Radio Survivor

I’m a media geek, hence my nom de internet. And I pretty much have always been, ever since I recognized that there were people, organizations and companies behind the shows I saw on TV and listened to on the radio. I remember reading Billboard and Radio and Electronics in the library while still in elementary school. I always read the paper’s TV supplement and radio listings (yeah, papers once had those) so I would know channels had what shows and what stations played what music — even stuff I had no interest in (as a result, for years I thought Get Smart was an educational program until I actually watched it).

I always wanted to understand how all this mass media got made, who was making it and what machinations affected what we could watch and listen to. That’s what fueled my interest in radio, why I got into college radio, and why I learned video production. I spent some time in graduate school studying the political economy of the media, only to realize being a professor wasn’t so much for me. I produced a weekly radio show exploring both the policy and grassroots angles of media for seven years, and now I blog here about radio.

And, really, until I got out of college I always felt a little bit alone in my interest in the behind-the-scenes of broadcast media, rather than being interested in the shows and programs themselves, like normal people. Graduate school and the rebirth of academic consciousness about media ownership and control in the 1990s showed me that I wasn’t so strange, at least in this interest. At the same time, aside from the short-lived Brill’s Content, there didn’t seem to be much in the way of a mass media publication or program that consistently looked at media that wasn’t intended for a strictly academic or industry audience.

Then I heard NPR’s On the Media. I’m not sure when that first happened–the program went national in 2001, but I think it was a few years before my local affiliate picked it up. Anyway, I recall initially being skeptical of the premise, expecting the program to sound like a radio version of a local media column, covering the coming and going of various executives and on-air talent, reviewing new program line-ups, ratings and the like.

In a manifesto for the program, co-host Brooke Gladstone explains that one of the reasons why she abandoned the typical media beat was that,

I would be asked to do a three-and-a-half minute piece every time Tina Brown passed wind (or so it seemed to me.) I wasn’t interested in that, and I lived in one of the half-dozen zip codes where people genuinely cared about Tina Brown [former New Yorker editor-in-chief].

Instead, she writes that,

I wanted to show how the media sausage is made.

That explains why when I actually heard it, I was pleasantly surprised.
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As I said in my introduction to our subjective and opinionated review of radio in the 2000s, I still think it was darn near impossible to predict how the medium of radio would end up at the beginning of 2010. Sure, the seeds for satellite radio, HD radio, low-power FM, internet radio and MP3s were already planted by the turn of the century. But home broadband–nevermind wireless or mobile–was a relatively exclusive luxury. MP3 players were lucky to sport enough memory to hold about a hundred minutes of music and weren’t integrated into cell phones. Satellites for Sirius and XM were launched, and HD Radio was being experimented with, but no stations were on the air. Clear Channel was flying high for more than $90 a share.

Anyone taking a broad view of the radio industry in 2000 could certainly see a lot of balls being thrust up into to the air, but it would have taken a psychic to predict where they would land. Nevertheless, for all of the churn we can say very safely that audio-focused content is alive and well.

It’s become clear to me that we Radio Survivors do consider radio to be greater than just the traditional electromagnetic broadcast medium. While we included the RF-based college radio, pubic radio, LPFM, HD Radio and satellite radio in our review, we also touched upon internet radio, Pandora and digital downloads. I believe we are first and foremost fans of terrestrial broadcast radio, but that does not cause us to ignore or discount new audio media. Nor does it cause it us to claim that they are not, in essence, radio services.

The homogenization and delocalization of the broadcast dial caused listeners to seek alternative places to hear more interesting and diverse content. At the same time the popularity of MP3 players and Pandora shows that people were also looking for customization.
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June 12, 2009 is a day that will live on in broadcast history. That’s the day that the nation’s television broadcasters switched off their analog signals and went all-digital forever more. But does anyone remember January 7, 2003?

That was the date of the very first digital HD Radio broadcast, originating at Detroit FM station WDMK. However, it isn’t clear that there was anyone in Detroit who could hear the digital signal besides employees of Radio One, the station’s owner, or Ibquity, the developer of HD Radio. The first consumer HD Radio receiver was actually sold two days earlier in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and there’s no indication that the buyer then drove to Detroit.

That this date isn’t so well remembered is indicative of the collective shrug HD Radio has received from the American listening public over it’s seven years on the air.

Renamed HD Radio from the technical name IBOC (standing for the method of its broadcast – In-Band On Channel), the digital radio broadcast system was launched with the promise of offering static-free digital sound with higher fidelity, along with added subchannels adding more feeds of news, talk or music. Unlike digital TV, HD Radio would accomplish right on the AM and FM bands, by squeezing in an additional digital signal alongside a station’s required analog program.

By all accounts HD Radio works, though many critical listeners question whether digital means better. In order to squeeze the digital signal into the analog station’s space on the band it has be highly compressed. While broadcasters like to call it “CD quality” the primary channels are often broadcast at pretty low bitrates, especially when they have to share bandwidth with extra subchannels.

Renaming the system HD Radio smacks of opportunism meant to latch onto the appeal of high-definition TV. For its part Ibquity claims that any resemblance to true high-definition is coincidental. In early whitepapers the HD was said to stand for “Hybrid Digital,” though that meaning has long been dropped.

The most significant criticisms leveled at HD radio result from interference concerns. (more…)

As the decade draws to a close, economic woes are a resounding theme in the radio world, especially in the non-profit realm of college radio. Universities are as strapped for cash as anyone else and are on the lookout for ways to cut costs. Increasingly these budget-cutting eyes are fixated on college radio, which has led to the unfortunate trend of universities reducing funding or eliminating stations entirely.

Schools have argued that college radio is unimportant since few students are involved and few listen. And this argument is aided by the fact that radio listenership is generally on the decline. Adding to the equation are the willing suitors (with cash in hand) waiting in the wings, including public radio (see trend #12) and religious broadcasters who are both eager to spread their reach across the radio dial.

Examples have included the sale of classical music station WCAL (along with KMSE) at St. Olaf College to Minnesota Public Radio in 2004. Eventually, that station was tranformed into The Current (ironically, a more college-radio like station with its indie-oriented music programming).

One of the most disturbing stories was the unexpected shutdown of Texas Tech station KTXT in December 2008. The nearly 50-year-old college radio station was described by university officials as a financial drain and not as relevant as other forms of media. Control of the station was transferred to Texas Tech’s other station, NPR-affiliate KOHM, and beginning in June the new KTXT started to air programming from Public Radio International and jazz music run on automation.

This May, Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota reported that its college radio station KAUR would be dropping its FM broadcast and would transform into an online-only station. By September 2009 control of the station (but not ownership) was passed on to Minnesota Public Radio. KAUR now airs an all news and talk format of syndicated public radio programs and the college abandoned plans to even host an online-only student radio station.

In an interesting departure from the usual story, when Southern Vermont Community College sold off their station WBTN in 2008 the buyer was a community group dedicated to preserving both local programming and student DJs.

Hopefully there will be a happy outcome for Canadian student radio station CKMS, which has been struggling with budget woes over the past few years. After losing school funding and being evicted from their studios, they had planned to cease operations. However, like a Phoenix they are rising again and plan to move their operations to a new building in January 2010.

That’s what I love about college radio, despite fluctuating levels of university support and huge variations in student commitment, the spirit of those passionate about independent radio can be a force to be reckoned with. And, indeed, college radio is still important and relevant and is often one of the only sources for local programming. I hope that universities wise up and embrace their student radio stations as resources that are worth preserving.

Fundraiser season continues at non-profit radio stations all over the country. Princeton’s station WPRB (apparently the oldest FM college radio station in the country, founded in 1940) ends their week-long fundraiser tomorrow. My own station KFJC (turning 50 next week) is pitching for cash until the station reaches its goal. And, Chicago Public Radio station WBEZ is also pimping for dollars.

One of my favorite things to do during fundraiser time is to listen to public radio and make fun of the horrificly long and boring breaks, in which hosts rattle off lists of thank you gifts and sponsors. So, I’m actually pretty impressed that WBEZ realizes the degree to which these breaks have become predictably mundane and has decided to make fun of itself.

The WBEZ blog has a bunch of fundraiser-specific content, including DJ trading cards and a pledge drive bingo. You can follow along at home and yell “BINGO” when an announcer utters words and phrases like “tote,” and “join the WBEZ family.” Those who score BINGO are invited to comment on the blog. Unfortunately it doesn’t seem like their listeners actually have a sense of humor about the fundraiser, as the only comments thus far are complaints about the “incessant prattle” and the programming decision to drop “Talk of the Nation.”

Have you heard anything on the radio that makes you want to listen to an on-air fundraiser? What makes you turn the dial?

I’m always interested to see how various radio stations handle the daunting task of fundraising, especially since I’m now in the thick of things begging for cash at my own station KFJC (hint, hint…if you’re a fan of the station we need your dough!).

Well, public radio station WXPN at University of Pennsylvania has a novel approach. They are a few days into their annual 885 Countdown/fundraiser. This year they asked listeners to vote for their favorite desert island songs and those choices are being played for the next 10 days or so.

More than 5000 people voted on their top 10 desert island picks and you can actually peruse some of those submitted lists on the WXPN website in the “random list” section.

It’s pretty interesting to see how radio programming changes when the audience is given control and when it’s just done by the number count. If you take a look at the countdown so far on the website, you’ll see some pretty random artists back-to-back. It’s oddly refreshing in its randomness; although none of the selections are all that obscure.

I’ve highlighted some of the most interesting pairings in bold and look forward to hearing who made the top 10. I also wonder if those top artists will be representative of what’s typically played on WXPN. I’m guessing yes.

Being a fan of the underdog and the underground, I’m always drawn to what’s on the bottom of lists like these and was happy to find one of my desert island picks on here at #696.

Here’s a sampling of the countdown so far, starting at prophetic number 666:

666 Joan Armatrading – Willow
667 Grateful Dead, The – Fire On The Mountain
668 Glen Miller – In The Mood
669 Bruce Springsteen – Human Touch
670 Beatles, The – Twist & Shout
694 Arcade Fire, The Neighborhood #1 (tunnels)
695 Norah Jones Turn Me On
696 Neutral Milk Hotel In The Aeroplane Over The Sea
697 Jane Siberry & Kd Lang Calling All Angels
698 Helen Reddy I Am Woman
699 Gladys Knight & The Pips Midnight Train To Georgia
700 Dan Wilson Breathless (more…)

As Paul Riismandel reported in August, Long Island University-owned public radio station WLIU is about to lose funding from its institution and is entertaining offers to purchase the station.

Yesterday was the deadline for bids and a star-studded group of “friends” held rallies and pulled together an offer to save the station from extinction or a takeover by religious broadcasters. No word yet on the dollar amount of the offer and if it was accepted, but there should be news very soon. According to an article in the Sag Harbor Express:

“In an interview yesterday, [Station Director Wally] Smith said the non-profit group Peconic Public Broadcasting, Inc., was to make a ‘fair and full value bid that is about twice what we believe to be fair market value.’

Porter Bibb, a media consultant who has spearheaded the effort to create PPB, Inc. and its fundraising arm, Save Public Radio on the East End (SPREE), said two weeks ago that consultants have estimated the fair market value for the license and equipment to be about $1 million. It is estimated the cost of acquiring the station and its assets, as well as moving it to a new location — likely Wainscott Studios — would cost about $3 million.

At Thursday’s rally, Smith said he did not know how many other suitors there were for the station, which would need to be sold to an organization which would run it as a non-profit, but said he and others were prepared to establish a new operating company within eight weeks to take the station over. Yesterday, he said he knew WNYC was ‘very interested’ in the station, as well as several religious organizations.”

According to the Peconic Public Broadcasting website, “Save Public Radio on the East End” is:

“A volunteer committee of concerned citizens united to insure that the eastern end of Long Island (North and South Forks–Patchogue to Orient Point and Montauk) has a free and independent, non-commercial NPR voice with local management, broadcast personnel and, most importantly, a strong commitment to local history, culture, politics, business, and the arts.”

Among this group of “friends” helping to save the station are stars like Alec Baldwin, Jann Wenner, Suzanne Vega and Joy Behar and their efforts have been characterized as the Long Island community pulling together to save the station. I wish them luck.

Fundraiser season is in full force on the San Francisco airwaves with no fewer than 3 non-commercial radio stations pitching for dollars this week. Although on-air fundraisers seem to be a necessity, I find the majority of them to be unlistenable.

In a few weeks I’ll have to start doing my own on-air cash pleas at KFJC, so I always give a lot of thought to how our fundraiser compares with other stations.

The buzz at one of our recent staff meetings was a rumor that big budget stations have learned that the longer one talks during a fundraiser break, the more likely it is that people will donate. We were all horrified, as we try to keep our on-air pitches short and to the point.

Here’s a recap of what I’ve heard this week on PBS-affiliated public radio station KQED-FM:

1) Teams of DJs talking incessantly for 5 or more minutes

2) Big emphasis on “thank you gifts” (and their retail value), as if they are products for sale

3) Commercial-like odes to sponsors offering “Dollar for Dollar Challenges”

4) Ringing phone bank sound effects as a sound bed for breaks

5) Time-sensitive offers (CALL NOW TO GET THAT TOTE BAG!)

6) Cheesy fund raising jargon and catch phrases

7) Emphasis on how quick and painless it is to donate (it takes 2 minutes, only $12 a month)

KQED is a very prominent radio station, with large numbers of listeners and a big budget. So, it’s no surprise that they’ve got their fund raising shtick down to a science. Unfortunately, that makes for a very predictable-sounding fundraiser.

The worst part for me is that I feel like I’m listening to QVC, since there is so much emphasis on the thank you gifts that they are offering. Even worse, they use cheesy terminology like “speed-dial gift” (only available for the next few minutes!) and try to whip the audience into a buying frenzy by emphasizing the number of minutes left during the break. CALL NOW!!! The clock is ticking…

Thank you gifts are described in elaborate detail, as if they are products being sold and often they are only available for a short time (during this break only!). What’s even worse, to me, are their “dollar for dollar” challenges in which a company (lawyer, investment firm, etc.) offers to give money up to a certain amount, matching donations during a specific break. As with the thank you gifts, these companies are described using promotional terms; making it all feel more like one big ad for a particular firm rather than a charitable act.

Additionally, KQED features a soundtrack of ringing phones (most likely fake) in the background during the fundraiser break. It seems to always be a team of DJs bantering about the fundraiser and emphasizing phrases like “small financial contribution” and “membership levels.” They also keep making the point that calling to donate only takes “about 2 minutes of your time” and that this is a “fairly painless way to show support.”

In kind of a departure, KQED also aired an Ira Glass spot in which he pretended to be calling a listener who’d never donated, guilting him into coughing up some cash. This type of humorous spot is more along the lines of what we do at KFJC and I think it makes for a much better listening experience. You’d have to ask the experts to see if a spot like that is more likely to make people donate money.

KALW and KCSM are also doing fundraisers right now. Their on-air presentations are similar to KQED (although not as slick and professional-sounding—and that’s a good thing!), with a team of DJs talking about the need for money, thank you gifts, etc.

KCSM (who really is in dire straits after losing funding from their school district) mentioned specific monetary goals. One DJ said that they wanted to reach $115,000 in donations by the end of his show. He kept reiterating the word “milestone” and also mentioned that he wanted to hear from at least 10 more callers. He also made me laugh when he said “give us a holler with a dollar.” Humor definitely helps. It was refreshing to hear both KCSM and KALW talk about connections their stations have to the local community, local music scenes, and the arts.

Unfortunately, on-air fundraisers are the way that many stations pull in donations that help to sustain them from year to year. I know that for my station, it is the primary source of funding for us. A necessary evil so to speak.

But the real trick is how to make on-air fundraisers a little less annoying. Any ideas?

What makes you pick up the phone to donate? What makes you turn the dial?

Clear Channel, Cumulus and their commercial radio brethren are not the only ones facing economic hard times right now. While public radio in general may be doing better, it’s not necessarily the case for individual stations.

The most recent example is Southampton, NY’s WLIU which is being put up for sale by Long Island University (via Current). It seems that the U is tired of ponying up some $1.3 million of the stations total annual budget of $2.4 million.

Admittedly that’s a pretty hefty bill for any university to foot in order to keep a station on air, even if it is valued community resource. But I can’t help but wonder if there aren’t costs that can be cut (besides salaries). Dropping Car Talk alone could save a pretty hefty chunk of change. Apparently LIU attempted to find another local non profit to take over the station and found no takers, so now it’s off to the auction block while the staff try to find a way to raise enough money to buy it.

My biggest concern for when a university or college stations goes up for sale is the strong possibility that it will be snatched up by one of the big Christian broadcasters, which never seem to suffer the same cash flow problems as institutions of higher education. The transfer tends to be accompanied by a quick loss of news and local public service programming, replaced by satellite-fed proselytizing and “family friendly” music that is programmed to sound like Clear Channel-lite.

Perhaps the staff of WLIU will have more luck if they can re-imagine the station as something closer to a community/public hybrid, retaining some core national programing while opening up more airtime to local volunteers. That may be one way to drum up more local financing, especially at a time when local service in radio is otherwise at an all-time low. I wish them luck and I’m hoping that the people of Long Island are able to retain this public service broadcaster.

I’m awed by all the radio enthusiasts, collectors, historians, and scholars out there; so I’m going to try to feature some of my favorites on Radio Survivor in a new feature called Radio Obsessives.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but my interview with Garrett Wollman about his fascination with radio towers is what prompted me to begin this quest to profile radio obsessives; simply because I love talking to other radio fans about radio.

“Jose Fritz” lives for radio and regularly blogs about radio factoids from the olden days on his blog Arcane Radio Trivia. In many ways I’ve found a kindred spirit in radio reportage, as Jose is also a fan of non-commercial radio and continues to remain optimistic about the future of college radio.

Interestingly, he’s opted on his blog to focus entirely on the past, avoiding “topical” stories for the most part. Consistently writing an impressive 5 posts a week, he’s covered everything from the long-forgotten radio show “The Fleischmann’s Yeast Hour,” to WXPN’s scandalous student radio past, to James Brown’s career as a radio station mogul, to little-known radio pioneers like Reverend Jozef Murgas.

I had an email chat with Jose Fritz to learn more about his radio obsession and to attempt to peel back some of the layers of his secret identity. I can tell you that he’s an engineer by day, is a blogger by night, has a music and radio past, and writes a fun and educational blog. On to the interview:

Jennifer Waits: When did you start Arcane Radio Trivia and what prompted you to begin writing the blog?

Jose Fritz: I began Friday, May 13th 2005. I decided one day maybe a few weeks prior that I needed a structure that would compel me to write more regularly.  I gave myself a set of strict rules and started that Friday. It’s been 5 posts a week since then for 220 weeks; that’s 1047 posts not counting today.  I keep thinking I should edit and compile them into a book.

I though it would make my other writing more productive. I was wrong.  I did write more, but I wrote more about radio, instead of becoming a writing exercise it became a consuming hobby.  I still manage to get the rest of my writing done, but I often end up posting after midnight. (more…)