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 […]
KCSB Revisits Controversial Sean Hannity Talk Show Circa 1989
As part of KCSB‘s 50th anniversary celebration, the college radio station at University of California, Santa Barbara is digging into their archives and re-broadcasting some vintage material. As it turns out, one of their most notarious alums is conservative talk show host Sean Hannity. Yesterday, KCSB aired the program from 1989 that led to Sean […]
12 Days of Radio Station Signage: Day 4 – Zero Tolerance Graffiti Policy
On the 4th Day of Radio Station Signage we arrive at KZSU at Stanford University, where this folksy sign reminds station staffers of the zero-tolerance graffiti policy. The amusing part of this sign to me is that it is covered with tags and graffiti. The not so amusing part of the sign is that those […]
12 Days of Radio Station Signage: Day 3 – You are Being Monitored
Radio station signs come in a variety of forms, but often they are created by radio station staffers in order to discourage bad behavior. We’ve already covered not spraying, avoiding dead air, and now we move on to one of the most important: don’t steal music. Radio station music libraries are supposed to be sacred […]
Dinosaurs remember commercial radio
A friend send me a link to this edition of Dinosaur Comics where a T-Rex offers his snarky memories of commercial radio: Now go read the whole strip and be prepared to laugh (or cry).