LPFM Watch: Reviewing 2013, looking ahead to 2014
Summing up the past year in LPFM is not difficult. We had the second-ever licensing opportunity, wherein 2780 applications for new community radio stations were submitted. While that was fewer than many advocates had predicted or hoped for, it’s undeniable that this licensing window will lead to a significant expansion in community radio in the […]
California Historical Radio Society Finds New Home for Radio Museum
As 2013 drew to a close, the California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) announced that it had signed an agreement to purchase a building in Alameda, California to house the Bay Area Radio Museum and Hall of Fame. CHRS currently operates out of the historic KRE building in Berkeley and its days there have been numbered […]
AT&T’s “sponsored data” plan: net neutrality wake up call for radio?
For years, Internet centered radio companies of all kinds have been quietly ignoring the net neutrality question, that is, the threat that ISPs could set up pay-for-priority data treatment plans for content providers. But it looks like AT&T’s new “sponsored data” scheme is getting at least one public radio show’s attention. “Could AT&T’s ‘sponsored data’ […]
How radio touched lives in 2013: Our top stories of 2013 (plus ones you might have missed)
It’s always fascinating to review our stats to see what stories are most popular. Every year one of our most read posts is Jennifer’s review of stations playing the Thanksgiving classic “Alice’s Restaurant” on turkey day. In 2012 it was our 2nd most popular story of the year, and in 2013 it was number 1. […]
2014 World Radio Day to Celebrate Women in Radio
This year’s World Radio Day, taking place on February 13, 2014, will focus on gender equality. First organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2012, World Radio Day was conceptualized as a day “to celebrate radio broadcast, improve international cooperation among radio broadcasters and encourage decision-makers to create and provide […]
Podcast Survivor: In 2014 podcasting must enter every room in the house
I reviewed the last year in podcasting and concluded that it was one in which the medium had a growth spurt in production, attention and investment. Looking forward to 2014 this is the year that podcast listening needs to become easy and ubiquitous. I mentioned how I’ve come to think that the supposed discovery problem–that […]
Smooth Jazz returns to Chicago airwaves via HD Radio 2
Two of our most enduringly popular “long-tail” posts are about the demise of Smooth Jazz radio in Chicago. This April, 2012 report about the changeover from the format to alternative rock on the FM backdoor station 87.7 FM and my July, 2012 followup detailing where to find other jazz programming on the Chicago airwaves consistently […]
Winners announced for annual Podcast Awards
Two veteran podcasters took home the most awards at this year’s Podcast Awards, announced at the New Media Expo this past Sunday in Las Vegas. Scott Johnson and Brian Ibbot won both the Comedy and People’s Choice categories for The Morning Stream, while their Film Sack podcast won for the Movies/Film category. Film Sack also […]
Memo to Microsoft: think of Xbox Music as a game
For reasons that remain unclear to me, I bought an Xbox One with Kinect over the holidays. I’m trying to remember how I talked myself into the purchase—something about being able to communicate with my TV via voice. “Xbox! Go to Skype!” I commanded. It worked, except I didn’t have anyone to Skype with at […]
Jim Bennett’s campaign for live radio jazz
Bay Area jazz aficionado Jim Bennett has an Indiegogo campaign going to boost his live jazz promotion work. Bennett has been producing acclaimed jazz programs for decades. He was a long time jazz deejay at KPFA-FM in Berkeley and its general manager during some of the station’s turbulent years in the late 1990s. Then he […]