As I reflect back on 2014, the big college radio story for me is low power FM (LPFM). By my count, 64 colleges and universities were granted new LPFM construction permits in 2014. This is incredible to see, as it is yet another sign that terrestrial radio is still relevant to young people. In addition […]
On Wednesday FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler stunned many at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas by announcing that the agency will move to reclassify broadband internet as a utility. During an on-stage conversation with Consumer Electronics Association President Gary Sharpiro, Wheeler said that new rules based under so-called Title II provisions would be circulated […]
FCC’s Media Bureau got right to work after the New Year’s holiday, granting seventeen more low-power FM construction permits. Eight of these are in the large urban markets of Portland, OR, Tucson, AZ, Saint Paul, MN and Providence, RI. Some of the interesting groups include the Xerocraft hackerspace which was approved for 100.1 FM and […]
With interest in podcasting at an unprecedented high, the medium needs to hang onto that momentum in 2015. That means new listeners attracted by Serial–or attracted by all the hype–need to find other shows to tide them over until season two comes out, and they need to be able to find and listen to those […]
I was lucky to be able to visit quite a few college radio stations in 2014 and have shared some of those field trips on Radio Survivor and Spinning Indie. Next week I’ll write up a comprehensive “2014 year in review” post about the state of college radio, but as I reflect back on the […]
Classical public radio station WQXR in New York City has released its annual New Year’s top 100 composition list—the results of a listener poll of favorite pieces. The results bear an uncanny resemblance to, well, last year’s WQXR top 100 list. Here are the top dozen of this year and 2013: 2013 2014 1 Beethoven Symphony […]
This year I’m pleased once again to share the top podcasts of the year as chosen by my esteemed colleagues, friends and podcast fanatics, Jenny Benevento and Kyle Riismandel. Jenny is an information architect who lectures on branding, social media, musicians and pop culture. She is a taxonomy consultant to Etsy and also hosts a […]
Earlier this year I wrote my first post for Radio Survivor following the annual Society for Cinema and Media Studies conference that took place in Seattle in March. In this initial post, I pointed to an increase of Sound Studies research at the conference and located within this field a vibrant cohort of radio researchers […]
I love televised yule logs. I’m drawn to them not only out of nostalgia (the original aired on WPIX in New York beginning in 1966), but also for the minimalist delight. As I stare at the image of a burning log for hours on end, the smallest details and changes in the scene are emphasized. […]
The Federal Communications Commission has released its settlement window for Low Power FM radio station applicants in the southeastern states (public notice here). Now the Commission will choose among these 281 non-profit contenders deemed eligible for LFPMs in various southern markets. As is my habit, I am surveying the list of groups for the most intriguing […]
