Is your PC laptop the best deal for Internet radio?
I’ve been writing a lot about Internet radio and mobile devices these days. But sometimes I think there are advantages to tuning in on my PC laptop instead. Advantage number one: avoiding monthly charges. Most radio social networking applications on your PC are free with advertisements, including Last.fm. But want to get Last on your […]
Spinning Indie Radio Station Field Trip to WPGU in Champaign
I’m always interested in visiting radio stations that defy the norm, which could mean that they play an unexpected genre or do experimental programming or are simply under the radar. As I plotted out my radio station field trip wish list in advance of my visit to Urbana-Champaign for the Grassroots Radio Conference (see Paul’s […]
New film to tell the story of New Zealand’s own offshore radio pirate
I was unaware that New Zealand had a pirate radio scene in the 1960s. But upon further reflection it makes sense, since that country’s radio dial was similarly monopolized by state broadcasters just like the UK and continental Europe. This meant that insurgent rock n’ roll music was hard to find, making for a ready […]
31 songs about radio: a Spotify playlist
Over the last two years, Paul Riismandel, Jennifer Waits, Helen Yamamoto, and I have posted various mentions and lists of popular songs about radio (Paul, Jennifer, Jennifer, Helen, and me). Many of you wrote in with your own personal favorites. After noting one of Spotify’s best features—letting subscribers publish playlists on the web via embedded HTML—I […]
Behind the scenes at a grassroots international daily radio news program
Listeners to Free Speech Radio News may not realize that only two of the producers are in the same location. The rest of the staff–not just reporters and correspondents–are geographically dispersed and work together over the phone and internet. This is due to the grassroots nature of FSRN, but also because the organization’s tight finances […]
Commentary: Bobby Valentine and Allen Pinkett Can’t Hear Themselves Talk
In 2012, we use more social outlets than ever to embarrass ourselves. Luckily for 20th century traditionalists, we still find outspoken individuals on the radio. This month we heard two sports moguls stir up the air, to listeners’ dumbfoundedness. On September 5, Boston Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine appeared on The Big Show sports radio. […]
Digging into the Spotify classical radio “gold mine”
My colleague Paul Riismandel has been warming up to the Spotify music service, of late, and gave it a pretty decent review in a recent post. Paul also mentioned to me that Spotify has been advertising itself as a “goldmine” for a wide variety of formats, including classical music. This aroused my attention, since I […]
Spinning Indie Radio Station Field Trip to WLUW in Chicago
Over the summer I was in the Chicago and Urbana-Champaign area for a combined vacation/trip to the Grassroots Radio Conference. I couldn’t resist the opportunity to visit more radio stations and managed to tour six stations total in both Illinois and Indiana. My stops included three college radio stations, two community radio stations, and one […]
Fall 2012 College Radio Conference Line-up
As college radio volunteers and DJs are getting settled into the new school year, it’s about time to start making hard choices about which college radio conferences to attend. October is a busy month, with both CMJ and College Broadcasters Inc. (CBI) hosting their annual conferences. Additionally, the 72-year-old Intercollegiate Broadcasting System (IBS) will be […]
Chicago’s WXRT celebrates 40 years serving up an increasingly rare format
It’s an increasingly rare thing to find a station that has maintained its format (and call letters) for more than a decade, nevermind 40 years. This week Chicago commercial rock station WXRT begins celebrating its fortieth year on air with something called “40 years in 40 days.” Starting Monday, each day the station is highlighting […]