Great radio history books for the holidays
If you are a total, gob smacked radio fan like me, you never tire of reading history books about the subject. Here are some of my faves: Anthony Rudell’s Hello everybody! The Dawn of American Radio is a wonderful introduction not only to the beginnings of American radio, but to the culture of the 1920s […]
Could SiriusXM join the house of QVC, Starz and the Atlanta Braves?
Talk is heating up on Wall Street that satellite radio purveyor SiriusXM might be on the verge of a sale. Most of the talk centers on Liberty Media, headed up by chairman and early player in cable television John Malone, which turns over media properties pretty regularly, and currently owns the QVC shopping network, Starz […]
2011 Holiday Gift Guide for Radio Fans
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 […]
Howard University’s H.U.R. Voices hits SiriusXM on Dec. 1
Earlier this year SiriusXM announced the minority oriented broadcasters who would receive full-time audio channels as a result of deal made with the FCC in order to get its 2008 merger approved. One of the broadcasters, Howard University, is ready to go on the air beginning Dec. 1. Howard owns and operates one of the […]
Top Zimbabwe performer at a “loss of words” over radio license snub
Oliver “Tuku” Mtukudzi is probably the best known Zimbabwean composer/performer on the international music scene. He also works as music director for Zimbabwe’s Kiss FM pop music radio station, which applied for a commercial private radio licence by the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe. But BAZ awarded the latest two licenses to several prominent supporters of Zimbabwe […]
Zimbabwe Prime Minister will challenge government on “farce” radio grants
Zimbabwe is in a medium-sized uproar over the allocation of two radio licenses to entrepreneurs associated with Prime Minister Robert Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party. The signals will go to Zimpapers and AB Communications. The opposition newspaper The Zimbabwean identifies the principals of both companies as possible pro-Mugabe candidates in future elections. “Despite having no experience in […]
UK report: community radio stations that target specific audiences do better?
The United Kingdom’s broadcast regulation agency Ofcom has published its annual report (.pdf) on the state of community radio, and the figures indicate that income for UK community outlets has markedly declined. No big surprise, given the global recession. But the data also contains interesting clues suggesting that certain kinds of community radio strategies or […]
Thanksgiving radio memories: Ronald Reagan goes Scrooge on Turkey Day
Thanksgiving is upon us again. Don’t forget that part of the holiday is listening to our great leaders pontificate about turkeys on the radio. Here’s a historic YouTube video of President Ronald Reagan explaining via a 1986 Thanksgiving radio broadcast why he blocked a jobs program proposed by Congress. “A five point four billion dollar […]
Can you picture that? Week-long Muppets Radio comes to SiriusXM for the Thanksgiving weekend
OK, I know this is just a shameless marketing blitz for the new Muppet Movie. But as a child of the 70s and 80s, the Muppets are a treasured memory. I’m certain that I wore out my LP of the original Muppet Movie soundtrack, and the Muppet Show first exposed me to the likes of […]
“Don’t be a dick”: Turntable.fm talks to its subscribers
As a die hard Turntable.fm fan, I’ve been reading the service’s blog for a while. Starting in October tt.fm inaugurated a “room-of-the-week” series and has posted on the activities of four rooms. All include very funny exchanges between turntable users and tt.fm’s jessepedia. October 31: Orange Bear Indie Party The convention at the Orange Bear […]