CBS Radio Proves Me Wrong with its Play.It Podcast Network
Getting into the prediction game is always risky. Sure, hundreds of political pundits make their living forecasting elections, seemingly blithe to actual outcomes. But I’d prefer not to be wrong this quickly. Early this morning I published this week’s Podcast Survivor feature, focused on my predictions for podcasting in 2015. Quite confidently, and without much […]
Open Carry and KKK “white pride” radio: thank you Black Panthers?
Back in the 1967 the Black Panthers marched on California’s state capitol in Sacramento with rifles and side arms plainly in hand to protest legislation banning the open carrying of loaded guns. The bill was sponsored by Republicans (!!) and it passed, quickly signed by then Governor Ronald Reagan. Those were the days of slogans […]
Wave Farm Residency Now Accepting Applications
Sound artists with an interest in broadcasting and transmission arts have an opportunity to apply for a residency at the Wave Farm Study Center at community radio WGXC in New York’s Upper Hudson Valley. It’s really the only full-time radio station in the US (if not the world) that specifically focuses on creative and artistic […]
Opportunities Abound for Podcasting in 2015
With interest in podcasting at an unprecedented high, the medium needs to hang onto that momentum in 2015. That means new listeners attracted by Serial–or attracted by all the hype–need to find other shows to tide them over until season two comes out, and they need to be able to find and listen to those […]
Did Stan Freberg Invent the Comedy Podcast?
While on vacation this past weekend, I spotted a 1966 Stan Freberg comedy LP in a used bookstore. The album, Freberg Underground Show #1, audaciously announces on its cover that it is “Introducing a ZOWIE! new medium: Pay Radio!” Modeled after Freberg’s radio shows, the album replicates the same format, but was free from network […]
They Might Be Giants Launches Dial-a-Song Radio Network
They Might be Giants just brought back its Dial-a-Song series (which debuted in the 1980s) in which the band is releasing a new song every week for a year. As part of the promotion, it will be debuting each week’s song over a Monday night podcast (“The Gist”) on Slate as well as sharing the […]
Do we need another Blue Book for radio?
I am reading Victor Pickard’s terrific book America’s Battle for Media Democracy and wondering to myself: do we need another “Blue Book” for radio? What was the Blue Book (you may be asking)? It was a publication released by the Federal Communications Commission in 1946 titled “Public Service Responsibility of Broadcast Licensees.” As Pickard summarizes […]
A Night Vale Holiday Recap
I’ve been absent in light of schoolwork, and it’s felt good catching up on WTNV. That vaguely promised book has been officially announced, so that’s pretty exciting. I’d gotten pretty behind (by my standards, anyway), so I’m going to be glossing over The List, Monolith, and Antiques. Perhaps the most endearing thing for me about […]
10 Fascinating Things Spotted at College Radio Stations in 2014
I was lucky to be able to visit quite a few college radio stations in 2014 and have shared some of those field trips on Radio Survivor and Spinning Indie. Next week I’ll write up a comprehensive “2014 year in review” post about the state of college radio, but as I reflect back on the […]
Top 100 composer lists: and the point is . . . ?
Classical public radio station WQXR in New York City has released its annual New Year’s top 100 composition list—the results of a listener poll of favorite pieces. The results bear an uncanny resemblance to, well, last year’s WQXR top 100 list. Here are the top dozen of this year and 2013: 2013 2014 1 Beethoven Symphony […]