I am reading Tim Weiner’s disturbing history of the CIA, Legacy of Ashes. The tome portrays the agency as a dysfunctional outfit which often failed to achieve its goals. When the CIA did get something done in its formative years, it was usually a dastardly deed, accomplished by a combination of brute force, bribery, and […]
Author Archive | Matthew Lasar
Documentary on Arhoolie legend Chris Strachwitz “close to a rough cut “
He’s produced albums that inspired The Rolling Stones. The 50th anniversary of his Arhoolie Records label was noted by The New York Times. His voice has regaled public radio listeners about “down home” music for decades, especially at KPFA in Berkeley. Generations of Blues, Cajun, Tejano, Gospel, Polka, and Bluegrass legends have graced his studios. […]
Elizabeth Taylor: the radio days
Everybody knows by now that legendary screen actor Elizabeth Taylor has died at the age of 79. You can expect plenty of well deserved praise to be heaped on Taylor over the next few weeks —for her terrific performances in movies like Suddenly, Last Summer, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolff, and Cat on a Hot […]
What is “professionalism” in community radio?
In the world of community radio, there is probably no term more contentious than “professionalism.” Say the word and watch the conversation flare up. Why is the p-word so threatening? Probably because at places like community/college/LPFM radio stations, most community media people are volunteers. So when words like “professionalism” surface, folks imagine themselves being replaced […]
Doug Henwood’s Radio Days
Doug Henwood of the Left Business Observer is one of my favorite people in the world of arts, letters, and radio. A brilliant and entertaining critic of neo-liberalism, neo-conservatism, and neo-crackpotism, Henwood is the author of Wall Street and After the New Economy—the latter a remarkable analysis of the dot-com-bomb phenomenon. Doug is long associated […]
Thank you Canada! Unused FM app for Samsung Galaxy S now in play
The Canadian government’s communications technology lab has released a new Android application: FM TwoO (pronounced: two “O,” as in Web 2.0). FM TwoO accesses’ the embedded FM receiver in the Samsung Galaxy S class series. “FM TwoO can be tuned to any station manually or by seeking through usual FM frequency bands,” the Communications Research […]
Radiocollective.org—a great new site for noncommercial music radio lovers
If you’re looking for a site that aggregates the best music on non-commercial college and community radio stations, look no further than radiocollective.org. “We’ve spent countless hours listening, researching, and getting recommendations from DJs and now have around 500 programs featured on the calendar,” radiocollective’s main guy Sujay Vennam wrote to us yesterday. The site […]
NPR and the “educated elite” problem
The NPR galaxy is in shock following the resignation of its CEO, Vivian Schiller. She received a vote of no-confidence from NPR’s board following the release her development director Ron [no relation] Schiller’s off-the-cuff remarks with a conservative group pretending to be the Muslim Brotherhood. Among Schiller’s comments, that the Tea Party isn’t “just Islamaphobic, […]
How to donate to KPFA without giving to the Pacifica Foundation
It’s never a dull moment over at listener supported radio station KPFA-FM in Berkeley, California. Here’s some of the latest poop: Former WBAI-FM Program Director Andrew Phillips is headed to become the station’s interim manager, following the resignation of the last guy (who lasted about a month). You can find a brief mention of Phillips […]
Infowars calls Rolling Stone feature on Alex Jones “largely positive and accurate”
The Rolling Stone feature called Alex Jones “the most paranoid man in America” and “a multiplatform prophet of paranoia who sees diabolical plots in every turn of the news cycle.” “For a man of otherwise high analytical ability, his logic and reading-comprehension skills are often victims of his Ahab-like obsession with the New World Order,” […]