Radio industry journal acknowledges problems with AM HD
Following on the heels of my unimpressive AM HD radio listening test last week, industry stalwart Radio World magazine published a report that comes to terms with the fact that “AM HD radio has stalled.” In fact, I’d say that characterizing AM HD as “stalled” is very optimistic. Instead, reading the same article I come […]
Performance Rights Act? the winner is . . . Lady Gaga!
“Bad Romance,” by Lady Gaga, would bring in over $446,000 a year if the Performance Rights Act was enacted by Congress, according to a new assessment by the Government Accountability Office. The proposed legislation would require broadcast radio stations to pay a royalties to performers as well as copyright holders. “As the primary musician on […]
WFMU on the “catch 22” of Internet streaming
John Bergmayer of Public Knowledge has a great interview with Ken Freedman, station manager of WFMU-FM in Jersey City, New Jersey. WFMU is a trailblazing radio station which was in the forefront of both the free form and dot.com eras. The dialogue is a terrific read, because it encapsulates all the dilemmas facing Internet radio […]
Could smartphone data cap plans hurt Internet radio?
The National Association of Broadcasters is sending around an interesting think piece about Internet/mobile radio. The report was published by the Station Resource Group, a consortium of public media services. It’s titled “The Mobile Internet: A Replacement for Radio?” and is pretty circumspect about the question—pondering the various differences between broadcast and Internet audio streams. This paragraph […]
Music on AM: Rebel Radio
I’ve known about this station for well over a decade now. As a metalhead living in Central Illinois I’d occasionally travel north to the Chicago area or Milwaukee to see concerts and encounter banners and fliers for an all heavy metal station on the AM band called Rebel Radio. However, I can only recall hearing […]
HD Radio on AM – Not worth it
One of the supposed advantages of HD Radio is improved fidelity over analog. As I observed in my listening test of HD on FM, there’s almost no real improvement for HD over the analog signal. The advantage for HD on FM, then, is the addition of one or two more channels of audio. However, due […]
Lots of interesting non-comm and pirate radio in Western Washington State
Jose Fritz of the great Arcane Radio Trivia has been traveling around and writing about what he hears on different regional radio dials. He just posted from the Seattle-Tacoma area and it’s interesting that he picks up a very diverse set of noncommercial stations featuring indie rock, NPR news, jazz and even dance music. He […]
Hitler outraged by possible KTRU sale (parody alert)
We’ve been reporting for a week or so about the controversy over Rice University’s plan to sell their FM signal, KTRU. Well, looks like even Die Fuhrer is opposed to this deal. We expect the situation to change fast now that old Schicklgruber is on the case. Great that he’s taking time for this issue, […]
KTRU Continues to Fight Rice University's Plan to Sell of Their FM Signal
Last week I reported the news that Rice University was planning to sell the FM signal and broadcast tower for its college radio station KTRU to University of Houston. Since then I’ve spoken with KTRU’s Student Manager, who shared with me the fact that this news was released during Rice University’s summer break, making it […]
KPFA, the case against an all-volunteer station
Pacifica radio is running its semi-regular Local Station Board elections. If you subscribe to a Pacifica station, you should be getting a ballot soon for listener or staff candidates for your signal’s respective board. Here at Pacifica outlet KPFA-FM in Berkeley, to which I donate money, there are two big slates running: SaveKPFA and Independents […]