Pirate Radio: why is the best radio always in the movies?
Watching Richard Curtis’ new movie Pirate Radio this evening, I was struck by how little one actually has to do to make a crowd pleasing film out of this subject. There’s really not that much to the flick. It’s the historically grounded story of a pop music pirate station broadcasting to the British Isles from […]
And the Internet radio winners are . . .
Ando Media has published its list of the top-performing Internet audio stations. Here are the top ten for 6 am through midnight in September: The fields are “Station,” “Average Active Sessions,” “Session Starts,” and “Average Time Listening.” Asterisks presumably mean no data. 1 CBS Radio Inc. 175,261 75,410,863 1.29 2 Pandora Corporate 150,011 82,623,100 1.13 […]
Pirate Radio Opens Tomorrow
It’s always fun for me to see how radio gets portrayed in popular culture and I often revel in all of the inaccuracies. David Silver as a high school, college, and commercial radio DJ on the original Beverly Hills, 90210 was always a treat to watch and make fun of. DJ David Silver would rap […]
Big radio revenues drop, again
Down down down. Clear Channel and Cumulus’ third quarter earnings dropped 19 and 18.5 percent respectively compared to Q3 of 2008. Clear Channel reported revenues of $660.6 million in the third quarter of 2009 and $813.4 million for the same in 2008. Cumulus’ net revenues sank from $80.0 million last year to $65.1 million this […]
Pirates on 87.9FM at Greater Risk?
I was disappointed but unsurprised to learn about the end of Pirate Cat Radio’s unlicensed FM broadcast resulting from the FCC issuing a notice of apparent liability (NAL) to Pirate Cat’s operator Monkey Man a/k/a Daniel K. Roberts. However, I am surprised at how long Pirate Cat was able to make a go of it […]
Fernando and Greg get gig on Bay Area CBS station
More good news for fans of the dumped duo, Fernando and Greg, formerly of KNGY 92.7. They’ve got a new slot on Bay Area radio station, 99.7 KMVQ-FM, a CBS outlet. The press release we received from CBS Radio yuks it up about the news. “First, Levi Johnston agrees to pose nude and now […]
Congress to big content and big radio: let's talk about PRA
Responding to a Congressional request for negotiations over the Performance Rights Act, the National Association of Broadcasters says it’s ready to chat, sort of. “NAB is of course willing to talk with members of Congress on this issue and any issue that could negatively impact the ability of free and local hometown radio stations to […]
Pirate Cat radio down; the people's air waves worse for it
It’s no-good-deed-goes-unpunished-time over San Francisco’s radio airwaves. As Jennifer Waits has reported, the city’s Pirate Cat radio station has ceased terrestrial broadcasting in response to a Federal Communications Commission fine against the service. Why was the station sanctioned, anyway? Let’s go through the possibilities. Was it because Pirate Cat shortchanges Bay Area listeners by not […]
Pirate Cat Radio Fined by FCC and Ceases Terrestrial Broadcast
It was probably only a matter of time before the FCC would catch up with San Francisco’s Pirate Cat Radio. The unlicensed broadcaster was increasingly putting itself in the public eye by operating a cafe adjacent to its studio, granting interviews with mainstream press, and even appearing on the national television show No Reservations this […]
Bay Area Radio Museum's Uncertain Future
Bay Area Radio Museum I think it’s extremely important to honor radio’s history, so I’m always impressed when there are folks out there who are actively working to support that cause. The Bay Area Radio Museum has been a labor of love for its Executive Director David Ferrell Jackson for the past 5 years. This […]