University of Virginia radio station WTJU was at the center of much buzz and heated online debate last week, as staff and listeners reacted to news about proposed changes to both the station’s format and volunteer involvement. Concerned and frustrated DJs turned to the Internet, with one penning a blog post called, “WTJU is Facing […]
As everyone in non-commercial radio in the United States knows, there’s often a fine line between underwriting messages to indicate sponsored programming and commercial announcements. College, community and other non-commercial radio stations are not allowed to air commercials, but they can play underwriting announcements which simply acknowledge the support received by an outside entity. It’s […]
For me, mix tapes and radio shows have a lot in common; as they both make an attempt to compile a collection of pieces of music in order to share a particular mood, highlight a specific genre, or communicate a special message to listeners (or to the object of one’s desire). I used to do […]
If I were anywhere near Detroit this weekend I would grab a seat at the Allied Media Conference. Held at Wayne State University, this is the 12th annual conference put together by Allied Media Projects. Sessions focused on media, technology, community-organizing, social justice, and the DIY ethos all began today. With topics ranging from radical […]
Of course I’m biased, but San Francisco seems to have always been ground zero for radio innovators, back from the early days of pioneering technologists, to the freeform FM era, to punk and new wave stalwarts in college and commercial radio in the 1980s, to pirate radio champions like Free Radio Berkeley in the 1990s, […]
What a year in radio it’s been! Back in June, 2009, Matthew, Paul and I agreed to focus our energies on Radio Survivor in order to champion all things radio. Coming from the perspective of radio fans, academics, and DJs; we’ve devoted much energy to espousing the virtues and lamenting the pitfalls of radio in […]
I’m pleased to see that on Monday, June 7th, Portland, Oregon community radio station KBOO will devote its daytime programming to an examination of the Gulf oil disaster. Tune in from 8am to 6pm Pacific time for their “Stop the Oil, Save the Gulf” special to hear discussions about how the oil disaster happened and […]
Last Friday, May 28th, long-time college radio DJ David Standifer, aka “Dave the Metal Guy,” died at the age of 38 of an apparent brain aneurysm. Up until December, 2009 he’d been the host of University of Alabama college radio station WVUA‘s long-running metal show “The Metal Zone.” The program, which began in 1982, had […]
At the radio station where I DJ there are a number of different types of shows, but for the most part singular DJs are in charge of designated time slots on the schedule. A few programs are run in a collective style, with different staffers taking over DJ duties from week to week. And for […]
I really like the idea that someday soon there will be a radio revolution and the FM dial will once again be returned to passionate music-loving DJs playing an eclectic mix of sounds at locally-owned radio stations. In the meantime, I will continue to troll the left side of the dial to hear my fellow […]
