Here’s some of the proclamation, which will be delivered at a ceremony at San Francisco City College (1125 Valencia Street) by Supervisor Eric Mar:

With nearly 60 FM radio stations in the greater Bay Area, why is September 8 being declared “KALW Day” in San Francisco? Because:

>>KALW became the first FM radio station west of the Mississippi when it began regular broadcasts in September 1941, and it continues as an innovative community resource today.

>> The station has been a leader in the growth of public radio. KALW introduced NPR to the Bay Area in 1972, and popular public radio programs such as “Fresh Air,” “This American Life,” and “Radiolab” were first heard by Bay Area listeners on KALW.

>> At a time when local news coverage is shrinking, KALW provides award-winning locally-produced news and information programs, such as the morning call-in show Your Call and the evening local news magazine Crosscurrents.

>> The station’s tradition of training generations of broadcast professionals continues through internships and partnerships with Mills College, UC-Berkeley, Youth Radio and others.

>> KALW works with community partners to create intriguing programs, such as Philosophy Talk; 99% Invisible; Binah; Explorations in Music; and New America Now.

Amen to all this, I say. KALW is my favorite public radio station—a hotbed of creative sanity. I subscribe and listen to it all the time: at home in the morning, in my car, and on my Droid X. I’m a huge fan of programmers Rose Aguilar, Sara Cahill, Kevin Vance, JoAnn Mar, its General Manager Matt Martin, and pretty much everyone else in and around the place.

Plus all the great BBC programs like World Have Your Say. What an awesome radio station.

And don’t forget: this Saturday is another big KALW celebration, a big night of music and dance at Freight and Salvage in Berkeley. The music will include the The Flatt and Scruggs Tribute Band, George Brooks and Kai Eckhardt’s Tangential Experience, and Wake the Dead, “the world’s first all-star Celtic Grateful Dead jam band.”

The jamming starts at 8 P.M. Here’s the September 8 data again, straight from the press release:

WHAT:
COMMUNITY CELEBRATION OF “KALW DAY”
WHEN:
Thursday, September 8; 9 – 11am
WHERE:
City College/Mission Campus;
1125 Valencia Street, San Francisco, Room 109
WHO: San Francisco Supervisor Eric Mar;
Station Manager Matt Martin;
School Board members;
KALW staff, volunteers,
listeners and community partners

KALW Day release.

Radio Valencia Studio in San Francisco

Back in June I shared the news that new community radio station Radio Valencia was in the works in San Francisco. After several months of hard work, Radio Valencia is now officially webcasting. Live shows began yesterday at 5pm with a program hosted by DJ Dirty Needles.

Promising a mix of music and talk programming from on-site DJs and hosts handling their shows from remote locations, Radio Valencia has a line-up of 24 programs so far. When there’s no live DJ, automation kicks in, but thus far it’s a stylish mix of sounds that would do any left-of-center college or community radio station proud. It doesn’t hurt that musician TradeMark Gunderson (of Evolution Control Committee) is controlling the 24,000 track library that the automated system draws from.

To get the full skinny on the opening days of Radio Valencia, take a look at the post I just did on Spinning Indie as part of my Radio Station Field Trip series.

The oldest music store in the city, Aquarius is not big, and it’s far from comprehensive in its selection. If you want the latest Black Eyed Peas or Bon Jovi albums you’re probably better off going to Ameoba. Instead, Aquarius specializes in arcane, experimental music, including obscure heavy metal. For most people the store would be inscrutable; to me, it’s heaven.

But it’s not just the inventory that makes Aquarius great. It’s that every CD and record in the place appears to be careful chosen, even curated. For a store its size quite a bit of space is given over to employee favorites and new releases. And every single one of those new or favorite albums has a paragraph-long write-up on the front describing the artist and album in loving detail.

Aquarius Records website features a long list of new releases and reviews.

So what the hell does this have to do with radio? I learned about Aquarius for the first time when the store’s owners Andee Connors and Allan Horrocks were guest DJs on WFMU’s Brian Turner show. I was amazed at Connors’ and Horrock’s deep knowledge and passion for all of this obscure music that I’m also a big fan of. I was also blown away by the idea that there was a real brick-and-mortar store out there specializing these obscurities. I knew I had to visit the first chance I could get.

What’s best about Aquarius Records is the same that’s best about radio. Great music radio is about passion and curation, like an auditory art gallery where the DJ carefully and meticulously shares new music that she loves, that moves her or intrigues her.

Like radio, the music industry–and record stores in particular–are supposed to be in their death throes. But a store like Aquarius seems to survive, and even thrive because it appears to be motivated by passion inasmuch as profit. Community and college stations like WFMU hold on because they, too, are fueled by this commitment to serving up what’s interesting and good.

When you can find the new Bon Jovi anywhere, why go to the radio or an actual record store when Wal-Mart will be easier and cheaper? The new 7″ from Boris or CD from MOEBIUS / PLANK / NEUMEIER may be more obscure, but the fan is likely far more dedicated.

I might find any of these obscure releases at Amazon, but I’ll have to look hard, know what I’m looking for and then there’s a good chance there won’t be a review. I’ve bought several CDs from Aquarius based on their review alone and never been disappointed. I think that’s because I can trust the guys running the store, the same way I trust my favorite noncommercial radio DJs.

This isn’t a commercial for Aquarius–they’re certainly not sponsoring us (yet?). I just think it’s important to be reminded about how valuable a little informed, passionate guidance can be in discovering new music in this age of file-sharing, Pandora and Amazon.com.

KPOO

Just when people think that radio is dead, there are signs of it continuing to reinvent itself in interesting ways. The morning news today (on both KTVU’s “Mornings on Two” television broadcast and in the pages of the San Francisco Chronicle) brought word of an innovative art installation taking place over the Thanksgiving holiday at Coit Tower in San Francisco.

To honor the 40th anniversary of a year and a half protest/occupation by American Indians at Alcatraz (taking place from November 1969 to June 1971), films will be projected onto the side of Coit Tower. An accompanying soundtrack will be broadcast on San Francisco community radio station KPOO. The collaboration makes sense, as the essence of KPOO’s mission is to serve communities typically under-represented by mainstream media. Additionally, KPOO airs a show twice a month called “Webworks: Voices of the Native Nation.”

Admittedly, listening to film soundtrack simulcasts on one’s radio isn’t an entirely new concept, as low-power radio transmissions were a staple of the drive-in movie scene. In this instance, though, one can listen in through a car radio or even by tuning into a webcast through one’s mp3 player or iPhone. It certainly sounds like an amazing way to experience public art and perhaps it will get a few folks to tune in to community radio.

Pirate Cat Leaving Terrestrial Radio

It was probably only a matter of time before the FCC would catch up with San Francisco’s Pirate Cat Radio.

The unlicensed broadcaster was increasingly putting itself in the public eye by operating a cafe adjacent to its studio, granting interviews with mainstream press, and even appearing on the national television show No Reservations this August.

Since at least April, the FCC has been monitoring Pirate Cat’s operations and eventually levied the station and owner Daniel K. Roberts (aka Monkey) a $10,000 fine on August 31st when it became clear that the station was continuing to broadcast without a license

Pirate Cat issued a press release on Halloween stating that the station would cease their terrestrial broadcast in light of the FCC’s action against the station. According to the statement from Pirate Cat:

“…the FCC asserted that Monkey, the founder of Pirate Cat Radio, ‘willfully and repeatedly violated Section 301 of the Communications Act of 1934′ and proposed to fine him $10,000 for the infraction… the FCC’s order effectively ends Pirate Cat Radio’s thirteen-year run as one of the Bay Area’s most consistent voices of protest against corporate-run media monopolies and monocultural programming.”

According to the “Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture” document prepared by the FCC, not only was Pirate Cat Radio found to be broadcasting over FM without a license, but the frequency being used, 87.9, is also “not allocated to the FM broadcast band.”

Additionally, the FCC poked holes in Pirate Cat Radio’s previous argument that because the United States is in a state of war, broadcasters can operate without a license. As we’ve discussed before, the belief held by some non-licensed broadcasters that stations are automatically granted an emergency authorization to broadcast from the government during wartime didn’t seem like it would hold up under scrutiny. According to the FCC’s statement:

“The PCR website also mistakenly claims its unlicensed operation is sanctioned by Section 73.3542 of the Rules, 47 C.F.R. § 73.3542. We note that authority to operate pursuant to this Section must be granted by the FCC, and that the burden is on the applicant to show the required ‘extraordinary circumstances’ to support such a grant…There is no record that Roberts and PCR have ever received such a grant of authority from the Commission. Additionally, the frequency used without authority by Roberts and PCR is 87.9 MHz, which is not allocated to the FM broadcast band…”

The FCC’s signal measurements in April also found that Pirate Cat’s broadcast strength far exceeded what would be allowed by non-licensed broadcasters:

“On April 29, 2009, the measurements indicated that the signal was more than 3,000 times greater than the maximum permissible level for a non-licensed Part 15 transmitter in the 88 to 108 MHz band and more than 8,000 times greater than the maximum permissible level in the 76 to 88 MHz band.”

So, for now, Pirate Cat Radio is going to broadcast solely on the Internet as it builds up its case for returning to the terrestrial airwaves. With its over 13-year-history (not all of it from the current location in San Francisco) it will likely maintain its presence, but who knows if it will ever return to FM. Typically the FCC is not too keen on granted FM licenses to those who have previously flaunted the law.

They might take some lessons from the hugely popular and above-board East Village Radio in New York City. Like Pirate Cat they had an unlicensed, terrestrial past as well as a physical presence in their home city. But their success and fame seems to have really skyrocketing after they began channeling their energy into being a for-profit Internet-only station.

Ironically, on the same day that the FCC was issuing its fine to Pirate Cat, the station was celebrating its recent accolade from San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors. From the SF Gate blog “Off the Record,” here’s an excerpt of the letter of commendation:

“…Pirate Cat Radio, in recognition of your trailblazing efforts towards freeing the airwaves from corporate control, providing the community with training in radio broadcast skills, empowering voices ignored by traditional media outlets; and contributing to the advancement of the City’s coffee culture through the unique creations of baristas of the Pirate Cat Radio Cafe; the Board of Supervisors of the City and County of San Francisco, extends its highest commendation!”

Bay Area Radio Museum

I think it’s extremely important to honor radio’s history, so I’m always impressed when there are folks out there who are actively working to support that cause.

The Bay Area Radio Museum has been a labor of love for its Executive Director David Ferrell Jackson for the past 5 years. This online museum is an amazing place to learn about the history of radio in the San Francisco Bay Area. You can check out profiles of DJs from days gone by, peruse station histories, and look at vintage photos. Previously there were also links to old airchecks, but due to the high cost of bandwidth, Jackson has decided to scale back until he obtains outside help.

As Ben Fong-Torres reported in his “Radio Waves” column in the San Francisco Chronicle today, Jackson will continue to maintain the website, but has taken down media-rich material (like audio archives):

“Beyond volunteers – ideally skilled radio and broadcasting students at local schools – Jackson wishes the museum could attract a chief executive officer ‘to run it and get volunteers and financial help.’ And, he said, to develop a plan ‘to assure that these recordings, photographs and documents will be collected, stored and displayed in a manner befitting a world-class media museum.’”

In addition to the online museum, Jackson also spearheaded the “Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame,” whose most recent inductees were honored at a ceremony on September 29th.

It’s sad to think that this might be a sign of radio’s decreasing relevance to not only listeners, but also to museums, funders, and cultural institutions. I’m hopeful that someone will step up (another museum? a broadcasting-oriented university’s library?) to help out so that this history is properly preserved. With such a rich history, the San Francisco Bay Area deserves a Radio Museum.

But I guess the question remains: if it opens (even online), will people come?

For those of us who do care about radio, it’s important to support efforts like this; so I’d encourage you to take a look around the museum and see how you can help.

My dream is that the museum will survive and that it will expand into non-commercial territory, doing more extensive profiles of some of the amazing college, community, low-power, pirate and public radio stations that are also on our jam-packed radio dial in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Even a member of San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors, Bevan Dufty, has taken up the cause, sponsoring a resolution to encourage new station owner Ed Stolz “to continue with the Community/LGBT/Dance radio format that has made Energy 92.7 one of the most unique and popular radio stations in San Francisco and the Bay Area.”

According to a portion of the text of the resolution:

“…Energy 92.7 brought LGBT and straight listeners together using humor to break down barriers and to create understanding and good will, and…has been a strong partner to the City and County of San Francisco through their unwavering support of community based organizations raising both funds and awareness for non-profits that focus on HIV/AIDS, food banks, and breast cancer among countless others…

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors urges Mr. Ed Stolz to reconsider his choice to abandon the successful format of Energy 92.7 and rehire the talented staff that provided a radio format that was adored and appreciated by so many fans throughout San Francisco and the Bay Area.”

This resolution is up for a vote at tomorrow’s Board of Supervisors meeting in San Francisco at 2pm. And, as always, meetings are open to the public. If the resolution does pass, it is a strong statement about how radio can and does have an impact on a community. Unfortunately, Ed Stolz is probably thinking much more about economics, so it’s unclear if he’ll be swayed by encouragements from the powers that be in San Francisco.

San Francisco Loses its Gay (Commercial) Radio Voice

I rarely listen to commercial radio, spending the majority of my time devoted to college and community radio stations. So, I was caught completely unaware when I read yesterday that San Francisco was losing its gay-friendly dance music station Energy 92.7. I didn’t even know that it existed.

The 5-year-old station, KNGY, “often touted itself as the last independently owned radio station in San Francisco,” according to an article in yesterday’s San Francisco Chronicle. The station played a dance music format and as of last Thursday night, they switched to mainstream top 40.

A television news segment on KTVU last night featured interviews with station DJs and fans. One listener recounted their feelings upon losing the station, saying, “It’s like a friend of mine died.”

I was amazed to see a report about radio on TV and was even more surprised to hear such strong feelings about a radio station. It’s a reminder that radio still does mean a lot to people, especially when a station has such a strong connection to a local community.

As the comments on the Chronicle article attest to, many people are upset about the station’s change in format and many seem particularly upset by the loss of their favorite morning show. One commenter wrote:

“A big disappointment for sure. Looks like I won’t be listening to the radio at all anymore, unless they resurrect Energy in some other fashion.

That station certainly had something for everyone interested in dance music, as well as a great morning show. It may have been gay-oriented in many ways but I think it was much more than that and I think it’s a loss not just to the LGBT community but to the whole city.”

As Examiner blogger Eric Ross explains, the gay-themed morning show on Energy 92.7 was unique for commercial radio:

“Fernando & Greg first aired on Energy 92.7 back in 2005 and was the first commercially broadcast gay morning radio show in the United States. The station went off the air on September 11th, much to the shock of everyone in the Bay Area. The gay friendly radio station was an icon for the LGBT community, and many people woke up to Fernando and Greg in the morning. Fernando and Greg even made it to Out magazine’s list of the top 100 most influential people in gay culture.”

One can track the morning show hosts quest for a new gig on their Facebook page and there is also a group devoted to saving the station (unlikely, since it’s already been sold off and has rebranded itself as 92.7 REV The Revolution).

It’s impressive to me that the Save Energy 92.7 group on Facebook has more than 6,000 members as of today. Who knows, perhaps they’ll work together to come up with some innovative ways to bring elements of the station back to the airwaves or to the Internet.

On this week’s episode Bourdain explored San Francisco, but started off the episode with a surprise, especially for a radio geek like myself. In an homage to the film Bullitt Bourdain races through the streets of the city in a black Mustang, then turns on the radio only to hear none other than San Francisco’s most well-known unlicensed radio station, Pirate Cat Radio.

As you can see in the clip below, Bourdain appears on air with Pirate Cat founder Monkey, then retires to the station’s namesake cafe to try a, well… porcine latte.

If Pirate Cat wasn’t already the most well known currently operating pirate station in the US, I’ll venture to guess that it is now. Monkey has been at the pirate radio game a long time and has never shied away from publicity or talking to the press. While that certainly increases the risk of running an unlicensed station, so far the FCC doesn’t seem to have seen fit to escalate enforcement with police action like it has with past Bay Area stations like San Francisco Liberation Radio.

I wish Monkey, Pirate Cat Radio and their cafe the best of luck in bringing community-style radio to a corner of the Mission. I just wish they’d stop justifying their right to broadcast using the tired “emergency authorization” clause of Title 47. I think a better case lies with declaring civil disobedience and pointing to the provision of better public service broadcasting than most other stations in a crowded radio market closed off to low-power FM or any other new community-focused broadcasters.