The FCC is also proposing to reduce redundancy by not requiring broadcasters to resubmit items to their online public files that already have been submitted to the Commission. For instance, stations are required to keep a copy of their biannual ownership reports in their public files, which is something also submitted to the FCC. Other documents, like quarterly Issues and Programming lists are only kept in the public file.

The Commission is also seeking comment on suggestions to require postings on sponsorship identification information, now disclosed only on-air, and shared services agreements.

The FCC also indicated that it is not yet ready to take up revisions to public file requirements for radio. Instead the Commission is going to wait to see how changes work for TV, while also acknowledging that radio is a different case, due at least in part to the fact that radio stations are typically smaller organizations. I do think that it’s highly unlikely that public file requirements for radio will go away.

Andrew Jay Schwartzman of the public interest organization the Media Access Project said of the proposal,

For twenty-five years, it has been FCC policy to place primary reliance on listeners to identify broadcasters who do not deserve license renewal. The absence of useful information about broadcasters’ performance has made the license renewal process a meaningless charade.

Today’s action makes useful information available, and makes it much more accessible to the public.

The Broadcast Law Blog has a very thorough rundown of the many aspects of the FCC’s proposal.

Fun at Flirt FM in Irleand (Photo: J. Waits)

Being both a radio and a popular culture nut, I always get a thrill when I see a radio station worked into the storyline of a film or television show.

As part of their 50th anniversary celebration (which also includes a design contest with a deadline on Friday, September 9 and an upcoming art exhibit), college radio station KCSB at University of California, Santa Barbara is working on a radio-themed film festival. Right now they are in the process of brainstorming a list of movies with radio themes and they are seeking suggestions. Some of the films on their list so far include: 8 Mile, American Graffiti, Pirate Radio, Pump Up the Volume, and Radio Days.

I’ve compiled my personal list of my top 5 radio-themed television shows and also pulled together a list of films featuring DJs in peril. What other essential radio films and TV shows are out there? And which are your favorites?

TV will be leaving the radio in 2015

As I’ve reported before, TV channel 6 sits just below the left end of the FM dial which allows its analog audio signal to be heard at 87.7 FM. This is not an officially licensed FM frequency, but most FM radios will tune it in. This fact has allowed a few savvy LPTV operators on channel 6 to operate like radio stations, with minimal video content to keep the FCC happy.

However, the audio portion of a digital TV broadcast cannot be received on an analog radio. This means that channel 6 stations like Chicago’s WLFM-LP, calling itself Smooth 87.7, will lose their back door into the FM dial once they go digital in 2015.

WLFM and several other LPTV broadcasters submitted comments to the Commission urging it to permit LPTV stations to convert to digital on their own timelines, letting audience and market forces dictate the move rather than the FCC. The FCC concluded that the “the Communications Act compelled low power television stations ultimately to convert to digital operation,” and that more than four extra years after the 2009 full-power transition was plenty of time.

Otherwise, in this order the Commission did not take up or make any reference to channel 6 broadcasters exploiting their back door access to the FM dial. It would appear that the FCC would rather let this relatively constrained hack fade away rather than address it directly.

Smooth 87.7 now on cable TV

Chicago’s WLFM seems to have seen the writing on the wall and has made some plans to continue reaching an audience. The station recently started airing on Chicago Comcast cable TV channel 877 (third item on the page), with traffic and weather updates on the screen. This seems a lot like the digital music channels available on many cable systems, which often run static images and artist trivia on the screen while the music plays. Given that many people treat television like radio, leaving it on in the background while they go about their business, it’s not an absurd move for WLFM. At the same time I’m surprised that I cannot find WLFM doesn’t offer an online stream, which one would think would be the other easy way to retain their audience.

Nevertheless, car listeners are still an important audience for any broadcast radio station, and the channel 6 stations will lose them in 2015. Perhaps by then in-car internet radio will be a more mature and easy to use technology.

The FCC’s decision on the LPTV digital transition is pretty final. But there’s always a chance for reconsideration. I won’t be surprised if LPTV broadcasters, like WLFM, make some additional filings. I’ll certainly keep my eye out for them.

Currently the FCC is accepting comments on a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking regarding the low-power television service [PDF]. Unlike full-power TV, LPTV is still analog. Now the FCC is considering a timeline for closing that gap.

The fact that LPTV is still analog is why some stations on channel 6 have been able effectively to operate like radio stations, due to the fact that their audio program sits just left of the FM broadcast dial, receivable at 87.7 FM. It’s a little corner of radio broadcasting I’ve been covering for over a year now.

As I predicted back in March, the FCC is now set to close this loophole by requiring LPTV stations to go digital, which would make their audio channels inaccessible to FM radios. The only question is when this will happen. The Commission has suggested that the transition might be completed sometime in 2012–so, in less than 2 years. However, it is also seeking comment on how realistic it will be for stations to meet that timeframe. At the same time the Commission notes that a 2012 deadline would be three years after the full-power transition. The Commission argues that LPTV stations should be well aware that a digital transition was imminent, and also points out that Congress created a special fund to assist low-power stations convert to digital.

However, the Commission does leave open an option for LPTV stations to remain analog all the way through 2015 if they are broadcasting on or move to the VHF band. The reasoning here is that the FCC would like to reallocate UHF spectrum for wireless broadband, and that the VHF TV band now sits underutilized. On the surface this might give a little more time to the channel 6 “radio” stations, even if it’s really just delaying the inevitable.

Nowhere does the FCC acknowledge these channel 6 stations operating as FM radio outlets. However, comments filed by NPR [PDF] are intended to make sure the FCC doesn’t miss them. These comments report that NPR officials met with FCC officials in the Media and Enforcement Bureaus wherein,

NPR urged Commission action clarifying that LPTV channel 6 stations operating as ersatz radio stations are not operating in compliance with the Commission’s Rules.

The Commission is accepting reply comments on this proceeding until Dec. 17. We’ll keep watching to see if any of the channel 6 “ersatz radio stations” submit responses to NPR. And, of course, we’ll report whatever decision the FCC ends up making regarding the future of analog LPTV, and therefore TV on FM. Stay tuned.

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.

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.

Music programming is handled by both Virgin America staff members and their in-flight entertainment partner Spafax.

When I’ve flown Virgin I have often heard music that is new to me, so it’s frustrating that the playlists for their radio stations aren’t available. When I spoke with Patricia Condon, Virgin’s Public Relations and Events Manager about this, she told me that passengers often ask for details about the music played. When asked, Virgin will pass along information about the music and Patricia added that, “We are looking for ways to identify the artist and songs in our radio channels – and exploring doing it via our web-site.” She also told me that in terms of the MP3s available in-flight, they are “exploring the ability to save your playlist so it can be accessed for your next flight with us.”

This techy angle to Virgin America is also reinforced by the fact that they have power outlets at every seat and also offer Wi-Fi (I’ve even been on a few flights with free Wi-Fi).

Patricia also told me that the music on Virgin America is part of their broader mission to “create a cool and unique environment onboard.” She explained that, “when you step onto a Virgin America flight, you’ll first notice our mood-lit cabins and our boarding music – which currently includes music by Carmen Rizzo and Solimano.”

Kudos to Virgin America for taking a more adventurous approach to their in-flight music selections, allowing travelers to choose from creatively programmed radio stations or from thousands of MP3s. I’ve had a blast crafting my own lists in-flight selecting MP3s from the likes of !!!, Nina Simone, Kraftwerk, Sun Ra and Arvo Part; but was equally delighted to just listen in to artists unknown to me on their underground radio station DEEP.

By the way, Virgin America has a starring role in the new reality show “Fly Girls,” which premiered on the CW network last night. Virgin America flight crew members are the stars of the show (whose soundtrack, by the way, is more like the pop-infused “Hills” than anything you’d hear on indie or college radio).

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.

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.