Buried in the more sensational news that Randy Michaels resigned as Tribune CEO yesterday is the fact that a Delaware Judge is letting a group of creditors move forward with a lawsuit against chairman Sam Zell. This group of unsecured creditors contends that Zell’s Tribune buyout was a “fraudulent transfer” that primarily lined the pockets […]
Archive | Op-Ed
Opinions, editorials and fun stuff.
Want to piss off your radio audience? Talk about P2P file sharing
Man, my student Jacob Margolis got himself into a deep tub of digital hot water the other day over at KPCC-FM public radio in Pasadena, CA. Jacob took my telecommunications history class up at UC Santa Cruz and now he’s an intern down there. His crime? Explaining the mechanics of P2P file downloading on one […]
Could white space devices boost streaming community radio?
The Federal Communications Commission has put the finishing touches on its rules for “white space” broadband devices—that is, gadgets that can send and receive high speed Internet across unused TV channels. Rolling out the service will be very tricky, since it involves portable gizmos that link to mobile or fixed machines that link to a […]
For best vinyl playback avoid the plastic
Earlier this week my fellow Radio Survivor Matthew posted about this cute-looking little Crosley record player with a oblong clamshell design far more compact than a typical turntable. Unfortunately, I have to put a damper on Matthew’s excitement, since my opinion is that the Crosley CR6002A is nothing more than an expensive plastic toy. Retro […]
Will “community” governance mean a staff bloodbath at KPFA?
The rivals in KPFA’s governance election are in full combat mode these days. Up for grabs are a bunch of seats for delegates on the Pacifica listener-supported signal’s Local Station Board. Two slates are pushing for a majority on the board: Save KPFA and Independents for Community Radio. My favorite outbursts come from Independents most […]
Radio Nonchalance Hits Pirate Radio with its Urban Participatory Game
A mysterious pirate radio station cropped up today during the 2010 01SJ Biennial Build Your Own World conference in San Jose, California. According to the festival website, ZER01 and other artistic collaborators will convene in San Jose from September 16-19 to present various events and performances. The pirate radio arm of this event is airing […]
Is this the coolest turntable ever, or what?
Oh man, somebody buy me one of these for my birthday. It’s Crosley’s newest turntable and it’s totally portable, battery powered, comes with a USB connection to link to a PC or Mac, includes a software suite for ripping the audio, plays 33-1/3 and 45 RPM records, has an FM transmitter, and full range stereo […]
Can Al Jazeera save Pacifica radio?
The Washington Post reports what everybody involved in the Pacifica radio network has known for years, that the foundation’s staff are in conversation with Al Jazeera to broadcast the service over its five listener supported stations. I don’t know whether the discussions are going anyplace, but it’s obviously a great idea, so of course it […]
WFMU on the “catch 22” of Internet streaming
John Bergmayer of Public Knowledge has a great interview with Ken Freedman, station manager of WFMU-FM in Jersey City, New Jersey. WFMU is a trailblazing radio station which was in the forefront of both the free form and dot.com eras. The dialogue is a terrific read, because it encapsulates all the dilemmas facing Internet radio […]
Lots of interesting non-comm and pirate radio in Western Washington State
Jose Fritz of the great Arcane Radio Trivia has been traveling around and writing about what he hears on different regional radio dials. He just posted from the Seattle-Tacoma area and it’s interesting that he picks up a very diverse set of noncommercial stations featuring indie rock, NPR news, jazz and even dance music. He […]