WBAI’s Bob Fass, reporting from Chicago on August 27, 1968
The last days of August, 1968 were probably the most tumultuous of the 1960s. Tens of thousands of protesters had arrived in Chicago, Illinois to protest the Vietnam War at the Democratic National Convention. By August 27, the city’s police department had, over the previous two nights, relentlessly attacked demonstrators, reporters, and newspaper photographers. The nation’s most […]
UMass Dartmouth Plans to Sell License for College Radio Station WUMD to Rhode Island Public Radio
Today, it was announced that University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth intends to sell the 89.3 FM license for its college radio station, WUMD-FM, to Rhode Island Public Radio (RIPR) for $1.5 million. Paperwork, which has yet to be filed, requires FCC approval. (more…)
New Zealand Has Legal Unlicensed Low-Power FM
I was in New Zealand over the recent holidays, and while waiting in line at a beachside food stand near Christchurch I noticed a t-shirt the teenager behind the counter was wearing, advertising “Rotten Radio 107.7 fm, Lyttelton.” I asked him about the station, and he only said that it’s “cool” and I should listen […]
Wild About You! 3CR’s Australian underground rock collection, circa 1963-68
In case you are looking for some excellent half-century old Australian underground rock, all digitized and ready to download, here it is: You can thank Aussie community radio station 3CR for this 2004 anthology, titled Wild About You: Tales from the Australian Rock Underground. That was the name of a book, blurbed as such: “Bloodied […]
5 Funky Last Minute Gifts for Radio Fanatics
Although it’s been a few years since we’ve put together our Radio Survivor Holiday gift guides, listing off radio gifts that we love, I’m always thinking about these lists. Whenever I run across an intriguing radio gift idea, I make a mental note and sometimes I race out to pick something up for myself. In […]
flashback: The Meat Puppets, live at The Mason Jar in 1984 via KXCI-FM
In case you want to relive some of the glory days of The Meat Puppets, here’s one way. Check out this 1984 appearance by that hallowed punk band at The Mason Jar in Phoenix, Arizona, rebroadcast by Tucson community station KXCI-FM. The show is accessible via one of my favorite things in the whole universe, […]
Podcast #75 – The Most Significant Radio Stories of 2016
From the unprecedented build-out of LPFM community stations and the indie internet radio implosion to 100+ radio tours and a recent tragedy, Jennifer, Eric and Paul run down some of the most significant stories in radio for 2016 in our last podcast of the year. But first, they discuss the now-changed title of last week’s […]
Not All Stations (but Perhaps Too Many)
Mea culpa. When one sets out to launch an ambitious critique of community radio programming mistakes will be made, and I made them. This is a necessary aspect of testing ideas, as is coming back to revise, tweak and clarify. I am very grateful for the comments, feedback and criticism of my last two posts, […]
Mourning those Lost in Oakland, including College Radio Participants from KALX
I woke up Saturday morning to bits of news about the devastating fire at the Ghost Ship warehouse in Oakland late Friday night. Friends posted messages on social media, expressing concern for loved ones who were at the music event and who hadn’t been heard from. I clicked on the party invitation for the show […]
Podcast #74 – Station or Static? KCHUNG Is L.A.’s Underground Radio
Jennifer Waits brings us the voices of three programmers at a mysterious and chaotic community station with deep connections to the Los Angeles art scene. KCHUNG is an unlicensed part 15 AM radio station with about 40 station managers and extremely eclectic programming. Paul Riismandel wrote a series of articles, offering strongly worded advice for […]