Ghosts of Clear Channel continue to haunt Tribune Company
New York Times media reporter David Carr dropped a bombshell on Tribune Company CEO Randy Michaels today, and paragraph number seven pretty much says it all: Based on interviews with more than 20 employees and former employees of Tribune, Mr. Michaels’s and his executives’ use of sexual innuendo, poisonous workplace banter and profane invective shocked […]
9 Tips to Ensure College Radio’s Survival
I’ve been obsessively following the sagas of KTRU and WRVU, two college radio stations that are in danger of losing their FM signals. As I write more and more about the situations at stations where licenses have been lost, where administrations have sold off frequencies and transmitters, and where radio station staff members seem powerless […]
Google TV will include Pandora
Pandora the online radio feature announced today that it will be included in the upcoming Google TV service: “Today we’re expanding again and we’re thrilled to announce that Pandora is coming to Google TV. Google TV combines the best of the web with the best of TV in one easy to use entertainment experience, giving […]
Gender and age preferences on Last.fm: What should you be listening to?
Joachim Van Herwegen, an intern at Last.fm, recently decided to compile a number of plots of musical preferences based on listener ages and genders. The results are quite fascinating! Herwegen’s first plot depicts the most common artists as a function of age (x-axis) and gender (y-axis). A quick glance will tell you that most users […]
Georgetown University Radio Station WGTB’s Storied Past and Impending Renaissance
Although I’ve been fixated on the college radio crises at KTRU and WRVU lately, I am heartened to see the world of student radio isn’t filled entirely with bad news. This week I spotted several stories about new and old radio stations gearing up for the start of the school year. Amid those tales was […]
Sirius XM asks FCC to reconsider its new wireless rules
If you were hoping that the longstanding feud between Sirius XM and holders of wireless spectrum in the 2.3 MHz band was over, well, it appears that it isn’t. Sirius XM (SIRI) has filed a Petition for Partial Reconsideration with the Federal Communications Commission, asking the agency to rethink its new rules for the two […]
Pandora: we’re helping iTunes
Pandora founder Tim Westergren told CNBC on Wednesday that Pandora isn’t a problem for iTunes, it’s a solution. “We just found out that the digital download business is flat,” CNBC’s Julia Boorstin asked Westergren. “Is Pandora stealing from iTunes visits?” “We’re actually one of the biggest referrals to iTunes,” Westergren shot back. “Pandora is a […]
Prometheus and WGXC heat up the participatory radio movement
Sunday’s WGXC Parade at the Radio Barnraising Photo by Gavin Dahl People-powered radio is buzzing in upstate New York thanks to the dedicated volunteers launching WGXC in Greene and Columbia counties. The twelfth barnraising organized by the mighty Prometheus Radio Project took over forgotten factories, a youth center and a Catholic academy in downtown Hudson […]
HD Radio 2010 vs. FM Radio 1950
One of the explanations bandied about around the internet lately for why HD Radio hasn’t seen much uptake with radio listeners is to compare it with the early days of FM radio. In essence some HD Radio defenders are arguing that consumers are reticent to try a new technology, just like AM radio listeners were […]
Bay Area free form radio legends win honors
The Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame inducted a slew of new worthies into its hallowed halls on Saturday night, including free form pioneers Bonnie Simmons and Dave McQueen. It was a great event at the Double Tree Hotel in Berkeley, which Radio Survivor attended. McQueen was inducted following a great introduction from Bill Schechner—long […]