Wellesley College Celebrates 70 Years of College Radio on Campus

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Jennifer Waits
WZLY logo

WZLY Turns 70

Not many college radio stations can lay claim to 70 years of broadcasting, so it’s exciting to hear that student radio has been a part of campus life at Wellesley College since 1942. The first station, WBS 730 AM, launched in 1942 and was apparently the first all-woman college radio station. Eventually that station evolved into FM station WZLY, which is on the air at 91.5 FM today. Take a look in the Wellesley College archives to see an amazing photo of the station from 1947.

Sadly, there isn’t much on the WZLY website about the history of the station. I did unearth a few tidbits and stories, though. Students who helped found the station included Ruth Nagel Jones and Rosamond Wilfley Neilson from the class of 1942. In 2006, Jones helped WZLY out with a major donation and “to commemorate – Jones’ gift, WZLY played parts of the college’s first radio broadcast from April 20, 1942, including music from Gershwin’s ‘Porgy and Bess’ and toe-tapping songs from the Big Band and swing era. The two-hour music extravaganza was dedicated to the memory of Jones’ fellow student radio pioneer Rosamond Wilfley Neilson, Class of ’42, who passed away May 8.” Jones’ father Conrad Nagel was also in radio, hosting the CBS Silver Theater radio show.

A 1949 yearbook entry gives a little bit more station flavor, as it describes the programming that aired over campus-only station WBS and mentions the station’s participation with other local stations in college radio networks in the 1940s. Continue reading →

DiggFriendFeedInstapaperPrintRedditShare
Posted in college radio, history | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Pacifica radio Executive Director: we are out of money for elections

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Matthew Lasar

Train wreck at MontparnasseIn a special meeting of the Pacifica National Board held on Thursday, April 26, Pacifica Executive Director Arlene Engelhardt dropped this long overdue bombshell.

“I just am very concerned where we are going to come up with a quarter of a million dollars to run an election this year,” she told the Board. This is a reference to the nearly annual elections that the five listener supported station network conducts, in which which subscribers and station staff pick delegates for their respective 24 member Local Station Boards, who in turn send representatives to the 22 member Pacifica National Board.

Engelhardt continued:

“Even if we’re sued for not having an election, I don’t think that the suit costs would run nearly that high. I think that we need to take some drastic measures. We’ve been working in this office to try to figure out what kind of cuts we can make in every division of the network. We’ve absolutely got to do some things to begin to cover some of our past expenses. And to cover the current expenses as they come up. And we’re not doing that. And to add a quarter million dollars to it is to add a very, for lack of a better word, I’m going to say scary proposition.”

“I totally believe in being a democratic organization. And I totally support the fact that we need to have elected board members and so forth. I think we could use some by-laws changes on some of that to perhaps make it a little less expensive and a little more workable. But those aren’t going to happen in time for this year’s election. So that’s where I’m coming from.”

During the telephone conference, board members discussed Engelhardt’s concerns. Several debated transitioning from the paper ballots that are sent to subscribers to an online system to cut the huge mailing costs. One questioned the assertion that Pacifica could not afford 250k, asking what unexpected expenses might have prompted this development. To which PNB Board member Alex Steinberg responded:

“We just got an unexpected expense of $300,000 from the Houston station [KPFT], due to the problems they’re having with their transmitter. There’s also some unexpected expenses at KPFK, in addition to some serious serious issues with WPFW’s move. We are in an economic crisis, there’s no question about it. I really think we should consider suspending or canceling these elections. I understand that it is contrary to the by-laws and contrary to our deep feelings for a democratic structure and all that, but it does seem like an incredible expense when we are faced with a financial emergency. Can we get an opinion from our legal counsel as to what would be the repercussions if we simply cancel the elections or suspend them for a year?” Continue reading →

DiggFriendFeedInstapaperPrintRedditShare
Posted in community radio | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

Merlin Media killing smooth jazz 87.7 to bring alt rock to TV Ch. 6 in Chicago

Posted on April 29, 2012 by Paul Riismandel

Chicago's Smooth 87.7 says goodbye

In a move whose logic I honestly don’t understand, Randy Michael’s Merlin Media has entered into a local marketing agreement with Venture Technologies Group, which owns the low-power TV channel 6 WLFM-LP in Chicago. Venture has operated the station as Smooth 87.7 with a smooth jazz format, taking advantage of what I call the “back door” to the FM dial enjoyed by the last few analog channel 6 stations whose audio can be heard at the far left end of it.

The agreement becomes effective today, April 29, and as of 6 PM Central Time the station is still playing smooth jazz, airing the last edition of the local Chicago music program, but with top of the hour news headlines provided by Merlin Media’s FM news station 101.1. Ironically, Merlin Media plans to bring alternative rock to WLFM, the very format that Merlin killed on 101.1 FM when it started News 101.1 last year. Previously the station was known as Q101, and was the pioneering commercial alt rock station in Chicago for almost 20 years.

All the more ironically Merlin Media plans to brand the station as Q87.7 using the old Q101 call letters WKQX, obviously trying to capitalize on the old station’s caché, if somewhat belatedly.

The reason why I’m puzzled by the deal is that the analog audio signal of channel 6 TV stations is going away by September 1, 2015, when the FCC requires all remaining low-power TV stations to convert to digital. Now, I can understand why Venture would want to find someone to lease the signal for its last three years, bringing in some rent with minimal investment. I have a harder time understanding why Merlin Media would want to lease a signal that has only three years left to live.

As Time Out Chicago’s Robert Feder points out, Smooth 87.7 was doing pretty well in the ratings for a fringe quasi-FM signal, beating out plenty of true-blooded commercial FM stations–including News 101.1–to rank 24th in the market. I’m guessing that Merlin must be getting a pretty good deal on the LMA compared to a real FM station with comparable ratings. But what good will that be when the signal goes silent on Aug. 31, 2015? Perhaps Merlin will treat 87.7 as a test signal to see if it might be worth bringing commercial alternative to more expensive real FM signal, or even bring it back to its old home at 101.1.

On the Smooth 87.7 website, GM Pat Kelley has posted a farewell message in which he acknowledges that the decision to lease out the station and end the smooth jazz format

is due primarily because the current FCC has refused to provide assurance that WLFM can continue to broadcast on 87.7 FM in September 2015. In a strange twist, the FCC of the current Administration has killed Smooth Jazz in Chicago by failing to act on our requests to secure the audio future of 87.7 FM.

He promises that they “are still fighting” and calls on listeners to contact Illinois Senator Dick Durbin and FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn to help the fight.

Blaming the FCC for killing smooth jazz in Chicago is kind of stretch, given that Clear Channel did the job first when it flipped the former smooth jazz stalwart WNUA to Spanish-language in 2009. On top of that, TV channel 6 was never intended to be an FM radio service, and analog low-power TV was intended to provide video service, not only audio. Finally, once the digital TV transition had been set in motion only a fool would have bet that low-power TV stations would not eventually be required to make the transition. In fact, I consider WLFM to be lucky for being able to hang on as long as it has.

It’s reasonable and obvious to say that if you want to operate a radio station, then you’re best off buying an actual radio station. I don’t think it’s reasonable to expect the FCC hold open a loophole that was never designed to exist in the first place.

UPDATE: After reading all the comments to this post, I’ve written a follow-up guide to finding jazz on the Chicago radio dial. Yes, there is still jazz on Chicago radio!

DiggFriendFeedInstapaperPrintRedditShare
Posted in commercial radio, tv | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 34 Comments

College Radio History Lesson: KUOI’s 1945 beginnings at University of Idaho

Posted on April 27, 2012 by Jennifer Waits
KUOI logo

KUOI

I’ve spent the past through days digging through college radio history artifacts and it’s been inspiring to read about the passion and energy that has gone into building radio stations on campuses across the country since the 1920s.

University of Idaho’s free form college radio station, KUOI, started up in 1945 and was a descendent of earlier amateur radio activities on campus. I just rediscovered an amazing, lengthy (with 21 parts) “uncondensed history” of the station that’s located on the KUOI website. It chronicles every last detail of the station’s history and includes some incredible photos, including one of the KUOI van in the 1970s. Part of the story goes:

“KUOI began as an engineering project in the attic of the old Electrical Engineering Annex Building, approximately where the parking lot to the present day Home Economics Building is located. Although certain icons can mean different things to different people, if a picture of Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney can be drawn in one’s mind, an idea of how KUOI was put together might be formed. With equipment borrowed from the NROTC, the university and other individuals, the ‘Voice of the Vandals’ throbbed out over the airwaves with the whopping power of two watts.”

For those with a shorter attention span, a condensed version of KUOI’s history can be found here. I am always thrilled to see stations that take the time to document their stories, as there aren’t enough of these histories out there. For a bit more on KUOI, take a look at my Spinning Indie 50 State Tour stop from 2010.

DiggFriendFeedInstapaperPrintRedditShare
Posted in college radio, history | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

FCC proposes rules to let non-comm broadcasters fundraise for charities on-air

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Paul Riismandel

New FCC logo

So, last night I wondered if the deletion of the non-commercial station fundraising item from the FCC’s open meeting agenda meant that they were going to release a proposal ahead of time. Today, the Commission answered that question by releasing a proposal to give non-commercial and educational (NCE) stations a limited ability to raise money on-air for charities and other non-profits [press release PDF]. The FCC proposes to let stations use up to 1% of their air time to conduct these fundraising activities, which adds up to about 88 hours a year out of a full-time 24/7 schedule.

The big question I’ve had about this rulemaking is whether or not it would affect NCE stations that are being leased and operated by a third-party. This is the case with the University of San Francisco’s KUSF which is currently operated by the Classical Public Radio Network, ahead of an anticipated sale of the station to CPRN. Currently CPRN does not fundraise on KUSF’s airwaves in order to avoid running afoul of the FCC.

The Commission doesn’t take up this specific issue in its proposal, but it does ask for comment on several questions that are pertinent. The Commission asks if there should be limits on what kind of third-party organization may be the beneficiary of on-air fundraising. Should they be limited only to IRS recognized 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charities, and should they be further limited to being local or somehow affiliated to the station?

Also at question is who should be responsible for the programming and administration of the fundraising. To that end, the Commission asks if the station licensee should be required to produce the fundraising programming, rather than allowing the third-party to supply their own. This, in particular, could be a sticky question for station being operated by another party, since for the FCC’s purposes that party is not the licensee. Therefore, if the Commission decided to require the licensee to produce all fundraising programming, then the CPRN would have to ask the University of San Francisco to take responsibility for producing any fundraising messages that air on KUSF for the duration that CPRN operates the station under agreement with USF.

Addtionally, the FCC asks if it should require the NCE station to administer all of the fundraising activities, such as collecting, accounting and distributing the funds to the third-party charity. Again, that seems like the kind of burden that USF or any station owner leasing its station to a third party would not want to shoulder. One of the main reasons to enter into such a leasing agreement is to be free of such day-to-day administration while reaping some financial renumeration.
Continue reading →

DiggFriendFeedInstapaperPrintRedditShare
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

HD Radio smartphone prototype lands with a thud

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Paul Riismandel

Remember that HD Radio enabled smartphone set to debut at the National Association of Broadcasters show last week? There was hoopla–mostly in the industry–leading up to the show. And, then, radio silence.

I looked for news reports all last week and didn’t find a thing. Only a NAB email newsletter sent this week brought any info, followed by an April 17 Radio World article that somehow Google failed to deliver to me until the 25th.

Turns out, the smartphone prototype did actually get revealed to what the NAB calls “a jam-packed press conference.” The phone itself runs the popular Android mobile OS, with an HD Radio app that pairs with an HD Radio chip developed by Intel. The app brings in song, album and artist information for what’s playing using the TagStation and “Artist Experience” systems. In addition the app features “an enhanced HD Radio ad experience,” to deliver what every smartphone user wants more of: interactive ads and coupons.

HD Radio app's song display and sharing features

Of course, the real trick will be getting any wireless carriers to get on board. Many Android phones already have analog FM radios built-in. Given the tepid public response to HD Radio I have hard time seeing a groundswell of demand for adding HD to the mix. The so-called enhancements that the HD Radio app offers are pretty mundane compared to Pandora or Spotify which have been offering artist data and interactive ads since they first hit an app store. I especially don’t see Apple adopting HD Radio, which leaves out 32% of US smartphone owners from the get-go.

Nevertheless, this won’t stop the NAB and iBiquity from trying to get their HD foot in the door. The NAB recently opened RadioRocksMyPhone.com to help build the case. The front page of the site currently declares that “3 out of 4 Americans not only want radio in their smartphones, they’d pay for it!” Interestingly, there’s no mention of HD Radio anywhere on the site, perhaps indicating that the NAB knows it’s a likely dead end.
3 out of 4 Americans want radio in their smartphones
As a radio lover, I fully support more smartphone manufacturers and wireless carriers adding radios to their handsets. As I’ve mentioned before, I like the FM radio in my HTC EVO Android phone, and wish my iPhone also sported a radio. But also as an occasional HD Radio listener, I don’t buy that there’s much value to be added including the digital service. Like the HD Radio technology itself, the smartphone initiative is a case of too little, too late.

DiggFriendFeedInstapaperPrintRedditShare
Posted in HD Radio, mobile, mobile radio | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Is Twitter a radio station?

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Matthew Lasar

Perhaps inspired by its new report indicating that almost one in five Americans have listened to Internet radio in their cars, the Edison research group has a new revelation: Twitter is a form of broadcasting. Upon what evidence is this thesis based? The responses to a survey question that the outfit put to a sample cohort: “How often do you hear about Twitter feeds, commonly called tweets, through media such as TV, radio, newspapers, or websites other than Twitter?”

How often do you hear tweets mentioned in other media?44 percent answered “Almost Every Day.” 13 percent replied “Sometimes.” 16 percent responded “Regularly but Not Daily.” Eight percent said “Rarely.”

From this Edison’s Tom Webster construes the following:

Regardless of how you use Twitter, most Americans (as in an actual majority of Americans ) view Twitter as a purely broadcast network. Continue reading →

DiggFriendFeedInstapaperPrintRedditShare
Posted in da future, Internet radio | Tagged , | 2 Comments

FCC drops non-commercial radio fundraising item from Friday’s meeting

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Paul Riismandel

New FCC logo

Wednesday the FCC announced that it’s dropping from Friday’s open meeting an item addressing non-commercial radio stations’ ability to fundraise on-air for other non-profit organizations. The item appears to deal with stations raising money for efforts like disaster relief. But, as I wrote earlier this month, this rulemaking might also address non-commercial stations being operated in a so-called local marketing agreement (LMA), since current rules seem to prevent the organization leasing a station from raising operating funds on air, such as with a pledge drive.

The Commission did not issue any explanation for why the non-commercial fundraising item was deleted from Friday’s agenda. Often such a deletion is accompanied in short order by a proposed rulemaking, typically indicating that there was no substantial disagreement amongst the commissioners. Other times an item is deleted for the simple reason that the commissioners want more time to deal with the rest of the agenda. This latter explanation is quite plausible given that an agenda item proposing TV broadcasters put their public inspection files online has generated quite a bit of resistance from the broadcast industry.

In a very short piece Multichannel News cites an unnamed source indicating that the commissioners will simply vote on and approve the proposed rulemaking proceeding before Friday’s meeting.

Supporters of former college station KUSF, in particular, were watching for this rulemaking since the station is still owned by the University of San Francisco while being operated by the Classical Public Radio Network as the parties await FCC approval of the sale to CPRN. Playing it safe, the CPRN has not been fundraising on KUSF. However, a loosening of fundraising rules might clear the way for CPRN to conduct fund drives on stations it operates, but doesn’t own.

Such a move could spur an increase in non-commercial LMAs, perhaps giving some non-commercial station owners an attractive alternative to selling their frequencies. LMAs could be more desirable for non-commercial networks and programmers, too, potentially carrying less cost and complexity than buying stations outright. It’s unclear whether this would be good or bad for college radio, since it might give cash-strapped colleges another rationale to dump student programming in favor of bringing in revenue. At the same time, LMAs are just contracts that can expire or be cancelled, while a sale is permanent.

We’ll be watching our inboxes Thursday and Friday waiting to find out if the FCC has a proposal in store before the meeting.

DiggFriendFeedInstapaperPrintRedditShare
Posted in college radio, community radio, FCC, public radio | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The top three Change.org radio related petitions

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Matthew Lasar

As Change.org Ben Rattray founder told the Daily Show’s Jon Stewart on Monday, the web service has been around for about five years. The site lets you launch your own petition, asking a government, or a company, or some other entity to do (or stop doing) something. Here are the top three radio related Change.org causes, in order of the number of people who signed the request.

 

#1: 2Day and Fox FM sponsors: Cancel advertising until Kyle Sandilands is dumped from radio #VileKyle

According to the petition, Australian radio personality Kyle Sandilands offered this response to a journalist asking about his show ratings: “Fat slag…you’re a piece of sh*t. You haven’t got that much titty to be wearing that low cut a blouse. Watch your mouth girl, or I will hunt you down.”

The Kyle and Jackie O radio show airs weekday mornings on 2day 104.1 FM in Sydney. The protest reads:

Sandilands has a long track record of offensive comments—in 2009 a 14 year old girl revealed she had been raped while taking a lie detector test on his show, and he responded “so that’s the only experience you’ve had?”

These 2009 comments sparked advertisers Optus to pull out of their sponsorship for the Kyle and Jackie O show.

I call on you to immediately pull out of any sponsorship or advertising during Sandilands’ show (both the Kyle and Jackie O show AND the Take 40 Countdown) until he is sacked from radio.

Looks like Sandilands is still on the air. But the missive has been signed by 34,952 supporters. Continue reading →

DiggFriendFeedInstapaperPrintRedditShare
Posted in innovation, international | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

How Gil Scott-Heron led me to college radio

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Chris Stroffolino

1. Mandate, my ass

The dissatisfaction with what had happened to both AM and FM commercial music radio led some to talk radio, but others fled to college radio, at least those of us who could find it. In this increasingly privatized world, by now just about the only hope for a cultural present was in this little sliver of the federally established radio dial reserved for 10 Watt community stations. Despite the autonomy many of these stations could flaunt publicly, they were always on a very short leash. As early as 1979, both the old money National Association of Broadcasters as well as the newer National Public Radio convinced the FCC that these low-power stations were somehow detrimental to broadcasting, and class D licenses were no longer issued for applications for “left of the dial” stations.

Like AM-Talk radio, college radio offered the flow of the now, a continuous present—especially for those of us who couldn’t afford to buy records, let alone “upgrade” to CDs. It provided a social alternative to corporate rock & talk that was much more connected with a grassroots scene of live shows, locally owned record stores, ‘zines, squats, warehouse spaces, bands and labels than even the late 1960s “free format” counter culture, which had been colonized by the corporations almost from its inception. Almost everything I had merely read or heard about the golden age of music radio (50-75), I was finding in the radio scene in the late 80s. In fact, radio even had a lot to do with making me want to go to college. Continue reading →

DiggFriendFeedInstapaperPrintRedditShare
Posted in college radio | Tagged , , | Leave a comment