"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Powell has proposed rejecting a request that cable companies be required to carry all the digital signals offered by a broadcast television station, sources close to the matter said on Wednesday. Current law permits a television broadcaster to have its primary signal carried on cable, but with the advent of digital signals broadcasters can now offer multiple channels, known as multicasting. Some had requested that cable be required to carry those additional streams. "
Editor: While this and other posts to the blog are not directly related to most college stations, there is a tie to some and a general interest about how stations will fare in the future.
"Michael Powell, the high-profile chairman of the Federal Communications Commission who championed a deregulatory approach to the Internet, plans to announce his resignation on Friday. "
"Another addition Madden has proposed to the school board is the addition of Channel 1, a television service for schools. Channel 1 provides a 12-minute morning newscast for students dealing with current events that can be tied to the curriculum. There are also educational television programs that the district may tape and use in classes. In return for airing the newscast, the company will install its satellite system and give the school 47 new 19-inch televisions. "
Editor: This is a small part of a report on a proposed HS station. There is more detail in the story, but not a lot more.
"John Mainelli in the New York Post reports that Chef Rocco DiSpirito used the F-word on air on his WOR food show this week. Said station GM Bob Bruno, 'It was an unfortunate slip of the tongue and he apologized profusely for it.' "
"You might say the Janet Jackson moment of President Bush�s inaugural festivities came Tuesday at a youth concert with hundreds of preteen Hilary Duff fans in the audience."
"They tout the channel as a college radio-like station, but I believe it's much better than most college stations in that the quality of music is outstanding. This isn't often the case with many college stations. They maintain a playlist that keeps you familiar with the newest songs of the day from bands you normally wouldn't hear on traditional radio, but they don't neglect the past by any means. I could (and often do) listen to the station all day long without getting sick of it."
"Despite the buzz surrounding satellite radio, I believe iPods are a bigger threat, because you have a larger number of people with an alternative source of music," Emmis Chairman/CEO Jeff Smulyan (left) said yesterday in a Q&A on the company website."
"'Well, those things that become fads rage, and then they drop off. When I was growing up there was a product made by Sony called the Sony Walkman--a rage, everyone had to have one. Well, you don't hear about the Walkman anymore. I believe that one-product wonders come and go. You have to have sustainable business models, sustainable strategy.' "
"'Convergence will give consumers more options, leading to rapid growth in legal music downloads and jointly developed movies and games. Consumers worldwide will spend billions of dollars personalizing their mobile phones with ring tones, screensavers, and wallpaper. Meanwhile, the number of sources for content will explode. Digital TV will bring terrestrial broadcasters back into the game, giving consumers one more source for TV programming. An ever- increasing number of print publications and niche journals will be available in electronic form over the internet. And more and more people will express their opinions to the world through blogs and wikis.'"
"With the added service, college staff will have the ability to run live television feeds from the 500 Building gymnasium, the 1500 Building Kansas Room, and the 700 Building Theatre to and from BCTV (Butler's television station) located in the 100 Building."
Radio Broadcasters Mull Digital Music Stores "(Reuters) - Radio broadcasters are considering technology and business models that may soon allow listeners to click, listen and buy the tunes they hear on their favorite radio stations."
"Radio broadcasters are considering technology and business models that may soon allow listeners to click, listen and buy the tunes they hear on their favorite radio stations.
Top radio conglomerate Clear Channel Communications, technology companies and burgeoning satellite radio companies are aiming to launch such services within 18 to 24 months, executives and analysts say."
EDITOR: Thanks to the work of organizations like CBI, college stations won a battle to participate in new content distribution models. With satellite radio (XM and Sirius), i-pods, and other new technology, how will college radio survive?
One answer could be 'HD' radio. But for many this option is too expensive and for others, that are not FCC licensed stations, this obstacle could be insurmountable. Where do we go from here to make sure that our stations will be able to reach an audience? Or will FM, carrier current and webcasting survive? Thoughts?
"Dave Universal was fired from Entercom-owned WKSE-FM in Buffalo after allegations surfaced that he took a trip paid for by a record label and attended sporting events arranged by music executives. "
Editor: NY has been looking hard at payola. The FCC is also looking at via its recent localism NOI. Are college music directors accepting gifts that could cause problems?
"The following message has been posted at BLACK SABBATH drummer Bill Ward's official web site:
For awhile now, Bill Ward has been doing a monthly radio program out of WPMD (a college radio station at Cerritos College in California). This morning comes word that Bill Ward's previous programs will be rerun in a special programming block.
WPMD.org's 'alternative stream' presents a Bill Ward Marathon. Every 'Rock 50' show that the BLACK SABBATH drummer has done on WPMD over the last three years will be played, in order and repeated, from February 1st through the 8th."
Editor: While there may be few Black Sabbath fans in this forum, the interesting thing to note is the creative use of the stations streams. This seems to neatly use archives in a manner consistent with the restrictions placed on streamers and archives.
"Keeping that spirit alive has been the vocation for a local radio professional who has volunteered hundreds of hours to produce an hourlong big-band program on the College of DuPage's public radio station, WDCB, in Glen Ellyn.
Since 2001, John Russell Ghrist has produced more than 200 episodes of 'Midwest Ballroom,' including the four-year anniversary show that will air Feb. 12."
