On this edition of the show, we explore public radio history, specifically the origins of public radio in the United States, including the important role played by college and university-based stations. Josh Shepperd joins to talk about his new book, Shadow of the New Deal: The Victory of Public Broadcasting, which examines the intersections between the media reform movement, public broadcasting, educational technology and communications policy and research. Josh is an assistant professor of media studies at the University of Colorado Boulder and is Director of the Radio Preservation Task Force at the Library of Congress. Show Notes: * Josh Shepperd’s website at University of Colorado Boulder * Radio Preservation Task Force of the Library of Congress * Shadow of the New Deal: The Victory of Public Broadcasting (affiliate link on Amazon) * Association of College and University Broadcasting Stations (ACUBS) evolved into the National Association of Educational Broadcasters (NAEB) * Unlocking the Airwaves collection of NAEB materials * Robert McChesney’s book: Telcommunications, Mass Media, and Democracy: The Battle for the Control of U.S. Broadcasting, 1928-1935 (affiliate link on Amazon) * What is Low Power FM? (page on Radio Survivor) * Podcast #333 – Low Power FM for Dummies (LPFM window opens Dec. 6, 2023) * Prometheus Radio Project * Common Frequency Show Credits: * This episode was produced by Jennifer Waits * Hosted by Jennifer Waits, Eric Klein and Paul Riismandel * Edited by Eric Klein

On this week’s show, we peek behind the scenes of The Digital Library of Amateur Radio and Communications (DLARC). A project of the Internet Archive, the DLARC collection includes a range of amateur radio-related materials, including magazines, ham radio newsletters, podcasts and even discussion forums. Within the expansive library are items generally categorized as non-commercial radio, including pirate radio, shortwave, numbers stations, experimental radio, and “radio weirdness.” Additionally, every episode of the Radio Survivor Podcast was recently added to DLARC, which is how we learned about this archive. DLARC’s Curator Kay Savetz joins us on Radio Survivor to talk about not only the archive, but also how you can contribute. Show Notes * The Digital Library of Amateur Radio and Communications (DLARC) * Kay Savetz website * Radio Survivor Podcast episodes archived on DLARC * October 2022 announcement about launch of DLARC * Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) * Internet Archive * Podcast #178: Irish Pirate Radio Archive (with guests Brian Greene and John Walsh) * Podcast #212: Border Radio in North America (with guest Kevin Curran) * Podcast #260: Radio History on the Northern Border of Mexico (with guest Sonia Robles) * Look out FCC Part 15 Devices: AM radio is gonna getcha! (learn about Matthew’s Part 15 spider) * Radio4All * The Shortwave Report * Mediageek radio show Show Credits: * This episode was produced by Jennifer Waits * Hosted by Jennifer Waits, Eric Klein, Matthew Lasar, and Paul Riismandel * Edited by Eric Klein

World College Radio Day takes place on October 6, 2023 and in honor of that, we dig into the early history of college radio on our latest episode of the show. Jennifer Waits walks us through her research about college radio in the 1920s and earlier, sharing details from a paper that she presented this past spring at the Radio Preservation Task Force Conference at the Library of Congress. In that paper, she argues that we should be broadening our definitions of what college radio is, pointing out examples of radio clubs, radio experiments, and amateur radio activities that mirror the activities of future &#8220;broadcast&#8221; stations. Jennifer recounts stories from more than 100 years ago, pointing out the incredible contributions that students have made to radio history. Along the way, we hear tales about early student radio practitioners at places like Haverford College, Union College, Harvard University, and Columbia University. Jennifer also asks for listeners to share details that they may have about very early college radio (1920s and earlier) at other schools. Show Notes: * College Radio Day * World College Radio Day is October 6 * College radio history resources on Radio Survivor&#8217;s &#8220;About College Radio&#8221; page * College Radio Watch: College Radio is Older Than You Think * Radio Preservation Task Force * 2023 Radio Preservation Task Force Conference * Jennifer&#8217;s radio station tours * College radio history on Radio Survivor * Union College (WRUC) radio tour * Making Waves: Race, radio and the legacy of Wendell King (Union College) * From Wireless Experiments to Streaming: The Secret History and Changing Role of College Radio at Haverford College, 1923-2014 * Haverford on the Radio (Jennifer&#8217;s piece in Haverford Magazine) * WHRC &#8211; Haverford College Radio Tours from 2009 and <a href="http://spinningindie.blogspot.com/2014/10/radio-station-field-trip-165-whrc-at.

10/17/23 Update! The new low power FM filing window has been delayed and is now opening on December 6, 2023. See the FCC&#8217;s announcement here. On our latest episode of Radio Survivor, it&#8217;s a very special treat, with all four Radio Survivor hosts at the mic discussing an exciting low power FM opportunity. Another low power FM licensing window for non-commercial radio stations in the United States opens on November 1, 2023 December 6, 2023. Who is eligible to apply for these licenses? And why should they? And what help is available? Our guest, Sharon Scott, joins us to talk us through all things LPFM. Scott is the co-founder and general manager of a low power FM radio station, WXOX-LP in Louisville, Kentucky. She is also the author of Low Power FM for Dummies, which is set to be released in October, 2023. Show Notes * FCC Public Notice on Revised Dates for LPFM Filing Window (10/17/23) * Low Power FM for Dummies (affiliate link on Amazon) * Sharon Scott&#8217;s LPFM Resources website * Radio station WXOX-LP (ARTxFM) * Jennifer&#8217;s &#8220;SpinningIndie&#8221; radio station tours * Podcast #331: New Low-Power FM Opportunity Coming This November * Sex and Broadcasting, book by Lorenzo Milam (affiliate link on Amazon) * R.I.P. Radio Trailblazer Lorenzo Milam * Vanderbilt University&#8217;s college radio station WRVU * 2023 Grassroots Radio Conference is October 19-22 in Charleston, WV, hosted by WTSQ-FM * Prometheus Radio Project * WORT-FM, Madison, Wisconsin * Common Frequency * Broadcast Tool and Die * <a href="https://www.radiosurvivor.

Jennifer, our intrepid radio station tour guide, leads us through some of her recent visits to college radio stations in New York and Rhode Island. This most recent academic year (2022-23) was an active one, with college campuses and radio stations coming back to life as pandemic restrictions have eased. We also discuss a long-running college radio program that just turned 50 years old. We are curious if listeners know of other programs of a similar vintage. We close the show with a discussion of the 20th anniversary of podcasting. Show Notes: * Podcast #329: New York College Radio Tours * College Radio Station KXLU at Loyola Marymount University * Alma Del Barrio &#8211; show at KXLU * International Polka Party * Radio Station Visit #141: WKCR at Columbia University * College radio station WSLC at Sarah Lawrence College * Radio Station Visit #171: WSLC at Sarah Lawrence College * BSR aka Brown Student and Community Radio * Radio Station Visit #170: BSR at Brown University * WBRU radio at Brown University * Brown Student Radio to go Online-Only (July, 2011 article on Radio Survivor) * WBRU Programming Leaves FM in Advance of $5.63 Million License Sale to EMF (September, 2017 article on Radio Survivor) * 360 Degrees Experience in Sound show on WBRU * A Matter of Degrees (film) * College Radio Survivor: Remembering Film &#8220;A Matter of Degrees&#8221; and More News * WPIR Pratt Radio Tumblr * WPIR Prat...

It&#8217;s been nearly three years since the FCC first announced that a new low-power FM (LPFM) application window would be forthcoming. Now we know that November 1 &#8211; 8, 2023 will be the third-ever opportunity for qualified non-profits to apply for a license. Jennifer, Eric and Paul review all the pertinent details, explaining why there is excitement around LPFM and this next chance for new community and college radio stations to go on the air. We also take another look at Franken FMs – vestigial low-power TV (LPTV) stations on channel 6 that can be heard at the far left end of the FM radio dial. They were supposed to go off the air a year ago when the last LPTV stations converted to digital broadcasts. But the FCC eventually granted 13 of them &#8220;Special Temporary Authority&#8221; to continue broadcasting an analog radio signal experimentally even while their video signals went digital. At its July meeting the Commission plans to vote on rules that would allow these Franken FMs to live on, and we discuss what&#8217;s at stake. Show Notes: * Podcast #269 – How To Get an FM Radio License in 2021 * New Opportunity for Low-Power FM Community Radio Stations Opens November 1, 2023 * Why There Will Be Fewer Opportunities for New LPFMs in the November Application Window * The Greatest Flowering of Community Radio in History Happened in the 2010s * Resources on applying for an LPFM license: * Rec Network&#8217;s LPFM.app * Common Frequency * Prometheus Radio Project * KOMF-LP tour in Denver * San Francisco Community Radio is a LPFM in a time-sharing agreement * FrankenFMs Up for Final Vote at FCC * Chicago’s MeTV FM Takes the Back Door to Radio Ratings Success Show Credits * This episode was produced by Paul Riismandel * Hosted by Jennifer Waits, Eric Klein and Paul Riismandel * Edited by Eric Klein

The Radio Survivors return with a new podcast episode! On this edition of the show, we discuss soundscapes and the concept of slow radio. Our guests, artists Brady Marks and Mark Timmings are the creators and producers of the 7th annual Wetland Project slow radio broadcast, taking place on Earth Day on April 22, 2023. This 24-hour broadcast is comprised of audio recordings made at the ṮEḴTEḴSEN wetland in W̱ SÁNEĆ territory (Saturna Island, BC) and is available for airing on interested radio stations (email info AT wetlandproject DOT com). Brady Marks is a digital media artist working primarily in audiovisual practices, new media and kinetic art. She is also a member of the Soundscape Collective at Vancouver Co-operative Radio and a frequent host of Soundscape on Co-op Radio. Mark Timmings is a multidisciplinary artist who explores perceptions of place by appropriating data and enfolding them into the domain of art. Show Notes: * Wetland Project * Wetland Project on Twitter * The Wetland Project Returns for Earth Day 2021 (Radio Survivor) * Mark Timmings * Brady Marks * Vancouver Co-Op Radio * Soundscape Show on Vancouver Co-op Radio * World Soundscape Project * Hildegard Westerkamp * Slow television (Wikipedia) * Andy Warhol&#8217;s film Empire (Library of Congress article) * Wetland Project: Explorations in Sound, Ecology and Post-Geographical Art (book) Show Credits: * This episode was produced by Jennifer Waits * Hosted by Jennifer Waits and Eric Klein * Edited by Eric Klein

The Radio Survivors return with a new podcast episode! Jennifer reports on her visits to four college radio stations in New York state in November, 2022. Part of a longtime project to document radio station field trips, these recent tours are her first since 2019. As COVID-19 restrictions have loosened, stations are largely back to normal operations, with many on an upswing, with more active participants. Jennifer also shares some radio history tidbits, as each of the stations that she visited has fascinating back stories. At Union College, students began broadcasting music over amateur radio in 1920. A trip to the Union College archives was like a dream for our resident college radio historian. Show Notes: * Podcast #256: The Robin Hood of the Avant-Garde (episode with Kenneth Goldsmith) * Peruse all of Jennifer&#8217;s Radio Station Tours * Radio Station Visit #166: College Radio Station WCDB at University at Albany * WCDB-FM at University at Albany * WRUC-FM at Union College * WRUC in the Union College Archives &amp; Special Collections * WXBC at Bard College * WRPI-FM at Rensselaer Polytechnic University * Wave Farm * Radio Station Visit #145: Wave Farm and WGXC * Radio Station Visit #146: WGXC Hudson * Underground (Codes) piece at Wave Farm by Yvette Janine Jackson * Freeform Portland * Podcast #41: Raising the Antenna (Eric attends antenna-raising at Freeform Portland) * Radio Station Visit #151: Freeform Portland * Scumbag Radio * <a href="https://www.radiosurvivor.com/2017/06/podcast-95-mixcloud-can-community-radio/" target="_blank" r...

The Radio Survivors return with a new episode! For this edition, recorded in July, 2022, our guest is Lori Emerson, Founding Director of the Media Archaeology Lab (the MAL). She&#8217;s also an Associate Professor in the English Department and Director of the Intermedia Arts, Writing, and Performance Program at University of Colorado at Boulder. Lori joins us to chat about her current research into &#8220;other networks&#8221; and her work at the Media Archaeology Lab, which she started in 2009. Full of media from the past (computers, phones, radios, recording devices, books and more), the MAL &#8220;is a place for cross-disciplinary, experimental research, teaching, and creative practice using one of the largest collections in the world of still functioning media.&#8221; In our discussion, we also explore technology history, talk about Lori&#8217;s recent broadcasting experiments, and learn about the ways that experimental poetry is connected with vintage computers. Show Notes: * Lori Emerson&#8216;s website* Other Networks exploration on Lori&#8217;s website* Media Archaeology Lab website* Lori Emerson&#8217;s Twitter* Sarah Grant, &#8220;Plant Nodes&#8221;&nbsp;* Danja Vasiliev, &#8220;Netless&#8220;* Emulated versions of bpNichol&#8217;s&nbsp;&#8220;First Screening&#8221; (1982-83, written in Apple Basic for Apple IIe)* One Laptop Per Child Mesh Network Wiki* libi striegl and Lori Emerson article &#8220;Anarchive as technique in the Media Archaeology Lab | building a one Laptop Per Child mesh network&#8221; (PDF download, requires Academia.edu registration) Show Credits: * This episode was produced by Jennifer Waits* Hosted by Jennifer Waits and Paul Riismandel* Edited by Eric Klein

On this week’s program, we turn our attention to the history of industrial music &#8211; not the noisy music genre &#8211; but music played in industrial settings for workers. A variety of services offered (and still offer) background music for workplaces. Muzak and the RCA Plant Broadcasting System are just a few of the products that were sold to companies in the hopes of increasing morale and/or efficiency. Our guest, Alix Hui is associate professor of History at Mississippi State University and has been studying the history of industrial music systems, as well as background music generally. Show Notes: * Alexandra Hui profile at Mississippi State University website* Alix&#8217;s paper at the Society for Cinema and Media Studies Conference: &#8220;Laboring Sound: Industrial Music Systems, Worker Morale, and Pan-Aural Listening&#8221;* Walter Van Dyke Bingham, industrial psychologist (Wikipedia)* Muzak history (Wikipedia)* Mood Media website* Attention K-Mart Shoppers: K-Mart radio/audio collection on Archive.org* Muzak to Get Mutated To: E-Z Listening with DEVO (article on Dangerous Minds)* Scholar Emily Thompson