Cleveland’s “La Mega” and the case for channel 6 FM radio
The Federal Communications Commission’s proceeding on whether to permit Low Power TV stations to broadcast FM on channel 6 (87.7 FM) has reached its formal deadline: January 12 (backgrounder here). The FCC rolled the question into a whole suite of issues facing LPTV. Of interest to us is a defense of the channel 6 FM […]
Radio Survivor’s 2014 Year in Review
Happy 2015! As we start the year, it’s a good time to reflect on the biggest radio stories of 2014 and also to make our predictions for 2015. Over the past few weeks we’ve shared our thoughts on the state of college radio, low power FM (LPFM), radio in academia, and podcasting in 2014, as […]
Ham radio to FCC: don’t let Marriott mess with our bands!
Amateur radio operators are weighing in on the hotel industry’s petition to the Federal Communications Commission asking for authority to “manage” Wi-Fi hot spots used by hotel patrons. In October the FCC hit Marriott with a $600k fine for blocking personal Wi-Fi networks at its Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Meanwhile […]
Je suis Echo of Moscow?
The online/FM indie Russian radio station Echo of Moscow is under fire for posting a questionnaire to its readers on its website. The question went roughly as follows: “Whether [to] print editions cartoons of the Prophet MuhammadMuhammad in response to the shooting of the editorial board ‘Charlie Hebdo’?” Over half a million people voted (yes, […]
Framingham State’s College Radio Station WDJM Makes Deal with FCC to Address Public File Violations
In another instance of the FCC giving student-run college radio stations a break, Framingham State University radio station WDJM-FM in Framingham, Massachusetts agreed to pay a lesser penalty of $1,200 for public file violations. According to a Consent Decree adopted on December 31, 2014, the university agreed to pay the penalty and set up a […]
iHeartMedia CEO Defends Radio at CES (with Unintentional Irony)
iHeartMedia (née Clear Channel) CEO Bob Pittman and radio/TV host Ryan Seacrest were both present at the Consumer Electronics Show this week, and they were stumping for radio. Pittman began an on-stage interview on Wednesday declaring that “radio is probably the most relevant product that rides on all this technology… radio is your best friend.” […]
2014: The Year that College Radio Embraced Low Power FM
As I reflect back on 2014, the big college radio story for me is low power FM (LPFM). By my count, 64 colleges and universities were granted new LPFM construction permits in 2014. This is incredible to see, as it is yet another sign that terrestrial radio is still relevant to young people. In addition […]
FCC Chair Makes Waves with Open Internet Announcement
On Wednesday FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler stunned many at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas by announcing that the agency will move to reclassify broadband internet as a utility. During an on-stage conversation with Consumer Electronics Association President Gary Sharpiro, Wheeler said that new rules based under so-called Title II provisions would be circulated […]
LPFM News: A Good Start to 2015
FCC’s Media Bureau got right to work after the New Year’s holiday, granting seventeen more low-power FM construction permits. Eight of these are in the large urban markets of Portland, OR, Tucson, AZ, Saint Paul, MN and Providence, RI. Some of the interesting groups include the Xerocraft hackerspace which was approved for 100.1 FM and […]
FCC’s Quarterly Report of Total Number of Radio Stations Shows Growth in LPFM
Today, the FCC released its quarterly list of the total number of licensed broadcast stations. The total number of radio stations in the United States remained basically flat at the end of 2014, compared with the quarter ending September 30. As of December 31, 2014, there were 15,432 licensed full power radio stations in the […]