America’s Got Schmaltz – Howard Stern’s disappointing America’s Got Talent debut
Lured in by the debut appearance of Howard Stern as a judge, I watched both hours of tonight’s season premiere of America’s Got Talent. I’ve never watched the show before, nor any of its stablemates, like American Idol. So let’s not bury the lede: I will not be watching again. You see, I’m a lapsed […]
Turntable.fm for Android is out, but is tt.fm really a desktop app?
The Turntable.fm Android application is finally available (oddly unannounced this weekend on tt.fm’s official blog). I tried it on Saturday, and it works very well on my Droid X. Nice, economical interface. The chat feature is very clear and easy to use. My DJ Queue menu works fine. And, most important, the music sounds great. […]
Zimbabwe exile shortwave station wants more information about license denial
The owner of a shortwave radio station that broadcasts to Zimbabwe via the Netherlands is pressing for more information about that country’s denial of its license application. Vox Media wants a record of the proceedings leading to the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe’s decision to authorize other stations, but not Vox’s Radio Voice of the People […]
FCC will hold live forum on Low Power FM/translator applications
This Wednesday the Federal Communications Commission will hold a live, streaming forum on how the agency plans to handle Low Power FM and translator applications. “The focus of the forum will be how pending FM translator applicants from the 2003 Auction 83 window and pending and prospective FM translator modification applicants will be processed,” the […]
BBC Radio: We have to bring back younger listeners
An interesting post on the BBC Internet Blog about the service’s strategy for getting its younger audience more engaged again. “We’re missing a trick here,” explained BBC interactive music expert Mark Friend during a seminar held at the London Radio Theater. “If we look at the numbers of people who listen to our radio stations […]
The Hidden History of WTYJ at Georgia Tech
As I was researching a specific tidbit of radio history a few weeks back, I happened upon some intriguing stories about the early days of student radio at Georgia Tech. Today Georgia Tech is home to the 100,000 watt college radio station WREK at 91.1 FM; but back in the 1940s, plans were underway for […]
John Malone may not have Sirius XM, but he still has a media empire
Everybody’s blogging and twittering away over Liberty Media Corporation’s failed attempt to take de facto control of Sirius XM satellite radio. The Federal Communications Commission rejected Liberty’s application on Friday. Liberty owns 40 percent of Sirius XM stock. The reasons for the rebuff appear to be technical: “We find Liberty Media’s applications to be unacceptable […]
As May 21 Anniversary Approaches, Family Radio Avoids End of World Talk
A year ago I was growing increasingly fascinated with Family Radio as they became the center of a media frenzy over their President Harold Camping’s predictions of global catastrophe on May 21, 2011. Billboards promoting their Judgment Day pronouncements were present all over the world and Camping’s live call-in talk program, “Open Forum,” ratcheted up […]
High School Radio Day Set for May 16
Inspired by the inaugural College Radio Day in 2011, the first annual High School Radio Day is scheduled for May 16, 2012. The idea is to spread the word about high school radio. The date was chosen because apparently the first high school radio station in the United States, WNAS, launched in May 1949 in […]
Remembering Adam Yauch and the Beastie Boys’ on-and-off relationship with college radio
Adam Yauch, also known as MCA, of the Beastie Boys passed away from cancer today at the age of 47. Although I knew Yauch had been battling cancer for the last few years, the news still hit me as a shock. I started to think about how my relationship to Yauch and his bandmates’ music […]