The Shortwave Radio of the Internet: Low Bitrate Streaming
While updating the 2004 podcast entries for my old radio show “mediageek” I was reminded that I used to post the episodes in both a 64kbps mono “broadcast quality” MP3 and a 16kbps. The reason why I posted such a low bitrate file, containing relatively low fidelity, was to make the show accessible to listeners […]
Walking the Talk: Preserving ‘mediageek’ at the Internet Archive
We’ve talked a lot about archiving and preserving radio here at Radio Survivor, especially on our podcast. Inevitably during these discussions I’ll open my big mouth and muse about how I should archive my own work somewhere it’ll be in safe hands, like the Internet Archive. But up to now, it’s just been talk. Now, […]
Podcast Prowler: History & Archiving with ‘Jason Scott Talks His Way Out of It’
I’ve been following the work of historian and archivist Jason Scott for more than a decade, ever since he released his film “BBS: The Documentary” (available on the Internet Archive). He’s known for relentless efforts to preserve digital artifacts and media, like the text files that were the stock-in-trade of the early internet, Usenet and […]
Philosophies of Editing for Radio
This is a post about editing radio, not in the small way of removing ums but the big way, like when you have an hour of audio that you need to edit down to 28 minutes, or when you are selecting 30 second soundbites to include in your story. I was invited to be on […]
Podcast #174 – Preserving Brooklyn Pirate Radio
There are more unlicensed pirate radio stations in New York City than licensed stations. The borough of Brooklyn is a particular hotspot. Producer and journalist David Goren has been researching and recording these stations so that their ephemeral nature isn’t lost to history. To help preserve this legacy and make it accessible to a wider […]
Saul Levine, radio pioneer, still advocating for independent media
I’m glad that Saul Levine, fierce advocate for local radio, is still going strong at age 92.
Podcast #137 – Zach Poff Built a Radio Station Inside a Pond
Zach Poff put a radio station inside a pond. Poff is a media artist, educator and maker-of-things, and he explains that project and talks about making art with radio technology and listening to sound art. This is a re-broadcast of our episode from April, 2018. Show Notes Zach Poff’s Pond Station is broadcasting live during […]
College Radio Watch: Holiday Programming and More News
Happy Winter Solstice! A number of college radio stations are doing seasonal on-air celebrations, including multiple marathon broadcasts. Jon Solomon’s 30-Hour WPRB Christmas Marathon The penultimate Christmas experience might be WPRB DJ Jon Solomon’s 30-hour on-air marathon that extends across Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Celebrating his 30th year of lengthy Christmas Eve shows over […]
Radio Station Visit #151: Community Radio Station Freeform Portland
It was after ten o’clock on a Friday night when I headed to community radio station Freeform Portland‘s studio in Portland, Oregon for a visit. Board President Becky Meiers had invited me and Paul Riismandel to join her on her final show before she embarked for Alaska and I couldn’t refuse. The co-host of a […]
WPRB DJ Jon Solomon Celebrates 30 Years of Christmas Marathons
Jon Solomon is counting down the days until his annual Christmas marathon broadcast of music, comedy, and stories on Princeton University’s college radio station WPRB 103.3 FM (location of my 100th station tour). Celebrating his 30th year of Christmas Eve/Christmas Day specials, he’s marking the occasion by signing up for a 30-hour stint on the […]