Reed College Donates KRRC License to Community Radio Group
Reed College’s tiny radio station KRRC struggled to be heard over the Portland, Oregon airwaves and now its terrestrial days may be over. Last week paperwork was filed to transfer the class D license for KRRC to Common Frequency, a non-profit devoted to community and grassroots radio. There’s a silver lining to this story, as the […]
BBC6 celebrates three decades of Kraftwerk
East Village Radio is none too happy about a cover story about New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft offered under the titled “Kraftwork.” “A terribly annoying play on the name of German electro-gods, Kraftwerk,” the post notes. But as EVR also points outs, there’s happier news: a BBC6 celebration of the 30th anniversary of Kraftwerk’s […]
Third Rock Radio channels space, NASA and alt rock
Anyone can fill up a playlist with the Raconteurs, Arcade Fire and Cold War Kids. So, how do you differentiate your online station packed full of new alternative and modern rock? You add space. Of course it was Sun Ra who declared that “Space is the Place,” though I don’t think his music is heard […]
Facebook IPO: we do radio and compete with radio stations for advertisers
As everyone paying attention to the news knows, Facebook’s first Initial Public Offering S-1 statement is out, and it’s a fascinating read. No need to get into an extensive analysis of the whole $5 billion shebang here, but it’s worth noting that Facebook clearly sees itself as a player in the radio business and a […]
KUSF One Year after the Shutdown: Protests Continue, College Radio Station Sale Still Pending
January 18, 2012 marked the one year anniversary of the sudden shutdown of University of San Francisco’s (USF) college radio station KUSF. Back in 2011, the hopeful buyers (Classical Public Radio Network aka CPRN) probably didn’t anticipate that 12 months later the sale would still be awaiting FCC approval. Save KUSF volunteers continue to fight […]
Pandora CFO says mobile data caps not a problem
When AT&T first announced new monthly data caps for iPhone users in 2010 I suggested that it could stunt the growth of mobile internet radio. Some eighteen months later I do have to admit that doesn’t seem to have happened. I made some rough calculations based upon the typical bandwidth consumed by streaming internet stations […]
Indigenous Mayans in Guatemala rely on pirate radio
Costa Rica’s Tico Times recently published a profile of unlicensed Guatemala radio station Radio Ixchel, as part of an examination of the radio scene in that country. Guatemala has as many as 800 pirate stations, where most radio licenses are auctioned for as much as $100,000. While there are license categories for public stations, there […]
Modern versus classic rock radio: do these terms still mean anything?
I listen to a lot of rock and roll radio here in the San Francisco Bay Area and all over the world via my Android mobile. A lot of these stations define themselves as either “modern” or “classic” rock frequencies. But I’m starting to wonder how long the original distinction between the two genres can […]
Forecast for Hungary’s Klub Radio: less cloudy, possible sunshine
The prospects for Hungary’s embattled indie radio station Klub Radio seem to be improving. When last we posted on this subject, Budapest saw a sizable demonstration on behalf of the signal, which lost a crucial license to an obscure easy listening broadcast group. Civil liberties groups cried foul, and so did European Commission media maven […]
Paul Smith’s College Radio Station WPSA Turns License Back to FCC
Over the winter holidays, Paul Smith’s College in The Adirondack Park in New York sent a letter to the FCC asking that its class D FM license for college radio station WPSA be cancelled. The December 12, 2011 letter was accepted by the FCC on December 20, 2011 and the 98.3 FM license was deleted. […]