About a year ago, just as the Federal Communications Commission was approving applications for Low Power FM construction permits, I wrote up a list of contenders with the most attention grabbing names. These include Bakersfield Burrito, Shaggers, Electron Benders, and Rusting Sprocket Art. But the most intriguing applicant, at least for me, was the Global […]
As the end of the year approaches, I’m already starting to think about what the overarching themes of 2014 were for college radio. Like many recent years, it’s been a mix of good and bad news this year. The situation at Georgia State University’s WRAS-FM is a high profile example of public radio’s ongoing interest […]
As of today, 1468 new low power FM (LPFM) construction permits have been issued as a result of the fall 2013 application window. As 2014 draws to a close, we’re hearing more and more about the plans for many of these new stations. In case you missed our other LPFM coverage this week, be sure […]
Since my first post for the Radio Survivor Academic Series, the Radio Preservation Task Force has started to accumulate finding aids from regional archival collections. Just prior to the deadline for Research Associates to submit their finding aids to their Regional Directors, it was reported that approximately 250 archives and contacts had been aggregated, which […]
Alex Blumberg’s podcasting company Gimlet Media just crowd-funded $200,00 in less than two days. Only the company didn’t use Kickstarter, Indiegogo or another familiar platform. Instead Gimlet invited qualified investors to become actual equity stakeholders under a provision of the 2012 JOBS Act. Gimlet ran this campaign using the help of a new platform called […]
WQXR-FM’s Meet the Composer podcast is now around half a year old, and it has already become a wonderful resource. I just finished listening to the latest episode, focusing on the Brazilian composer Marcos Balter. “As a composer, [Balter] writes an almost unthinkable amount of music, and not all of it works,” observes MTC host and […]
First off, be sure to read contributor Gavin Dahl’s awesome article on budgeting for new LPFM stations. Advice comes from some great people at KDRT-LP, KIDE-FM, WRIR-LP and KYRS-FM. A fair number of construction permits were issues in the last week, twenty-six, bringing the total up to 1,458. Notable are two new stations in Los […]
Budget planning is one of the keys to success for community radio stations. You will need to assess your revenue sources, account for all expenses, pay careful attention to your bookkeeping and be prepared for unforeseen circumstances. Some stations rely on staff-led budgeting, others divide up responsibilities among various committees. Whether you hire a bookkeeper, […]
I would be remiss if I did not mention yesterday’s debut of Wolfpop, the new popular culture podcast network from Earwolf that is curated by actor/comedian/podcaster Paul Scheer. I also must point out that I work for Earwolf/Wolfpop parent company Midroll Media, and specifically worked on the promotional campaign. That said, I do think it’s […]
I am continuing to follow the Federal Communications Commission’s proceeding on saving AM radio. A recent comment submission comes from iHeartCommunications (formerly Clear Channel) Executive Vice President Jeff Littlejohn. Among his observations at an ex parte meeting with the FCC: Mr. Littlejohn noted that many commenters in the AM Revitalization proceeding have called for increased […]
