Radio Survivor

Randy Michaels becomes the master of the big media mash-up.

With ace-consolidator Randy Michaels at the helm of Tribune Company it looks like he’s having a jolly good time installing his old Clear Channel pals into top positions at the bankrupt newspaper and broadcast company. On Monday Tribune announced that ex-Clear Channel CFO Jerry Kersting is now president of Tribune’s broadcasting division. This was followed today by the news that Clear Channel’s old VP of programming Sean Compton would be Tribune Broadcasting’s new president of programming.

Kersting replaces Ed Wilson, who Robert Feder notes,

was one of the few Tribune Co. execs without Clear Channel on his resume, having previously run Fox Television Network, NBC Enterprises and CBS Enterprises. By several accounts, he didn’t kowtow to Michaels, who moved up to CEO of Tribune Co. last December. “Ed was probably too strong for Randy,” one insider surmised. “Randy runs the show.”

Tribune has much bigger investments in TV than radio. In fact, it owns only one station, the news/talk station WGN-AM in Chicago, where back in March Michaels banned 112 words and phrases from being uttered on the station. Nevertheless it already looks like the plan is to perform some of the old Cheap Channel radio tricks on TV. The company is getting ready to give conservative talk radio host Bill Cunningham his own syndicated program on Tribune stations. And who do you think syndicates Cunningham’s radio program? Why, yes, that would be Clear Channel-owned Premiere Radio Networks. (Way to keep it in the family, Randy!)

As the Clear Channel mafia readies to work its magic on Tribune Broadcasting they have a head start since the company’s already in bankruptcy. It got there the same way Clear Channel drove itself into debt — buying up stations–and newspapers–left and right using borrowed money. Only a private equity sale payday would complete the circle.

Often music is thrust upon us in public places, from elevators, to telephone hold music, to restaurants. Sometimes it’s amazing and notable, but when it’s bad, it can be torturous.

I can never just ignore these background sounds that are meant to calm elevator passengers, amp up teen mall shoppers, or increase worker productivity. Memories of the light rock station that blared in my childhood dentist’s office and the loud Muzak that tormented me when I was a college student at my temp job stick with me decades after the initial sounds were heard.

Airplane music could easily suffer this same fate, but with the emergence of Virgin America as the hip airline for the “creative class,” more adventurous sound curation has come to the forefront.

I always scan the playlists of airplane radio stations when I fly, but was never truly excited about the music choices until I flew on Virgin America. They have a pretty sophisticated in-flight entertainment system called RED, which allows passengers to listen to both MP3s (they have a library of more than 3,500 choices across every genre imaginable) and radio (as well as watch TV, view movies, play games, order food, chat with passengers, etc.).

They offer 20 different “radio” stations, each providing about 2 hours of music across a more diverse range of genres than I’ve ever seen in the air. Most notable to me is their underground station (“Deep”), which plays music that you might expect to hear on an adventurous college radio show. Some of the artists on this station this month include Robert Rich & Ian Boddy, Zeitkratzer, Daedelus, and Dot Tape Dot.

Virgin's In-Flight Entertainment System - RED

They also have multiple stations focused on Asian pop (“J-Pop” and “M-Pop”), a reggae channel (“Rebel,” which they added based on listener response), and a more standard indie/alternative channel (“Edge”). Some of the artists on “Edge” this month include Chromeo, MGMT, Arctic Monkeys, Yo La Tengo and MC5.

One of their most popular stations, “Sounds of San Francisco,” offers up a range of artists local to the Burlingame-based airline, including hard rock from Metallica, folk beauty by Jolie Holland, poppy punk from Scissors for Lefty and driving gal rock from Von Iva. (more…)

Over the past year I’ve been tracking the mini-phenomenon of a few low-power TV stations on channel 6 using their signal as a back-door to the FM dial rather than real TV stations. This situation occurs because the audio portion of analog TV channel 6 bumps up against the far left end of the FM dial. Full-power TV stations on channel 6 have gone digital, and some have moved to other spectrum space. In either case their audio is no longer heard on the FM dial. But LPTV stations were not required to go digital last year, and so are still heard.

While this loophole remains open for existing stations, new LPTV stations will not be able to take advantage. Today the FCC released a notice [PDF] saying that applicants for new LPTV stations must amend their applications to be digital before May 24 of this year.

It looks like there are seven channel 6 applications pending. Who knows if any of the applicants were planning on taking advantage of proximity to the FM dial. But if any were, that option is now off the table.

At this point I think it’s safe to say the countdown timer is ticking closer to zero on channel 6 on FM. Last October the FCC ended protection of channel 6 signals from interference coming from FM stations. As the commission whittles away at analog LPTV it’s just a matter of time until the Media Bureau gets around to setting a mandatory digital transition date for LPTV stations. I think this is especially true given the fact that the FCC is seriously looking at reallocating broadcast spectrum for wireless broadband.

In advance of its upcoming biannual review of media ownership rules, the Federal Communications Commission is holding a series of workshops on the issue. These workshops are less formal and expansive than hearings, and tend to be focused on a smaller array of topics.

On April 20 the Commission’s Media Bureau will host a panel on “benefits and harms of newspaper/broadcast cross-ownership and the impact these combinations have on competition and diversity in the media marketplace” [PDF announcement]. The primary concern is with TV-newspaper cross-ownership because it’s more restricted by the FCC than radio cross-ownership, and because TV and newspapers are significant sources of local news. However, radio is still a source of news and public affairs programming, and so newspaper-radio combinations will also be discussed in the panel.

Currently bankrupt Tribune company–headed by former Clear Channel CEO Randy Michaels–has been one of the most prominent supporters of loosening or eliminating restrictions on television-newspaper cross-ownership. In fact, the company was so confident that the Bush-era FCC would undo cross-ownership rules that it went on a massive debt-leveraged buying spree, snatching up newspapers and broadcast stations. Only the changes didn’t quite pan out, and so the heavily indebted company was bought out and saddled with even more debt by real estate tycoon Sam Zell. Now companies like Tribune are crying that eliminating the few remaining ownership regulations are the only way to save the broadcast and newspaper businesses.

I predict we’ll hear that argument raised at the Tampa workshop, along with the media reform argument that maybe the newspaper and broadcast businesses wouldn’t be in such rotten shape if the largest companies hadn’t gone on a credit-fueled shopping spree.

With the national broadband plan taking center stage right now, I don’t expect we’ll see much major action on media ownership from the Commission too soon. But since Tribune, Clear Channel and their indebted brethren will be pushing hard to eliminate even the few remaining constraints on radio ownership, we’ll be sure to cover it here at RadioSurvivor.

Portland DJ Cate of K-100

Last night I checked out the premiere of a new television series on the CW called Life Unexpected, largely because one of the main characters is a radio DJ. Additionally, it’s a teen-centric drama, so right off the bat the show is hitting at my pop cultural sweet spots.

[If you're planning to watch the show and haven't caught the first episode yet, then you may want to read this post later, as I reveal plot details below.]

The show opens with a shot of VU meters ticking away as we hear the sounds of a morning talk radio show in Portland, Oregon.

We eventually see the innards of the studio and get to spy on DJs Cate (played by Shiri Appleby of the long-departed teen show Roswell) and Ryan (Dawson Creek’s Kerr Smith), as they entertain listeners with their banter about relationships and marriage. Interspersed with scenes of the studio are shots of teenage Lux listening to the show on her radio (see…teenagers really do still listen to terrestrial radio!) as she gets ready for her day.

We soon learn that nearly 16-year-old Lux is in foster care, and we watch her as she tracks down her birth father. In hopes of becoming an emancipated minor, she asks her newly-found dad Nate for details on her mother. She’s surprised to find out that it’s Cate, the host of her favorite radio show.

In an effort to get in touch with Cate, Nate calls in to the morning show and his call works to reveal the sordid details of his Zima-fueled hookup with DJ Cate back in high school. Embarrassed by the on-air revelations, Cate leaves the studio to meet Nate in the station parking lot where she ends up becoming reunited with her daughter Lux.

The family reunion is not without its drama and after some not-so-unexpected twists, we witness a touching scene that actually reveals the power of radio. Lux tells Cate,

“You don’t realize you were there. On the radio. When everything else in my life kept changing. I could count on you every day. People are just…so scared…to tell the truth…You…you just put it all out there. You say the truth.”

In the opening episode, Cate’s radio shtick is that she’s a commitment-phobic, cynical thirtysomething. She and her co-host relentlessly tease each other on-air while never revealing to listeners that they’ve been in a romantic relationship for 2 years. Yet by the end of the hour we see Cate taking Lux in to her home and accepting a marriage proposal from her radio show co-host Ryan. As clips from the upcoming episodes hint at; the morning talk show may end up being the place where Cate begins to reveal more and more personal truths.

It’s not surprising that often TV depictions of DJs are in the form of talk show hosts (vs. music DJs) since this can become an easy way for writers to reveal the feelings and motivations of their characters. We’ll have to wait and see if this particular glimpse of the radio world on Life Unexpected catches on with viewers. I’ll also be curious to see if radio retains its starring role as the series progresses.

The craziness of the holiday shopping season is now upon us and hopefully there’s someone on your list (maybe you) who deserves a little radio love. Whether you are shopping for a retro radio dude, a kid with a penchant for pop, someone with an eye for high design, or your favorite radio scholar, there are tons of cool toys, gadgets, and tomes out there that embrace the beauty of radio.

Here are some options. To see images of these gifts, just click the triangular up and down buttons at the bottom of the carousels:

For the Techy Teen: Build Your Own AM/FM Radio Kit

Kids just aren’t making their own radios like they used to. Buck that trend by getting your kid, niece, nephew or favorite teen one of these.

For the Kids: Hello Kitty Clock Radio

I say, get the kids listening to radio at the youngest age possible.

For Lovers of Retro Design, but with All the Modern Features: Crosley Turntable with CD Player and AM/FM Tuner

I’m always drooling over the beautifully designed Crosley turntables with all of the modern acoutrements. This particular model reminds me of an antique radio that we had in my house when I was a kid.

For Those of Us in Earthquake Country: Solar Powered Portable Radio

Everyone needs to have one of these in their emergency kit. You can recharge the radio by using the hand-crank as well.

For Mom and Dad: Shower Radio

Oh my god…I had no idea they still made shower radios. For that reason alone, this made the list. Just think, you can catch the news, weather and traffic in the comfort of your own shower.

For Time-Shifting Radio Lovers: Digital Recorder with mp3 player and AM/FM tuner

With this cool device, you can record radio much like you would use TiVo to record television.

For Radio Nostalgia Buffs: Antique Radio

I grew up in a house full of usable antiques, including old radios and phonographs. They don’t make things like they used to, so it’s always fun to seek out vintage pieces. Your local antique store and eBay are full of gems, including this crazy vintage space age-style Sputnik radio from the 1960s.

For Radio Historians: Empire of the Air DVD

This lauded Ken Burns documentary recounts the early days of radio.

For Bookish Alterna-Radio Types: Rebels on the Air: An Alternative History of Radio in America

This is a great book for those who are interested in reading about some of the creative characters behind various non-commercial radio stations.

For High Design Lovers: Antique Style Radio

This would just look so cool on the shelf.

For Non-Commercial Radio Supporters: CDs, LPs, Tshirts, etc. from their Favorite Radio Station

College, community, and public radio stations are always in need of your cash….and they often have really cool promotional items that you can pick up as gifts. Might I shamelessly plug KFJC’s 50th Anniversary LP to you? Or perhaps a cute girlie T-shirt?

For Terrestrial Radio Fans with Bad Reception: Internet Radio Receiver

I Love this idea. Instead of listening to your favorite radio stations through your computer, you can use this dedicated Internet radio. It’s perfect for places like San Francisco where FM radio reception is often dodgy, especially for the college radio stations that I listen to. It’s also got Pandora built in to in if you end up bypassing the bounty of streaming terrestrial stations.

Far outside the view of the general public, the virtual cratediggers of the FCC’s electronic recesses like Matthew and myself are sometimes privy to the little slap-fights that go on between broadcasters. In this case things are getting a little heated over the far left end of the FM dial, with a prominent public radio station calling out LPTV broadcasters exploiting the channel 6 backdoor to the FM dial.

As I’ve been already reported, the FCC recently ended restrictions on the use of FM frequencies adjacent to TV channel 6– 87.9 to 88.5 FM–in markets where former analog channel 6 stations went digital and changed channels.  Now, National Public Radio has petitioned the FCC to open up these frequencies everywhere, even in markets where digital TV stations decided to stay on channel 6 or where there are grandfathered analog low-power TV stations.

NPR’s argument rests on a technical analysis concluding that digital TV signals are far more interference-resistant than analog, and that modern TV tuners are selective enough to make interference from FM negligible for even analog LPTV signals.

Predictably, fellow noncommercial FM broadcasters are lining up in support of NPR’s proposal, while the ABC network and the National Association of Broadcasters have filed comments in opposition, calling into question NPR’s engineering data. There’s a few sparks coming from these opposing comments, but the real fun is buried in comments from Chicago Public Radio.

Without naming names, CPR  pointedly complains,

LPTV stations have begun to invade FM radio, broadcasting audio signals that were licensed for TV broadcast as if they were commercial radio stations on 87. 7 MHz. Not only are these signals inappropriately being broadcast as radio, they are also bleeding 24·hour dance music, with commercial advertising, over into the noncommercial stations that are on the lower NCE FM channels. Like squatters moving into recently-vacated homes, these LPTV stations are, in effect, intentionally broadcasting commercial radio which spills over onto the reserved portion of the FM band, trespassing on the limited territory of their noncommercial neighbors. Before this phenomenon becomes entrenched, the Commission owes the public, as well as public radio stations, a reasoned consideration of this problem.

(more…)

Radio Free Roscoe

Being both a television and a radio fanatic; I present to you my personal “top 5″ list for TV shows with some sort of radio theme. Some series focus more on radio than others; but in my mind they all showcase the medium and represent a range of radio stations. I was hoping to do a “top 10″ list, but poor radio is often quite absent from the world of television.

Here are my five favorites (in no particular order).

1. Beverly Hills, 90210 (Fox, 1990-2000)

Who can forget DJ David Silver and his lengthy radio career throughout the series? He began as a dorky high school freshman DJ at the West Beverly High radio station. The station’s window overlooked the hallway, so David was often a commentator on the campus scene and gossip. When he graduated and went off to California University he began his career as a college radio DJ, which was famously side-tracked by his descent into drug abuse in order to stay awake following graveyard shifts at the station. After graduation David was often seen doing live remotes from the Peach Pit After Dark; as he hosted a late night show on commercial station KBIB.

2. Radio Free Roscoe (2003-2005 in Canada on The Family Channel)

This series follows in the long-standing tradition of excellent teen TV coming out of Canada. With a diverse cast of characters and more realistic-looking kids, Radio Free Roscoe tells the story of students who run a pirate radio station. Their high school actually has an above-board station (Cougar Radio) that the Radio Free Roscoe kids created their station in response to (like people used to do with underground newspapers). Making things even more interesting is the fact that the DJs all have secret identities and are not known to their classmates. You can still catch re-runs of this classic teen show on Teen Nick. (more…)

The Pulse Flatlines

Perhaps it was too good to be true. The overcrowded FM dial of the New York City metroplex offered no easy opportunity to bring a new cutting edge dance music station to the radio. But an opportunity was found at the far left end of the dial in the space occupied by TV channel 6 audio. So in February, 2008 87.7 FM the Pulse went on the air using the analog audio of low-power TV channel 6. Then, just 20 months later, the station pulled the plug yesterday at 5 PM, only four hours and forty-five minutes after announcing its imminent demise on air.

The death of the Pulse was not unexpected, given that the station’s owner Mega Media Group filed for bankruptcy in August. No doubt, commercial radio is a tough business in the 21st century, especially following nearly thirteen years of rampant industry consolidation which triggered ruthless cutting of ad rates in order to drive independent operators out of business and into the arms of megabroadcasters like Clear Channel and Cumulus. It’s fair to say that the Pulse had an uphill battle to begin with. Even with a unique format and a potentially very loyal audience, there’s fewer and fewer ad dollars to go around.
(more…)

To some it may seem like I’ve been beating a dead horse over the TV channel 6 on FM issue, but I can’t help but be fascinated with TV broadcasters taking such pains to be on what so many observers say is the dying medium of radio.

In my second missive on the channel 6 radio phenomenon back in June I took note of Schenectady New York’s WRGB-TV. That station’s director of engineering made clear his intention to keep WRGB’s analog audio signal going even after the digital transition.

Now some ten weeks after the June 12 analog shutoff WRGB’s little experiment has come to an end. According to a brief statement posted to the station’s website dated August 24, general manager Robert Furlong acknowledges that this digital TV station has no authorization from the FCC to continue an analog broadcast on the FM dial, and announces the FM broadcast has been turned off, “effective immediately.”

I’ve not turned up any additional explanation for killing it so suddenly. My guess is that the station got a pretty firm message from the FCC reminding them that the license to broadcast an analog signal of any kind expired on June 12. I can’t see how WRGB continuing its 87.7 FM broadcast can be seen as anything but unlicensed operation, which would earn any other unlicensed broadcaster an FCC nastygram, at the very least.

Furlong also says that the station management “reviewing our options,” though I can’t really imagine what those options might be. They could petition the FCC to let them resume the analog broadcast, but that’s a very long longshot. Or perhaps they could reach an arrangement for simulcast with a desperate local radio station. Yet that option quickly gets complex, since I’m certain all of WRGB’s network affiliation and syndication agreements are for TV broadcast only. Adding a real radio simulcast would likely require renegotiating all of those contracts.

The appearance of analog TV’s channel 6 on the far left end of the FM dial was not designed in. Rather it was a happy accident which provided some listeners with an extra channel of programming and some other broadcasters an opportunity to sneak onto the FM dial. Like many such accidents, it might have been good while it lasted, but the sun seems to be setting for channel 6 on FM.