East Village Radio’s five Martin Luther King Jr songs
East Village Radio has come up with five interesting selections in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. They are: 1. David Bowie, Leon Takes Us Outside. “Wednesday, Martin Luther King Day, afternoon, in view of nothing, 20, 0, 1, Late winter, Martin Luther King Day.” 2. Rage Against the Machine, Renegades of Funk. “Like Chief […]
They can take the radio out of Clear Channel (but that won’t take Clear Channel out of radio)
Friday the 900 lb. gorilla of commercial radio announced that it is changing its name to Clear Channel Media and Entertainment, striking the word “radio” from its name. Even though the company still owns 850 terrestrial broadcast stations–down from its post-1996 height of 1200–Clear Channel is trying to emphasize its belated focus on the internet, […]
L.A. Theater Works tackles autism
L.A. Theater Works has a new edge pushing radio production out. It is titled Lucy, written by Damien Atkins. Is autism a disability “or an evolutionary adaptation?” the show’s summary blurb asks. Lucy, 13-years of age, has the malady. She has moved in with her “estranged, misanthropic mother.” This is new and difficult, because thus […]
Modern Industry! Fishbone’s radio love song
The other day I got a chance to see Lev Anderson and Chris Melzter’s wonderful documentary Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone at the Roxy Theater in San Francisco (trailer here). The film is a must see for anyone who wants to understand the post-disco music scene of the 1980s, with its eclectic mix of […]
DoJ to Supreme Court: radio is where the “vile and lewd” stuff is
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Fox vs. Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday. That’s the case reviewing the First Amendment constitutionality of the FCC’s sanctions against Fox for broadcasting Cher and Nicole Richie’s famous “fleeting expletive” potty talk comments during the 2002 and 2003 Billboard Music Awards. Also attached to the case are Commission […]
Central College Turns License for KCUI Back to FCC
Just before winter break, college radio station KCUI officially ended its life as an FM station when its license holder, Central College, turned its class D FM license back in to the FCC. Although it was a tiny station at just 10 watts out of Pella, Iowa, it had been a fixture at the private […]
One step closer to more low-power community radio; FCC says LPFM no threat to commercial stations
Last week the FCC released its report on the economic impact of low-power FM stations on commercial radio. The report was mandated by passage of the Local Community Radio Act of 2010 (LCRA), and its primary conclusion should surprise nobody with any knowledge of LPFM: “LPFM stations are unlikely to have more than a negligible […]
Four turntable.fm features you may have missed
Turntable.fm has a new blog post updating users on features that the service has added over the last few months. I’m a regular tt.fm user, and while I’ve noticed some, I’ve missed a few myself. Ignore Last night I was on the Classical of Any Kind room, and somebody starting complaining that my choice of […]
Radio Still Growing in U.S. According to Latest FCC Stats
The FCC released a list today, updating its statistics on the total number of licensed broadcast stations in the United States. Based on this list, there are more radio stations today (14,952) then there were a few months ago. The number of AM stations, FM commercial stations, and FM educational stations all increased since the […]
Michael Savage: Ron Paul supporters are hysterical, dyed-in-wool liberals
Earlier this week we explored how left wing listener supported radio station KPFA in Berkeley is debating Republican libertarian candidate Ron Paul. Just to be bi-partisan, now let’s see how conservative talk radio guy Michael Savage is handling the Texas Congressional representative. Keep in mind that several months ago, Savage offered Newt Gingrich a million […]