The great Pacifica radio election is on!
While we’re on the subject of public radio station fundraiser marathons, there’s a related event in progress: board elections at the Pacifica radio network. Subscribers and staff at all five Pacifica stations in New York City, Berkeley, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Houston are voting for members of their respective local station boards. There are […]
Recording Radio for Fun, Games and Posterity
I started reading the Professor’s detailed travelogues of his AM and shortwave radio band excursions back when he was writing for WFMU’s Beware of the Blog. After he quit contributing to BotB I learned that he was keeping things going at his own Radio Kitchen blog. The Professor belongs to a group of radio enthusiasts […]
Low Power FM gets backing of new FCC Commissioners
Congressmember Mike Doyle (D-PA) came to today’s House Commerce subcommittee hearing on the Federal Communications Commission with a question posed to all the new Commissioners. “Do you recommend that Congress lift the restrictions on LPFM stations—the so-called ‘third adjacent protections’?” “Based on what I know, yes,” new Chair Julius Genachowski quickly replied. “Yes,” responded new […]
The Dreaded On-Air Fundraiser
Fundraiser season is in full force on the San Francisco airwaves with no fewer than 3 non-commercial radio stations pitching for dollars this week. Although on-air fundraisers seem to be a necessity, I find the majority of them to be unlistenable. In a few weeks I’ll have to start doing my own on-air cash pleas […]
Goodbye Fernando and Greg; Hello Edward R. Stolz
What will it take to make sure popular radio stations like Energy 92.7 in San Francisco aren’t bought and sold as if the audiences for them don’t matter? Maybe it would help if the station’s owners were required to tell the public about their plans.
San Francisco Loses Gay-Friendly Radio Station
I rarely listen to commercial radio, spending the majority of my time devoted to college and community radio stations. So, I was caught completely unaware when I read yesterday that San Francisco was losing its gay-friendly dance music station Energy 92.7. I didn’t even know that it existed. The 5-year-old station, KNGY, “often touted itself […]
Want to shake up your radio audience? Try animal rights PSAs
When I think of Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin, he’s the ruthless real estate office manager in Glengarry Glen Ross or “Cucumber” Frank de Marco in Married to the Mob. He’s definitely not the guy talking in this radio public service announcement: “I grew up loving the circuses and other traveling animal shows,” Baldwin explains. “But […]
FCC asks BusRadio to be clearer for parents
BusRadio should make it easier for parents to monitor what the company is piping into school buses, the Federal Communications Commission recommends. Beyond that, the question of whether the service is in the public interest should be left up to local school districts. “We are mindful of concerns expressed by some parties that the harms […]
mtvU's College Radio "Woodie" Award Voting Has Begun
Whenever a list is produced of the BEST of anything there will be nay-sayers; whether the list comes from “experts” or is the result of popular vote. For that reason, I’m suspicious of every list that I’ve seen of the most popular/best college radio stations. Now with the latest contest underway, mtvU’s (MTV’s college-oriented network) […]
Complete FCC indecency/obscenity stats since 2002 now posted on Radiosurvivor.com
Lovers of the truly bizarre process by which the Federal Communications Commission receives indecency complaints from the public will enjoy our comprehensive table of all indecency, obscenity, and profanity complaints logged by the agency since 2002. Here’s a sample of the last line of the chart: 2008 Jan. Feb. Mar. “Indecency/Obscenity 578 505 179,997 “General […]