit seems simple enough on the surface, in fact a lot of time, thought and work goes into curating the artifacts and narrative […]
College Radio Watch: Sports Radio’s Student Radio Connection and More News
Happy belated World Radio Day to my college radio friends. I celebrated by reading about radio, listening to radio, and doing radio. Pretty much a typical week for me. As my colleague Paul Riismandel noted in his post, this year’s World Radio Day had a sports theme. Although I don’t write much about sports, it’s […]
Podcast #129 – Deaf Accessibility for Podcasts & Radio
If you’re a hearing person, you might not expect that podcasts would be popular with people who are deaf or are hard of hearing. But you’d be wrong. Miri Josephs is a podcaster who also considers herself part of the deaf community. She joins this episode to explain why it’s important to make podcasts, and […]
Happy World Radio Day!
Today, is World Radio Day. First proclaimed in 2011 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to, “celebrate radio as a medium; to improve international cooperation between broadcasters; and to encourage major networks and community radio alike to promote access to information, freedom of expression and gender equality over the airwaves.” February […]
Podcast #128 – The FCC Is Creating the Clear Channel of TV
The nation’s largest TV station owner is about to get even bigger, threatening to create the equivalent of Clear Channel for local television. New ownership rules passed by the FCC’s Republican majority in November are set to take effect Feb. 7, paving the way for Sinclair Broadcast Group to acquire Tribune television stations. Prof. Christopher […]
Julius Eastman we hardly knew you
Julius Eastman was a brilliant black/gay composer whose lamentably short life is explored on WBUR’s Here and Now. His music was beautiful, but its presentation was not for the faint of heart. I hear Bach’s C-minor Passacaglia in Eastman’s controversially titled work, “Evil Nigger.” You listen and decide for yourself. According to interviewed historian Tiona […]