2011: The year radio entered the cloud
It only makes sense, really, that a medium often referred to as the aether should now be associated with the cloud. For those who haven’t been paying attention to the interwebs for the last couple of years, the cloud refers to idea of data being available on nearly ubiquitous servers, anywhere on the internet. Gmail […]
12 Days of Radio Station Signage: Day 10 – CD and LP Library Alphabetization
Many of the signs posted in radio stations are similar to signs that you might see in any other workplace. Often they issue directives to staff/employees about undesirable behaviors. However, some of the more interesting signs that I’ve seen at radio stations are radio-specific, often to the point of being somewhat arcane to everyday folks. […]
12 Days of Radio Station Signage: Day 9 – Seven Deadly Words
I’ve been to a few radio stations that have posted handy lists of all of the forbidden naughty words which can never be uttered over the air. I’m sure that program directors get a vicarious thrill out of putting these nasty words up on the wall. On this sign, posted in a station’s music review […]
Lynn Samuels: liberal tweaker of liberals, 1942-2011
Like lots of New York radio listeners circa the late 1970s, I first heard Lynn Samuels when she was a regular host on Pacifica station WBAI. A classic talker from the free form era, Samuels mastered a kind of earthy stream of consciousness discourse, which drifted from Vietnam to who was buying the toilet paper […]
12 Days of Radio Station Signage: Day 8 – Mic Technique
It’s so clever when radio station management has to resort to drawings and diagrams in order to explain proper radio and engineering techniques to DJs. In one of my favorites, this sign portrays proper mic technique, saying: “do not speak into the top of the mic! Tilt it up!” The same station also had a […]
What does the Radio Flyer wagon have to do with radio?
The gift giving under the holiday tree is done around my neck of the woods, and is as often the case on Christmas Day, I’m suddenly beset by a perplexing holiday question. What the heck do Radio Flyer wagons have to do with radio? The answer, as per the Radio Flyer company’s history website, is […]
12 Days of Radio Station Signage – Day 7: File Your Records Diagram
Today’s sign is sort of a companion piece to yesterday’s warning sign about putting records and CDs back. What’s great about this schematic is that it clearly demonstrates proper filing techniques using stick figures to portray the concept of flagging records in the vinyl library: 1. Select a Record 2. Grab the Record Next to […]
12 Days of Radio Station Signage: Day 6 – Please Put Records and CDs Back
There’s a lot to worry about at a radio station, including dead air, music thieves, graffiti, smells, and now…proper music filing. Unfiled and misfiled music is a huge pet peeve for radio staffers, who often try to track down the miscreants who can’t take the time to file or who are alphabet-challenged. The hilarious thing […]
FCC: Internet doesn’t count for local radio ownership rules (but should it?)
Despite heavy lobbying from Clear Channel and its allies, the Federal Communications Commission proposes retaining its current ownership rules for commercial AM and FM radio stations. Here is a quick refresher course on the local radio rules. They allow any entity to buy as many AM/FM signals as its wants, nationally, with these restrictions in […]
12 Days of Radio Station Signage: Day 5 – Never Use Swear Words
Although there are some rules that are universal at FCC licensed terrestrial radio stations, it’s clear that there are DJs out there who need constant reminders. Today’s sign makes it abundantly clear that swearing and profanity are forbidden, although the consequences aren’t spelled out. I love the line “we are dead serious to point that […]