Attack ads on public radio? Anxiety follows court strikedown of political ad ban
A divided Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the Federal Communications Commissions’ ban on commercial advertising on public radio and television. But it struck down the bar on political advertising. “Public issue and political advertisements pose no threat of ‘commercialization’,” Justice Carlos T. Bea wrote for the court majority on Thursday. “By definition, such […]
Radio Continues to Grow in U.S. Based on FCC’s Quarterly Station Tally
The FCC just released its quarterly list of the total number of licensed broadcast stations in the United States. Based on their statistics through March 31, 2012, the number of licensed broadcast radio stations is still on the rise, continuing the trend that we saw in last quarter’s update. Based on this list, there are […]
HD Radio smartphone prototype to debut at NAB
Middle-tier radio owner Emmis Communications has announced that it will demonstrate an HD Radio equipped smartphone at a press event this coming Monday at the 2012 NAB Show. The prototype phone was developed in conjunction with Intel and iBiquity, which owns the HD Radio system, but few other details are available, including what operating system […]
Visiting KCNL in San Jose
In my free time I like to schedule visits to radio stations in order to get a glimpse into their day-to-day operations. This project started way back in 2008 when I made my first field trip to WECB at Emerson College. Along the way some studios (like KUSF) have sadly been dismantled, others have moved […]
Breaking the auto barrier: almost one in five Americans get Internet radio in cars
Edison Research/Arbitron’s anticipated study on online radio is out, and it suggests that a significant barrier on Internet radio listening may be broken soon. According to the survey, seventeen percent of mobile phone owners have streamed online radio in their automobiles by jacking a handheld into their car radio receiver device. That’s a fifty percent […]
Amateur Radio on the Front Line During Titanic Disaster
In honor of the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic this week, a museum in Wales is presenting an exhibit focused on amateur radio operator Artie Moore, the man who first transmitted messages about the sinking of the Titanic to local residents. At the time, his messages were met with disbelief since he […]
Is the FCC proposing rules for non-commercial radio local marketing agreements like KUSF’s?
A local marketing agreement (LMA) is when a station owner permits another broadcaster to rent the station, taking over the programming and advertising for a fee. However, the station owner retains all rights and liabilities for the station, including the license. LMAs have often been used to let a large owner, like Clear Channel, operate […]
Who saw what? NPR’s Dina Temple-Raston versus Glenn Greenwald on Anwar al-Awlaki
An interesting YouTube video of a dialogue between an NPR reporter and national security critic Glenn Greenwald is making the rounds. The argument took place in November 2010 at the NYU School of Law during a round table discussion about “Free Speech and Incitement.” You’d think this exchange would be old news by now, but […]
Five radio poems
It is National Poetry Month. I love songs and poems that mention radio. Here are excerpts of some from The American Academy of Poets’ poetry.org site. from Cognitive Deficit Market, by Joshua Corey . . . . Meanwhile above it all she’s setting out the tea things: ceramic cup and saucer, little pewter spoon, pebbled […]
WPRK Celebrates 60th Anniversary with All-Day Event Today
Rollins College radio station WPRK is celebrating its 60th anniversary with a fundraiser and a free all-day event and live broadcast today from the Rollins College campus in Winter Park, Florida. According to an article in the Orlando Sentinel, the station has 120 student and community volunteers. The article states, “It’s community and student involvement […]