FCC Fines College Radio Slackers
The FCC just announced today that they’d levied $7,000 fines against several college radio stations. The crime wasn’t anything salacious like playing songs with bad words. In fact, it’s much more embarrassing as it was a “failure to timely file renewal application,” which in turn led to “unauthorized operation” of said stations. This is a […]
LPFM Expansion Moves Forward, but Is It Too Late?
Today the House Commerce Committee unanimously passed the Local Radio Act by voice vote, opening up the gates to send the bill for a vote by the full House. This bipartisan action is the best hope the restoration of low-power FM has seen since its wings were clipped back in 2000. When the FCC created […]
Broadcasters: use FM subcarriers for smart grids
An interesting filing from the National Association of Broadcasters in response to the Federal Communications Commissions’ call for feedback on ways that broadband can help smart grids. The NAB says let FM radio stations lend their subcarrier channels to the cause: “Smart Grid devices, implanted in home appliances, thermostats, and plug-in hybrid vehicles, could receive […]
A Latent Radio Hidden in Your iPhone?
Hot on the heels of the new FM-enabled iPod Nano comes the rumor that there’s actually an FM radio already hidden inside current iPhones, and that Apple is about to turn it on. Apparently the radio circuitry is currently used as part of the Nike+ that connects up certain sneakers to report exercise data back […]
Chicago Public Radio's Fundraising Antics
Fundraiser season continues at non-profit radio stations all over the country. Princeton’s station WPRB (apparently the oldest FM college radio station in the country, founded in 1940) ends their week-long fundraiser tomorrow. My own station KFJC (turning 50 next week) is pitching for cash until the station reaches its goal. And, Chicago Public Radio station […]
One step closer for Low Power FM
Those strange political bedfellows Mike Doyle (D-PA) and Lee Terry (R-NE) have got their Low Power FM bill out of committee and one step closer to passage on the floor of the House of Representatives.
Radio Awards – Pro or Con?
I was starting to feel like such a buzz kill today as I wrote yet another post complaining about the voting process for mtvU’s College Radio Woodie Award. As I mentioned in my piece for Radio Survivor, this contest has had a number of rounds; so it’s been easy for me to scrutinize various issues […]
Knight study raps public radio on local coverage
A new report says that public broadcasters fall short when it comes to providing their audiences with news and information about their city or neighborhood.
A letter from Radio France
Radio France has quite a few devotees in the San Francisco Bay Area, among them the noted filmmaker Veronica Selver. You can listen to the service live, or you can download podcasts via your iPhone, as does Veronica. It helps if you understand French, of course. If not, she sent us this summary of some […]
All-Obama Radio Stunt in Athens, Georgia
Sometimes unexpected things really do happen on commercial radio. Yesterday’s buzz surrounded the introduction of a new “All-Obama” radio station in Athens, Georgia. According to Talking Points Memo: “A radio station in Athens, Ga., is drumming up publicity by calling itself ‘Obama Government-Controlled Radio’ and playing Hawaiian pop, songs like ‘Superfly’ and ‘Disco Inferno’ and […]