The United States added 48 more full-power broadcast radio stations in the first quarter of 2014. That’s according to the FCC’s quarterly totals, released this week. Here’s that breakdown: AM Stations 4726 FM Commercial Stations 6624 FM Non-commercial Stations 4057 TOTAL 15,406 Low-power FM stations are down slightly in the quarter. Read this week’s LPFM […]
The FCC released its first quarter radio station totals this week. And while the overall station count is up slightly in 2014, the number of LPFMs dipped two from the end of 2013. On the surface this might not make sense given the 1,148 low-power station construction permits the FCC has issued this year. But […]
The assignment of LPFM construction permits creeps forward, with the total now at 1137 new stations approved. It still seems like the FCC is not yet dealing with frequencies where there are multiple applicants, known as MX groups (for mutually exclusive). However, applicants that filed amendments in order to no longer compete with others are […]
Happy belated birthday to podcasting! According to a recent Guardian article written by the creators of UK podcast Answer Me This! the very term “podcast” was born on February 11, 2004, in a piece by journalist Ben Hammersley. That makes podcasting, as a thing, a little more than 10 years and 1 month old. In […]
The United Kingdom’s broadcast regulator, Ofcom, just put out an invitation to apply for community radio licenses in West and East Midlands. These are official regions situated (as you might guess) right in the middle of England. What caught my eye, however, is this codicil in the announcement; “Applicants should note that there are currently […]
Right now I’m dwelling on college radio’s past, as I prepare my presentation for University of Maryland’s “Saving College Radio” Symposium in two weeks. In connection with an exhibit about the history of student radio station WMUC, this symposium will focus on the importance of (and challenges inherent in) archiving college radio’s history. I’ve become […]
This week the total number of granted LPFM applications crossed 1100. LPFMs-to-be are already fundraising and making plans for their new stations. For example, in Portland, Oregon, Q Center’s station Wild Planet Radio, purportedly the “the world’s first nonprofit LGBTQ radio station,” is gearing up to get on the air, sharing a frequency with The […]
Summer Reese, along with her mother and supporters, has been occupying the Pacifica Foundation’s offices in Berkeley, CA for almost ten days. Recall that Reese was abruptly fired from her position as Executive Director by the Pacifica National Board two weeks ago, without any public statements justifying the action. She and many others contest the […]
With High School Radio Day Coming up on April 23, it seemed like a good time to do a round-up of recent high school radio news. First and foremost, it’s been thrilling to see that so many school districts and high schools are in the running for new LPFM licenses. One such group, Jasper High […]
This week, there were some interesting developments on the college radio front. The FCC finally closed the books on the contested future of the former Vanderbilt University FM radio station WRVU. Despite protests by supporters of the FM station, the license was assigned to Nashville Public Radio this week. For nearly three years, the station […]
