With wildfires raging up and down the west coast of the United States amid the coronavirus pandemic, many radio stations are facing different types of challenges than a year ago. Vacaville Christian Schools’ radio station KVCB-LP (aka VCS Radio) is in a community that was hit hard by a wild fire in August 2020. When […]
There continues to be a slow trickle of newly granted low power FM (LPFM) construction permits this month, with 5 more granted this week. Additionally, a few applications were dismissed, including Greater Broadcasting Network, Inc. (Duncanville, Texas) and Iglesia Pentecostes del Principe de Paz (Grand Prairie, Texas). Also, a LPFM that is still fundraising in […]
It’s hard to fathom the extent of the devastation in the Philippines following Typhoon Haiyan (also known as Yolanda) last week. More than 10,000 people are presumed dead, towns are demolished, and communications systems have been disrupted due to power outages. In light of this, I’ve been trying to get a sense of how radio […]
After learning about Friday’s Santa Monica College shooting, I’d wondered about the effect that the events had on the functioning of public radio station KCRW-FM, which is located on campus. Of course I hoped that everyone at the station was safe and sound, but I was also curious about how they handled being at the […]
The horrific devastation in Oklahoma following yesterday’s tornado reminds me once again about the importance of terrestrial radio during disasters. Today, as I read through tornado preparedness literature, it was clear that radio communication is vital during and after severe weather events. A safety publication (PDF) from University of Oklahoma not only recommends that everyone […]
I live in San Francisco, where we have big nasty earthquakes. You may live in New York City or New Jersey or Texas, where you have truly scary hurricanes. Chances are that wherever you dwell, some planetary upheaval happens every now and then. That’s why you need an emergency AM/FM radio. The holiday season is […]
If you are getting a jump on holiday shopping on this Cyber Monday, then it’s a perfect time to start sleuthing out radio-related gifts for your friends and family. While you’re at it, you can also help support Radio Survivor by shopping through our Amazon links. Since radio gifts never go out of style, you […]
Here’s some interesting fare for discussion as the Federal Communications Commission prepares to test its Emergency Alert System on Wednesday. Radio stations in big markets know that they’re responsible for disaster assistance, a new study observes, but are sometimes reluctant to coordinate with public officials. They may also assume that neighboring stations serving smaller areas […]
Yesterday marked the one year anniversary of the devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Haiti, which killed over 200,000 people and left a million homeless. At the time of the quake it became clear that radio was a vital resource for Haitian citizens, as it was often the communication tool used to find survivors and to […]
As we wrote last week, radio has played a vital communications role in Haiti in the weeks following its devastating earthquake last month. But what we didn’t cover in that story is the sad state of some Haitian community radio stations which have suffered major damage to buildings and equipment. According to a series of […]
