We travel back to the 1980s, when the show, The Famous Computer Cafe, initially launched over the radio in southern California. With a focus on home computers, computer news, and more, the program had a fascinating roster of guests, including Timothy Leary, Donny Osmond, Bill Gates, and so many others. Although it was assumed that […]
Tag Archives | Internet Archive
Podcast #337 – Catching up on Radio News including LPFM, a College Radio Archive, Documentaries, and More
The Radio Survivor team returns for a new episode, during which Jennifer, Eric and Paul recap some of the latest radio news. Topics this week including LPFM, college radio history, radio documentaries, expanding and returning radio stations, and a slow radio broadcast for Earth Day. Jennifer talks about her new gig working on a college […]
Podcast #335 – Digital Library of Amateur Radio and Communications
On this week’s show, we peek behind the scenes of The Digital Library of Amateur Radio and Communications (DLARC). A project of the Internet Archive, the DLARC collection includes a range of amateur radio-related materials, including magazines, ham radio newsletters, podcasts and even discussion forums. Within the expansive library are items generally categorized as non-commercial […]
Preserving Pieces of Microradio History
For the first time in a while I needed to dip into my dwindling archive of cassette tape airchecks. A couple of tapes immediately caught my eye and spurred me to restart the digitizing project I’ve been working on and off for the last five years. They took me on a fun journey back in […]
Walking the Talk: Preserving ‘mediageek’ at the Internet Archive
We’ve talked a lot about archiving and preserving radio here at Radio Survivor, especially on our podcast. Inevitably during these discussions I’ll open my big mouth and muse about how I should archive my own work somewhere it’ll be in safe hands, like the Internet Archive. But up to now, it’s just been talk. Now, […]
Podcast Prowler: History & Archiving with ‘Jason Scott Talks His Way Out of It’
I’ve been following the work of historian and archivist Jason Scott for more than a decade, ever since he released his film “BBS: The Documentary” (available on the Internet Archive). He’s known for relentless efforts to preserve digital artifacts and media, like the text files that were the stock-in-trade of the early internet, Usenet and […]
Progress Report: Archiving Cassettes & Minidiscs
As I’ve written before, I’m in the process of archiving my collection of audio work that’s on audiocassette and minidisc. It’s a process that has unfolded in fits and starts over the last few years, but I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. I’m nearing my last couple dozen tapes […]
Podcast #85 – Dreaming of a Better CPB
The president’s proposed budget would eliminate funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting by 2018. Radio Survivor’s own Matthew Lasar joins to help us put this attack on public broadcasting in historical perspective. He analyzes the inherent weakness in the design of the CPB and proposes ways in which the system could be both stronger […]
Podcast #76 – UMass Station Sale, Unlicensed LPFM in NZ & Archive Nuggets
All hands are on deck for our first show of 2017. First up, Jennifer Waits reports on the planned sale of U Mass-Dartmouth’s WUMD to Rhode Island Public Radio. Then Paul Riismandel shares radio discoveries from his trip to New Zealand, including legal but unlicensed low-power FM stations. Matthew Lasar wraps things up by sharing […]
Preserving Podcast History
We’ve been covering radio preservation quite a bit here at Radio Survivor. But, despite the medium’s relative youth, it’s not too soon to think about podcast preservation either. Because podcasts are distributed as downloaded files they seem less ephemeral than radio broadcasts, which someone has to take the initiative to record and save. However, think […]