Although many of us are fixated on radio crises in the United States, from stations getting shut down to favored radio hosts being fired, to college radio stations getting sold off; it’s rare that we talk about the important role that radio can play in keeping citizens informed and engaged. As I wrote in my […]
Archive | Community Radio
Thanksgiving Radio: Alice’s Restaurant, the Beatles, and Radio Drama
Catch Alice’s Restaurant on the 2023 radio dial. See our latest listening guide. Every year on Thanksgiving a number of stations all over the United States air the 18 minute plus song “Alice’s Restaurant” by Arlo Guthrie. Here in San Francisco, KFOG (104.5FM San Francisco/97.7FM San Jose) has been honoring that tradition for many years […]
LPFM still on double-secret probation in the Senate
On Friday word came down that Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso removed his hold on the Local Community Radio Act. If passed, this bill would restore low-power FM standards to FCC’s original specification, thereby allowing hundreds more stations to take to the air. And yet, still no action? That’s because there are still other holds on […]
The small government argument for LPFM
We’re now in the waning days of the lame duck Congress and due to backroom machinations of a few Senators the fate of low-power FM radio hangs in the balance. As I wrote in September, one lone Senator (that we know of) has a hold on the Local Community Radio Act, keeping it from moving […]
Arlene Engelhardt: welcome to Pacifica radio
It was a classic Pacifica radio moment over at the network’s flagship station, KPFA in Berkeley, on Tuesday. Having laid off the Morning Show staff, new Pacifica Executive Director Arlene Engelhardt thought she had it all figured out. She was going to pipe in programming from KPFK, KPFA’s sister station in Los Angeles. The dumped […]
Radio Obituaries: Farewell to WTJU DJ, KZGM Founder, and KFJC DJ
Non-commercial radio DJs and staff members rarely get the public recognition that they should. When it comes time to nominate people for Radio Halls of Fame, their names don’t always come up and when they die they don’t necessarily make it on the evening news. But, often these committed radio fans have put in more […]
KPFA staffers protest proposed layoffs at station
Bay Area Radio Hall of Famer Bonnie Simmons and other KPFA staff took some time on Thursday to protest the big layoffs KPFA’s owner, the Pacifica Foundation, has planned for the station. The Berkleyside news service has a summary of the event and the issues, but basically Pacifica’s plan appears to be to pretty much […]
KMUZ’s Community Radio Dream in Salem, Oregon: Will Reggae Save the Day?
In Salem, Oregon there’s a new community radio station in the works with an anticipated launch date of early next year. KMUZ, aka “People Powered Community Radio,” is currently licensed to the Salem Folklore Community and will be located at 88.5 FM. Before the station is able to launch, they need to raise tens of […]
Behind the Scenes at Radio Valencia
I’ve been sharing the progress of San Francisco’s newest community radio station, Radio Valencia, from inception to its launch in August; so was happy to see DJ Tony DuShane’s first-person account of what it was like for him to be at the station from the beginning. Currently an Internet-only station, there are rumors that Radio […]
Tick, tick, tick. LPFM expansion bill languishes due to Senatorial nonsense
Like comedy, democracy ain’t pretty. It’s been more than a year since the House passed the Local Community Radio Act, but the companion bill in the Senate seems to be jammed up in the sausage grinder. Although the expansion of LPFM apparently enjoys broad bipartisan support, according to Politico Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso has put […]