September 2008 Archive
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2008-09-30: This week we start our look at print comment on radio with the demise of two regular columnists - one on each side of the Atlantic.
In Chicago, Robert Feder announced in his column last Tuesday that he's shortly to leave the Sun-Times for which he has been writing on media for nearly three decades.
The reason - "Thanks to a deal worked out between the Sun-Times and the union representing newsroom employees, those of us who've been here 25 years or more were offered the option to step down with a full year's pay and benefits" - and Feder continues, "The more I thought about it, the more I came to see it as a great opportunity. After devoting all of my energy to covering the same beat for 28 years, I'll be able to take a break, step back and think about what else I want to do."
He then reminisces about the job - "One reason I stayed as long as I have in this job is that it was such a perfect fit. I'd been fascinated by the inner workings of the media for as long as I can remember. While other kids grew up worshiping rock stars or athletes, my idol was Walter Cronkite, the great CBS News anchorman. When I started here in 1980 -- just two years out of journalism school at North-western -- I couldn't believe I was getting paid to write about my favourite subject in the world. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven."
Feder laments that the beat isn't "much fun as it used to be" and after commenting on the paper and his personal relationship from early days with it - as the paper the family took and onward to the one he worked for, he concludes that working for it "has been more than an honour and a privilege. It's been a dream come true."
His readers responded the following day, most with generosity but for that and the whole column follow the link at the end although we don't know how long the paper will keep the links.
At least Feder broke the news himself and is getting a reasonable deal in the current circumstances of economic crisis (what bets that if he had hung on he might have been amongst those laid off but getting paid much less?) but in the UK news that the Independent on Sunday is to drop Nicholas Lezard's radio column after nearly a decade came via a report by Ben Dowell in the Guardian.
Dowell says that Lezard's column will die in a fortnight's time and the he was told the reason for scrapping it is "a lack of funds."
"As far as I know they are not replacing me - it seems that in these tough financial times they cannot afford a radio writer," he said, adding the memorable line that he was surprised because columns covering less popular art forms were being retained and saying, "More people listen to the radio than watch television these days."
After columnists, an executive's view of the post she is leaving: The executive is Nicola Sawaya, who is leaving Pacifica Radio at the end of this month and who drafted a letter on her reasons to station founder Lew Hill as the person she would have liked to have had a conversation with to explain her departure.
It was posted in its entirety by Pacifica's Network Programming Coordinator Nathan Moore on his "Airwaves & Liberty" blog with the usual disclaimer about views posted not necessarily reflecting the views of the Pacifica Foundation, its stations, staff, or volunteers.
Sawaya invites others to disseminate the letter together with her preface so as to give it context. In the preface she notes that she gave notice to leave at the end of the Foundation's fiscal year, adding, "Concurrently, I had written myself out of the FY09 budget, as the Foundation is hard-pressed to support two well-paid executives. You lead from the top."
She continues, "Lew Hill is the founder of Pacifica, now almost a 60 year old non-profit media organization. If I could have a conversation with anyone to explain my departure, it would be with Lew Hill. So, I decided to write him a letter. Feel free to read it, and to share with others who care about Pacifica. All I ask is that this preface always accompany the letter as it sets the context."
In the letter she introduces herself as "the executive director and chief executive of the radio endeavour you started called Pacifica" and continues, "It's changed a lot."
She notes that the network now has rive stations in urban areas, commenting, "millions of human beings within ear shot, all with easy access to the cheapest and most accessible broadcast mediums on the planet, radio. Yes, the planet. There is an Archive of programming and folios spanning decades - a repository and collection of voices that truly belongs to the people as part of the history of our country and the world. And, there are over a hundred smaller stations scattered through rural and urban settings - cities and towns and ridge tops - affiliated with Pacifica and broadcasting our programming - a network that has been in place for quite awhile."
She then notes Hill's notion that "listeners would voluntarily financially support radio, journalism and cultural exchange, created a model for many, many non-commercial educational radio stations to apply. Your vision of public ownership of the airwaves put into practice with the radio license you applied for and grew as the first non-profit community licensee station, gained great traction and has been replicated exponentially."
After this she notes some of the differences in fund raising and continues on, after a while, to comment of signs of stress at Pacifica itself saying: "Sadly, it is no longer focused on service to the listeners but absorbed with itself and the inhabitants therein. I call it Planet Pacifica, a term I coined during my hiring process. There is an underlying culture of grievance coupled with entitlement, and its governance structure is dysfunctional. "
"Pacifica calls itself a movement, yet currently it is behaves like a jobs program, a cult, or a social service agency. And oftentimes, the loudest and most obstreperous have the privilege of the microphone… The programming isn't attracting many listeners anymore, either. It skews towards the narrow in its editorial stance, leans towards the niche, and change to the programming can't occur without a fight. The listening audience is small, in other words, the stations have yet to grow into their large signals."
And of her own departure, "Despite my best intentions and determined and focused efforts, I was continually thwarted to do the job I was hired to do." For the rest read the letter.
After the departures and farewells on to the continuing - programming that we feel well worth a listen.
We start this week with some podcasts- from Radio Netherlands today's "The State We're In" that marked "International Right to Know Day" (It falls on Sept 28) with stories of people using Freedom of Information legislation to protect their rights and also the right to sleep - a necessary part of human life but one far too often interrupted in the modern world (as we full well know from working overnight's and being woken by callers (phone and other), helicopters, aeroplanes, police sirens and so on.
We'd also note that Radio Netherlands' "Radio Books" is now into a new season (next edition is Oct 1) but there is a good archive on the site.
We then suggest from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation at the weekend "All in the Mind" - "Sceptics on sceptical thinking" and "Background Briefing" - on "Population control", an edition in which Historian Professor Matthew Connelly of Columbia University proposes some alternatives to past efforts to manipulate population growth.
We'd also suggest the past two editions of the "Religion Report", on the "brown priests" who joined the Nazi Party featuring comments from American historian Kevin Spicer, a visiting professor at Notre Dame University whose book "Hitler's Priests" follows the careers of a dozen 'brown priests', examining their motives, the trouble they caused, and their eventual fate; and on "Critical Terrorism Studies" in which Dr Mervyn Bendle of James Cook University commented on the rise of a new academic field - Critical Terrorism Studies - which treats terrorism as a construct of the Western imagination, or else as a rational and justifiable response to Western evil.
Which takes us neatly to BBC Radio 4 and "Is Al-Qaeda Winning?" , a programme that looked at the battle for hearts and minds in the "war on terror" - it contains some chilling moments as well as some hopeful ones but also some disturbing views from potential US allies who say that the "War on Terror" is doing more harm than good - a BBC World Service survey released on Monday showed that to people in 22 out of 23 countries surveyed thought the "war" had failed to weaken al-Qaeda.
Worryingly that survey found that negative views of al-Qaeda are most common in nearly all of the countries surveyed but not in Egypt and Pakistan and that only in Kenya, Nigeria and Turkey was the dominant view that the US is winning.
The other major threat of the moment is of course economic and we note that last weekend's "Profile" on Radio 4 was of US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson. We'd also commend the daily run of World Business Report, World Briefing, and Business Daily on the BBC World Service in the current circumstances as well as the regular BBC Radio 4 and Five Live output on the topic.
Back for a moment to BBC Radio 4 and we suggest the afternoon 14:30-15:00 GMT half hour of "The Afternoon Reading"- this week stories by men and women who have lived, worked and served in prison, and following this the continuing "America, Empire of Liberty" series (For those who prefer a single longer programme the station airs an Omnibus version on Friday nights at 20:00 GMT.).
Switching channels for some lighter fare we next opt for BBC Radio 2 and Monday's final programme in the four-part "Higher and Higher" series on soul artist Jackie Wilson; Tuesday's "Dazed and Confused...The Led Zeppelin Legacy" and "Howlin' Wolf"; Friday's "Howard Goodall's Class Acts" that this week looks at two comprehensive schools - the most successful school brass band in the world, Smithills from Bolton, plus singing and playing from Guildford County School; and finally next Saturday's "Eric Clapton in Concert" (18:00 GMT).
Sticking with music we note that BBC Radio 3's "Composer of the Week" this week is Charles Mingus and that next Saturday's "Opera on 3" features the ENO's production of Leonard Bernstein's comic operetta Candide.
Then back to Radio 4 but sticking with music and we suggest from Tuesday (12:30 GMT ) "Soul Music So What", the latest in the series on famous pieces of music that this week looked at those affected by "So What", the opening track on Miles Davis' seminal 1959 album "Kind of Blue".
We'd also suggest from last weekend "Archive Hour" -"Julian Baggini's Sound Philosophy."
From later in the week we opt for Thursday's "Material World" in which Quentin Cooper hears about a new study into how different cultures process faces in different ways, and the implications this has for social interaction, identifying criminals and face recognition by computers and also from Thursday "Soul and Skin. Mind The God Gap" in which Rob Watson reports on the battle for religious voters in the key state of Ohio, and asks if the Democrats can close the 'God Gap'.
From Friday we suggest "Once Upon A Time On The Front Line" (10:00 GMT) - stories of the families of British soldiers deployed in Iraq and "The News Quiz" (17:30 GMT); and from Saturday the next edition of "Let Me Entertain You", John Sessions' series charting the history of popular entertainment in Britain, from medieval minstrels to Victorian freak shows and another "Archive Hour" - "King of Comedy" in which Angus Deayton presents a tribute to the influential comedy producer, writer and performer Geoffrey Perkins, who died recently.
And to end from Sunday we go for "Dancing With The Russian Bear - The Jilted Lover" (12:30 GMT), the first of a two-part series in which Tim Whewell talks to Kremlin insiders and key players in Europe and America about the new chill between East and West and also the new "Classic Serial" - the first programme in a two-part adaptation by Christopher Fitz-Simon of Somerville and Ross's comic novels "The Experiences of an Irish RM."
Previous Columnists:
Previous Feder:
Chicago- Sun-Times - Feder columns:
Pacifica Radio - Sawaya letter:
UK Guardian - Dowell:
2008-09-30: The US National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has - unsurprisingly - welcomed legislation put forward by House Telecommunications Subcommittee Chairman Edward Markey (See RNW Sep 29) that would mandate building HD receive capability into radio receivers sold in the US.
In its usual spin mode the NAB termed the proposals "bipartisan legislation that would boost consumer access to free, over-the-air HD Radio" and its President and CEO David K. Rehr commented in a release, "NAB salutes the leadership of Chairman Markey and a bipartisan group of lawmakers for sponsoring this important bill that will boost the integration of HD Radio in satellite radio receivers, including those installed in automobiles. In addition to providing 235 million weekly listeners with entertainment and music programming, free local radio stations have a long tradition of serving as a lifeline during times of crisis. This legislation will extend and enhance these services as radio stations embrace our digital future."
RNW comment: We now await vehement objections from right-wing talk hosts and all who purport to believe in the market to this move that I effect would hand a massive bonus to terrestrial radio and iBiquity at the expense of consumers whom the NAB obviously feels should not be allowed to make up their own mind whether they want to pay extra for facilities that so far they have shown a mass disinclination to purchase.
As per the comment we made yesterday, we think a precondition that required iBiquity to develop a chip that is of a size that would fit into a cigarette-packet sized receiver and consume no more than 50% more power than existing analogue receivers and also imposed a limit of a dollar in royalty payments per chip would turn the balance of this argument towards making the move of benefit to consumers whereas the current one would use legislation to take money from them for the benefit of commercial companies.
Looking at the Rehr statement, our feeling is that justice and market philosophy would be best served by imposing the conditions, increasing licence fees to NAB members to pay for half the development costs, and then letting the market decide.
Previous NAB:
Previous Rehr:
2008-09-30: Arbitron has come under further political pressure over the effect of its Portable People Meter (PPM) radio ratings on minority broadcasters, this time in the form of a letter from Illinois Democrats Senator Barack Obama and Dick Durbin to its chairman, president and CEO Stephen B. Morris asking that commercialization of the service be delayed until it has received Media Rating Council (MRC) approval.
In their letter dated Monday the two Senators start by saying they are "writing to express concern" about the planned introduction of the PPM into eight new markets - including Chicago - on October 8 and urging him to "delay the rollout until the system is accredited by the Media Research Council (MRC). [RNW note-the Research rather than Rating error is by the Senators in the PDF we have seen of the letter]."
"Delay," they continue, "is in the best interest of consumers, broadcasters, and advertisers. Experts agree that a properly implemented PPM system is more accurate than the paper and pencil diary system currently in use. However, Arbitron plans to commercialize a PPM system based on a methodology that was denied MRC accreditation and as a result, we can only conclude that it does not accurately reflect the behaviour of all consumers including minorities."
They then say that "MRC accreditation is the only third party tool we have to judge whether or not the system is being properly implemented. And the implications of poor implementation of a new PPM system for the public interest are too serious to ignore."
The two Senators then refer to their advocacy of media diversity and opportunities for minority broadcasters and add that they "share the concerns expressed by the Chairmen of the Senate Judiciary and Commerce Committees with your rollout strategy and its potential effects on media diversity."
They conclude by noting that the "MRC's Voluntary Code of Conduct discourages ratings companies like Arbitron from discontinuing use of an accredited ratings method until a replacement method is accredited" and say "Commercializing the PPM before resolving the methodological problems threatens the utility of this voluntary system" and urge Arbitron to abide by the system for the "good of the market's and the public's faith in the data you produce."
In his reply Morris says, "Arbitron is following and will continue to follow the requirements of the Media Rating Council Voluntary Code of Conduct. The MRC's mission, as the industry organization that audits and accredits ratings services, has always been expressly predicated upon a process that is voluntary rather than mandatory."
He continues, "We support the MRC accreditation process and will continue to pursue accreditation in all markets, but the radio industry should not wait any longer for electronic audience measurement. Broadcasters, agencies, and advertisers in radio's top markets have long called for the adoption of a more precise and credible audience measurement tool. They have made it clear that the adoption of the Portable People Meter service is critical if radio is to remain competitive in an increasingly challenging media marketplace."
RNW comment: Obviously this issue needs full disclosure by all parties of the issues that have led the MRC to deny accreditation. The latest posting we have seen from the MRC was issued at the End of February this year and the crucial segment, after comments on independent external audits of the Philadelphia and New York PPM services carried out last year, read: "After careful consideration of the available information, the audit committee voted not to grant accreditation to the Philadelphia and New York PPM services at this time and conclude the 2007 audits. Moving forward the MEC will be assessing the impact of Arbitron's planned initiatives for improving panel results in these markets to eventually enable successful completion of the accreditation process. As part of the accreditation process a new audit will be required in 2008."
The MRC later comments that it "believes that electronic measurement such as Arbitron's PPM technology can represent an improvement over existing non-electronic audience measurements, and encourages Arbitron to continue its extensive good faith efforts to achieve accreditation of the Philadelphia and New York Services."
It would seem from this that Arbitron and MRC have had seven to nine months to address the issues and it would seem a reasonable requirement that reasons for any further delay should be put into the public domain.
If Arbitron has indeed made progress that should be sufficient to gain accreditation - the impression it is trying to give with its figures on work done on panel composition - the MRC has some questions to answer but if Arbitron has failed to make the progress then details should be made public. Unfortunately the lack of trust in the US financial system has now rather overtaken the lack of trust in the PPM and is likely to be much more significant for the radio industry.
Previous Arbitron:
Previous Media Rating Council:
Previous Morris:
2008-09-29: Massachusetts Democrat Rep Edward Markey has leaped ahead of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) call for comments on the idea of mandating HD receive capability for satellite radio receivers by putting forward his "Radio All Digital Channel Receiver Act" (H.R. 7157) that would require receivers - including those for satellite radio and those for analogue AM/FM services - to incorporate HD reception.
His bill is co-sponsored by amongst others three Congressmen who have been in Clear Channel's camp for some time (Clear Channel is a major shareholder in HD developer iBiquity and both support mandating HD recevie capability in satellite receivers), supporting amongst other things its calls for an easing of station ownership limits in large markets - Texas Democrat Charles Gonzalez; Oregon Republican Greg Walden; and Nebraska Republican Lee Terry. Markey had already pushed for the inclusion of an HD receive capability for satellite receivers before the Sirius-XM merger was approved (See RNW Jul 17)
In a release Markey commented, "Millions of Americans today rely on local broadcast radio for news, public safety bulletins, sports, weather, traffic and other information. The recent merger of the only two satellite radio providers, XM and Sirius satellite radio, has underscored the importance of ensuring consumer access to a diversity of sources for digital radio content, in particular content originating in their local communities."
HD developer iBiquity and Clear Channel had lobbied for HD reception capability to required for all satellite receivers as a condition of the Sirius-XM merger but the FCC balked at imposing it although the satellite companies committed themselves to allowing manufacturers to include satellite receive capability in their equipment if they chose t.: The FCC later issued a Notice of Inquiry calling for comments about the idea (See RNW Licence News Aug 31).
Receiver manufacturers and the big automakers have opposed the idea, saying the decision should be left to the market. The suggestion that HD reception be mandated for satellite receivers was recently opposed by General Motors and Toyota as well as by receiver makers (See RNW Jul 17 & RNW Jul 11)., a stance that most comment to the FCC so far has supported with comments objecting to additional cost and size of equipment and also suggesting that it was beyond the agency's capabilities to "design and develop electronic equipment for the 21st century." On the issue of cost Ars Technica reports that during the FCC's proceeding on the Sirius/XM merger, the FCC asked iBiquity about receiver expenses and was told that it estimated the cost of HD radio components in most satellite tuners at around USD 12-USD 15.
RNW comment: Bearing in mind that it is possible to buy a portable AM/FM receiver for the kind of amount iBiquity suggests as the cost of HD components, this seems to us corruption of the most blatant kind - of markets and politicians. Although we favour the idea of true world receivers (which would include the much-more widely - in geographical terms - used DAB and DRM systems), it would seem to us iniquitous that there should be a political diktat to force people to pay this kind of money for facilities they may not want and that would also on the basis of current designs rule out some of the slim portable yet reasonable quality FM receivers that have been on the market for more than two decades and which are very useful for travel purposes.
Accordingly we would put an amendment to the bill first requiring iBiquity to develop a chip that is of a size that would fit into a cigarette-packet sized receiver and consume no more than 50% more power than existing analogue receivers and secondly imposing a limit of a dollar in royalty payments per chip. Only when such a chip was developed would the requirement come into force but in the meantime the development requirement would. At that price and with those conditions, the requirement would advance the interests of consumers but we would bet heavily that iBiquity would scream and shout and lobby very heavily against the development.
The requirement as mooted is primarily a diversion of masses of consumer money at a time of economic problems into the hands of iBiquity and Markey and the co-sponsors should be held to ridicule whenever the opportunity arises- and particularly when it comes to voting for them.
Previous Clear Channel:
Previous FCC:
Previous iBiquity:
Previous Sirius-XM:
Ars Technica report:
2008-09-29: The US House of Representatives has passed by a voice vote The Webcaster Settlement Act that would allow Internet radio stations to negotiate with the music industry for a royalty rate lower than mandated last year.
The unanimous vote in support followed withdrawal of opposition from the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), which had expressed concerns over the fast-tracking of the bill, which it said could have serious implications for broadcasters.
NAB has been involved in negotiations over webcasting rates but said it had been stonewalled by the record labels and SoundExchange, the body charged with collecting Internet royalty payments.
CNET said that NAB withdrew its opposition after a meeting with California Democrat Howard Berman who said in relation to the deadline of December 15 to negotiate a new rate - which NAB had said it was concerned didn't allow enough time - that the deadline would be extended until Feb 15. (which it was in the version that passed the House on Saturday).
The Bill now has to get through the Senate and CNET quoted NAB Executive Vice President Dennis Wharton as saying," "The bill having passed unanimously in the House certainly gives it momentum heading into the Senate."
Internet music service Pandora had spearheaded a call for lobbying for the Act, which was also supported by US National Public Radio, and its founder Tim Westergren, who had said that if it did not pass the company and other Internet music services would have to close because they could not pay the rates mandated by the US Copyright Office, thanked supporters for their action on his blog.
In blog entries written before the vote he said that "The NAB is trying furiously to derail the bill. This has become a direct fight between the lobbying power of the large broadcasters and the collective voice of constituents."
Earlier he had accused the "large traditional broadcast radio companies" of launching a "covert lobbying campaign to sabotage" progress towards a settlement with artists and record companies "that would save Pandora and Internet radio" adding "This is a blatant attempt by large radio companies to suffocate the webcasting industry that is just beginning to offer an alternative to their monopoly of the airwaves."
RNW note: The text of the bill as passed is not yet online but Thomas.gov does have the amendments made including the date extension to Feb 15.
Previous Berman:
Previous NAB:
Previous Wharton:
CNET report:
Pandora - Westergren blog:
2008-09-29: Absolute Radio, the re-branded former Virgin Radio, launched this morning under its new owners, TIML Golden Square Lrd, a subsidiary of Bennett, Coleman and Co. Ltd.
The introductory music was "A Day In The Life" by The Beatles and the first song was David Bowie's "Absolute Beginners".
The first words came from listener Michael Cook who had sent in the following mission statement:
Real music is
The song, not the video
Playing, not miming
Gigs, not photo shoots
Tour buses, not voice coaches
Built to last, not flavour of the month
The lads from school, not an ad in The Stage
Something to say, not something to sell
Previous Bennett, Coleman and Co. Ltd:
2008-09-29: Bakersfield, California, host Scott Cox, who was suspended by KERN-AM on Wednesday last week for removing 15 campaign signs of local pastor Chad Vegas, a candidate for re-election to the Kern High School District Board of Trustees, was back on his morning show today.
Cox said he removed the signs as a publicity stunt and Bakersfield.com reported that he had said before his suspension, "The entire plan was to disappear the Chad Vegas signs and then reappear them Friday night, and then on Monday take credit for having gotten the culprits to return them. There's something about giving Chad Vegas a rough time that I can never do it enough to make me happy."
It adds that Cox said he has pulled similar stunts before, removing signs of Bakersfield Mayor Harvey Hall and Kern County Supervisor Mike Maggard.
KERN Program Director D.C. Carter in a news release announcing the reinstatement said Cox had expressed regret for his actions and added, "We know that Scott will continue to be edgy and controversial, that's just who he is. But I think he has a better understanding now of his responsibilities as a KERN employee and a prominent member of our community."
RNW comment: As a stunt this worked but presumably the action is also illegal and we think a few nights in jail - or maybe a home for wayward juveniles - might well have increased the value of the stunt, and the attention to staying within the law by the host.
Bakersfieldnow report:
2008-09-28: Last week saw a low level of activity as regards radio amongst the regulators: There were no radio postings in Australia or Ireland and only a few in Canada where the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) posted only two decisions.
One was approval of a Nova Scotia application in which Bedford Baptist Church proposed a change from 89.1 MHz to 99.3 MHz for CHSB-FM, Bedford, following approval of an application by Newcap Inc. to use 89.3 MHz for a new commercial radio station in Kentville. The application was filed to reduce the possibility of interference.
The second was approval of an application by Radio Ville-Marie, licensee of French-language specialty station CIRA-FM, Montréal, Quebec, to add a 111.5 watts transmitter at Rimouski to broadcast its programming.
The CRTC also posted two public notices including radio applications of which one with a deadline of October 31 for the submission of interventions or comments included an application by Faithway Communications Inc., licensee of Christian music station CJRI-FM, Fredericton, New Brunswick, to add 50 watts low-power FM transmitters at Woodstock, New Brandon and Saint Stephen to broadcast its programming.
The other notice, also with an October 31 deadline, included two Saskatchewan radio applications, each from Rawlco Radio Ltd., which wants to add a 1,200 watts transmitter at Big River to broadcast the programming of CHQX-FM, Prince Albert and another 1,200 watts transmitter at Big River to broadcast the programming of CKBI -AM, Prince Albert.
In the UK Ofcom has received two applications for the North and Mid Wales commercial radio licence, the final commercial FM licence it is scheduled to offer in the UK (See RNW Sep 26).
It has also allowed Adventure Radio's Chelmsford/Mid Essex station Dream 107.7 FM, which was recently allowed to reduce the number of hours of output it produces locally and replace a daily weekday news/news magazine/interview hour centred on local activity with a daily locally focussed music and speech programme, to move from Chelmsford and co-locate with new sister station Southend Radio some 20 miles (32 km) away (See RNW Sep 24): The station was sold to Adventure by Tindle Radio, who has made the co-location request.
Ofcom has also posted a statement regarding regulation of community services following a consultation to which it received nine responses most of which supported some or all of the procedures proposed by Ofcom with a number of respondents offering additional suggestions.
Ofcom notes that each community station has a set of "key commitments" which form part of its licence enumerating these as:
*A description of the community to be served;
*A summary of the character of service (a short description of the station's aims);
*A description of the programme service;
*Social gain objectives (including how the station will satisfy the mandatory social gain requirements set out in the relevant legislation, and any other social gain objectives of the service);
*Access and participation arrangements; and
*Mechanisms to ensure accountability to the target community.
In relation to these it says it agrees with respondents that the decision on whether a proposed change is substantial or not should be made on a case-by-case basis and that if a proposed change is considered to be substantial, a consultation will be required. The final decision in such cases will be made by Ofcom's Radio Licensing Committee.
Regarding the process for considering requests to change key commitments it noted amongst other things that a station can submit a request and that this will be considered against five statutory criteria:
*That the departure would not substantially alter the character of the service;
*That the departure would not narrow the range of programmes available by way of relevant independent radio services to persons comprising the relevant community;
*That, there is evidence that, amongst persons comprising that community, there is a significant demand for, or significant support for, the change that would result from the departure;
*That the departure would not be prejudicial to the access by members of that community to the facilities used for the provision of the service and for training in the use of those facilities; or
*That the departure would not be prejudicial to the delivery of social gain resulting from the provision of the service provided under that licence.
It notes that it is not required to consult on a proposed change when we consider that it would not substantially change the nature of the service but if it is so considered a case-by-case consideration will be instituted. A change can only be allowed if it satisfies at least one of the statutory criteria and if a consultation is undertaken Ofcom will publish a notice of the details and invite comments. The station itself will be required to publicise its request for a change (through, for example, regular on air announcements and prominent messages on its website).
After the consultation has closed a decision will be made by Ofcom's Radio Licensing Committee with reference to the responses to the consultation, the statutory criteria, and our additional policy criteria. Decisions will be published on the community radio section of Ofcom's website, and the appropriate changes, if any, made to the licence.
Ofcom also sets out its procedures for ensuring compliance with key commitments
In the US, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is still embroiled in issues of how far Arbitron's Portable People Meter (PPM) ratings may harm minority broadcasters and has now received further filings from the PPM Coalition and the company itself, with the latter maintaining its stance that the agency has no authority over ratings. (See RNW Sep 25).
Apart from that it had a quiet week as regards radio beyond routine work. On the enforcement front we noted only one penalty, the issuing of a USD 1,000 Notice of Apparent Liability to Forfeiture (NAL) to Michael G. Lewis, licensee of FM Translator Station K296DW , Lone Pine, California, for failure to timely file renewal application and unauthorized operation. It also renewed the licence.
In Virginia it imposed an admonition but cancelled a USD 6,000 NAL issued to West Mecklenburg Broadcasting (WMB), licensee of Station WJYK-AM, Chase City, for failure to file a timely license renewal application for the station and unauthorized operation after its license for the station had expired.
WMB had responded to a letter telling it that the licence had expired and its call letters deleted from the FCC database by explaining that it had attempted to file the renewal on paper and was unaware that it had to be filed electronically and after an NAL for USD 6,000 was then issued requested cancellation on the basis that its financial condition made it impossible for it to pay any forfeiture at all, submitting income tax returns that showed gross revenues for 2001 through 2003 of USD 7,824, USD 8,061, and USD 5,670, respectively.
The FCC on this basis cancelled the penalty and replaced it with an admonition.
The FCC was also involved in the following contested licensing decisions (in order of state):
Alaska:
Denied informal objections and renewed the licences of Alaska Broadcast Communications, Inc. (ABCI) stations KGTW-FM and KTKN-AM, Ketchikan.
TLP Communications, Inc. (TLP), licensee of KFMJ-FM, Ketchikan, had objected to the renewals on the basis that ABCI incorrectly certified there had been no violations during the subject renewal period and also incorrectly certified the operational status of FM Translator Stations K258AD, and K248AI, Craig, which TLP said had been off the air for at least two years. The translators rebroadcast the signals of KGTW-FM and KTKN-AM respectively.
ABCI acknowledged that it provided incorrect certifications concerning previous violations at the stations, saying that it had overlooked" a May 2002 FCC inspection that resulted in the issuance of a Notice of Violation for each of the stations and that it "was not [the licensee's] intention to mislead the Commission regarding violations of FCC rules."
ABCI said it ABCI corrected the inaccurate response and filed an amendment to the Renewal Application and noted that the violations had been resolved with no further action taken by the FCC.
Regarding the translator stations ABCI said it had inadvertently said they were operational but it had not intended to deceive and it had after the filing of the objections it had amended the Renewal Applications and explained that maintenance personnel had found the stations to be off the air in July/August 2005 and in January 2006 had removed the stations for "evaluation and repair", notifying the FCC that they were off the air and seeking special temporary authority, which was granted, to permit them to remain off the air pending repairs." They were reinstalled and returned to service in May 2006.
The FCC ruled that the errors did not constitute misrepresentation and had been unintentional and corrected by the licensee. It concluded TLP had failed to present a substantial and material question of fact as to ABCI's qualifications to be a licensee but admonished ABCI for its acknowledged lack of diligence with respect to false certifications in the Renewal Applications as initially filed and said it intended to closely monitor future filings to ensure that ABCI provides accurate information.
New Jersey:
*Granted an Application for Review of a Media Bureau decision to deny a petition by Philadelphia Radio, Inc. (GPR) to reconsider the grant of a construction permit for a new FM translator station at Manahawkin to Edward A. Schober.
Schober had filed a Form 175 short-form application proposing a new FM translator station at Manahawkin, during the filing window for FM Translator Auction No. 83 and staff determined that the proposal was not mutually exclusive with any other proposals and directed him to complete a long form application.
This was filed but GPR subsequently filed a Petition to Deny Schober's Application on the basis that Schober never obtained reasonable assurance of the availability of his proposed transmitter site, a site owned and controlled by GPR's ultimate parent company, Greater Media, Inc.
Schober did not respond to the allegations in GPR's Petition, but instead filed a minor amendment to his Application to change the transmitter site to which GPR filed an "Opposition to Amendment," arguing that because Schober never obtained reasonable assurance of his initial site and misrepresented this fact in his Application, he cannot "cure this fundamental defect … by blithely specifying a new site."
The staff had denied GPR's Petition and granted Schober's application, a decision appealed by GPR, which said never had reasonable assurance of this tower site, misrepresented this fact in his application, and was therefore precluded from amending his application to cure this fatal defect.
The FCC noted that although when it adopted its competitive bidding process it had repealed the requirement that broadcast applicants certify the availability of the transmitter site there was still a requirement that an applicant possess "reasonable assurance" of a transmitter site at the time it files its application.
In this case it said Schober did not have such an assurance and it accordingly rescinded the grant of his application.
In another case involving multiple filings for new non-commercial educational FM stations, the commission dismissed calls by R B Schools and Health Radio, Inc. to review dismissal of their applications for construction permits as Time-Share Applications.
The two organisations had claimed that the FCC Media Bureau erred in dismissing the applications because the applicants had failed to demonstrate that they attempted for reach a time-sharing agreement with the existing NCE FM station licensee before filing their Time-Share Application.
The FCC in dismissing the pleas said none of the Time-Share Applications contained either a time-sharing agreement or a statement that efforts to reach a time-sharing agreement were unsuccessful, as required by the Rules and noted that the applicant had confirmed that it had made no effort to reach a time-sharing agreement with the existing licensee prior to filing the Time-Share Application.
The Applicants had claimed that the rules did not explicitly require that a time-share proponent initiate an attempt to reach a time-sharing agreement prior to filing a non-consensual time-sharing application but the FCC disagreed.
The stations involved were in
Colorado (Longmont).
Iowa (St. Charles).
Illinois (Decatur; Elgin; Flossmoor; Glenview; and Winnetka).
Michigan (Bay City; Bloomfield Hills; Kalamazoo; Plymouth; Southfield); Ohio (Wooster).
Tennessee (Knoxville - the Health Radio application).
Previous CRTC:
Previous FCC:
Previous Licence News:
Previous Ofcom:
CRTC web site:
FCC web site:
Ofcom web site:
2008-09-28: BBC Radio 3 is to showcase new writing talent in its winter series of "The Wire", the regular Saturday drama programme.
The new series will run from October 11th through November 1 inclusive and will launch with "Random", written and directed by Debbie Tucker Green, an exploration of how an ordinary day for a black family in London is changed forever by a seemingly random act of violence. The station describes the production, which was recorded in South London with Nadine Marshall playing all four characters in the family, as a particularly timely play with more than 25 teenagers having died violently in London alone this year. The play had its premiere at the Royal Court Theatre in London earlier this year.
The following week the play is "Dirty White Girl" by Louise Wallwein: It is the first radio play by Wallween who is a youth workshop leader and poet as well as a dramatist and was inspired by a young woman she met in a workshop, a teenage racist whose life was thrown into confusion by her attraction to a young Asian boy in the same workshop.
The third play is "Nowt To Look At" by Val Laws, perhaps best known for her controversial Arts Council funding to spray-paint poetry on sheep.
It's a black comedy that explores attitudes towards disfigurement, mental illness and self-image. The main character, Annie Benson, has been a recluse in her Newcastle flat for most of two decades and finds what remains of herself in a pathology museum where her head floats in a specimen jar. She recounts her story and that of her great-nephew Jon and her shy young neighbour Roz are forced to come together to deal with the aftermath of her death.
The play was partly inspired by Val's 2006 Northern Writers' Award for a project on forensic/pathology poetry hosted by King's College Medical School.
The final play on November 1 is the black comedy "49 Donkeys Hanged"by Cornish writer, actor and playwright Carl Grose who was performing with the Kneehigh Theatre Company in Soweto just more than ten years ago when he saw the headline in a local paper - "49 Donkeys Hanged" over a story saying that a local farmer had hanged 49 donkeys from the branches of trees on his land.
His drama is set in Cornwall and centred on the lives of Stanley Bray, a Cornish farmer who hangs donkeys, and Joy, his wife, a wheelchair-user.
BBC Radio 4 has also announced planned schedule changes starting in January when it will reduce the "Afternoon Reading " from five weekday broadcasts to three running from Tuesday through Thursday.
Replacing the reading on Mondays and running from 15:00 to 15:45 will be an edited version of the station's Saturday "Archive Hour" programme- to be called "Archive on 4" whilst on Fridays the replacement will be Gardener's Question Time, which will move from its currently Wednesday afternoons slot but keep its 14:00 Sunday afternoon repeat slot.
Commenting on the changes, Radio 4 Controller Mark Damazer said in a news release, The Archive Hour is one of the network's gems. I have always felt it would be a great addition to the daytime weekday schedule. Introducing a shorter repeat of Saturday's Archive Hour on a Monday afternoon will enable new listeners to enjoy these fascinating stories from recent history."
Regarding Gardener's Question Time is producer Trevor Taylor said the move to a Friday and Sunday schedule enables the programme to be geared to the weekend "when we know the majority of our listeners are busy tending to their gardens."
Previous BBC:
Previous Damazer:
2008-09-27: According to the Irish Independent, the bid headed by former Scottish Radio Holdings chief executive Richard Findlay for five Irish stations has run into problems: The paper says the original bid of Euros 52 million (USD 75.9 million) for the stations - Ocean FM in Sligo and Donegal; KCLR in Kilkenny and Carlow; Tipp FM in Tipperary; KFM in Kildare; and Mid West Radio in Mayo - is reported to have been haggled down to between Euros 45 million and 50 million (USD 54.6 to 61.4million).
Financing it says was to have come through debt from Allied Irish Banks and equity from its private clients but that one of them, a UK equity firm that was to provide from a fifth to a quarter of the equity, is threatening to walk away unless the price is cut further.
The initial 90-day period for exclusive due diligence and negotiations ended nearly two weeks ago but was extended.
Previous Findlay:
Irish Independent report:
2008-09-27: New Zealand's state broadcaster Radio New Zealand is today celebrating 60 years of international short-wave broadcasting: It was launched by the then Prime Minister Peter Fraser on September 27, the Dominion Day holiday in 1948 under the name Radio New Zealand as part of the New Zealand Broadcasting Service (NZBS).
Now broadcasting as Radio New Zealand International it serves the Pacific and into South East Asia through 18 Pacific radio stations that re-broadcast Radio New Zealand International material each day and also through digital and analogue short-wave transmissions, and via the internet.
Last year the service won the prestigious International Radio Station of the Year Award at the Association for International Broadcasting (AIB) Media Excellence Awards in London.
Radio New Zealand International Manager, Linden Clark commented in a release by the service, "From humble beginnings using two second hand transmitters US military transmitters left behind after the Second World War, the station has grown to become a significant international broadcaster using short-wave, digital and analogue technology which allows us to play a vital role in increasing understanding and awareness of New Zealand's role in the Pacific."
Anniversary celebrations this week will include a special programme to be broadcast on Radio New Zealand National at 12.20am on Saturday 27th September and at 9.06pm on Tuesday 30th September. This programme will also be broadcast on Radio New Zealand International throughout the week. It includes the opening announcement by the Prime Minister of the day, Peter Fraser, excerpts from early programmes and interviews with former and current staff.
Previous Radio New Zealand:
2008-09-27: Austereo has re-branded its Mix 94.5, Perth, as Australia II, with the new station being launched on Friday morning by the breakfast team of Fred Botica and his "Bunch" from the Maritime Museum in Fremantle on the 25th anniversary of Australia II's victory in The America's Cup that prior to then had been held since 1851 by The New York Yacht Club.
A hundred Mix listeners were at the event, dressed as they had been on September 26, 1983, when Australia II's victory over Liberty ended the New York Club's longest running winning streak in history. Others present included Australia II crew members John Longley and Skip Lissiman and all songs aired were from 1983.
In the UK, Virgin Radio on Friday featured a special six-hour special hosted by Russ Williams, who has been with the station from its start, that looked back at the history of the station including launch audio from 1993.
In a blog on the company's site Williams details the history of the station and how he made the move to it from Capital Radio - being sent on "Gardening Leave" and given an earful by Richard Park whose son Paul Jackson subsequently joined Virgin. Originally to have been based in Woking, it was moved to One Golden Square - its current home - after sales manager John Pearson pointed out the downsides in attracting advertising agencies and clients from a base outside London.
It originally went on air with the first recording played INXS' version of "Born To Be Wild" and the first voice that of Richard Branson, live from the Virgin Megastore in Manchester.
Williams details how staff were told in that the station was to be sold to Capital, a deal that fell through, and Virgin was subsequently bought in December 1997 from Richard Branson by Chris Evans, at the time its breakfast host, through his Ginger Media Group for GBP 85 million (Then USD 142 million) - GBP 2 million (USD 3.3 million)less than Capital had offered: Branson, who received GBP 40 million (USD 67 million) and a 20% stake in Ginger Media, commented at the time, "The maverick in me prefers the idea of Chris Evans to Capital Radio.".
Evans sold Ginger Media to SMG for GBP 225 million (Then USD 371 million) in 2000 (See RNW Jan 13, 2000) but eventually clashed with his new employers and was fired at the end of June 2001 (See RNW Jun 29, 2001). He claimed unjust dismissal but lost the case in 2003 (See RNW 27 June 2003). SMG subsequently ran into problems with its debt that forced it to sell off various parts of the business and it decided to concentrate on its TV interests. Virgin was bought from SMG by Indian media group Bennett, Coleman & Co Ltd. subsidiary TIML Golden Square this year for GBP 53.2 million (USD 104.6 million - See RNW Jun 21). The new owners opted not to keep the Virgin name and are re-branding the station as Absolute Radio from 07:45 on Monday.
Previous Austereo:
Previous Bennett, Coleman & Co Ltd..:
Previous Evans:
Previous SMG:
Williams' blog:
2008-09-27: The BBC has announced the shortlist of contenders for the inaugural Nick Clarke Award, created in honour of the late Radio 4 host who died of cancer in November 2006 (See RNW Nov 24, 2006): It is intended to celebrate and recognise the best broadcast interview of the year and will be presented to the winner at The Times Cheltenham Literature Festival in October together with "a dozen bottles of good claret - which Nick himself would have enjoyed."
Stephen Mitchell, Deputy Director, BBC News & Head of Programmes, BBC News said of the award, "Nick Clarke was one of the BBC's finest broadcasters and we are thrilled to have such a strong shortlist for the inaugural award in his honour. The shortlist was drawn from many, brilliant entries and I believe all of them reflect the interviewing style Nick was so famous for - they are memorable, leave a strong impression on the audience and provide a deeper understanding of their subject matter"
The broadcasters and interviews, which had to be conducted between 31 July 2007 and 31 July 2008, on the shortlist are:
*Phil Cox, More4News, Channel 4 - Interview with David Mapstone, a former Sudanese army commander who spoke of the part he played in the war crimes in Darfur
*Tim Donovan, BBC London News - Interview with Ray Lewis when he resigned as Deputy Mayor of London
*Lyse Doucet, The Interview, BBC World Service - Interview with David Bellavia, an American soldier, about the war in Iraq
*Alison Fern, BBC Southern Counties Radio - Interview with Tara Edgar and family about living with a child with Cerebral Palsy
*Carrie Gracie, The Interview, BBC World Service - Interview with Alan Johnson about his experience as a hostage in Gaza
*Fergal Keane, Taking a Stand, BBC Radio 4 - Interview with Jack Kevockian, who has "assisted" more than 100 people take their own lives
*Eddie Mair, PM, BBC Radio 4 - Interview with Hilda Gibson, former Land Girl, after the Government announced that they would be recognising the wartime contribution of the Women's Land Army
*Jimmy Smallwood, Morning: MK, BBC Three Counties Radio - Interview with Barry James Taylor of the England First Party during the Spring Local Elections and a particularly hard-fought ward in Milton Keynes
Previous BBC:
Previous Mitchell:
2008-09-26: US National Public Radio (NPR) has named Kinsey Wilson, who has overseen USA TODAY's combined online and print news operation since 2005, its Senior Vice President and General Manager, Digital Media.
He will join NPR on October 20 to lead a 100-plus digital media team involved in NPR's multi-year commitment to continued growth in digital multimedia including a rollout planned on Monday of NPR.org's social media platform; an upcoming major Web site redesign; the expansion of NPR.org's open API (Application Programming Interface), an online content sharing online tool launched in July 2008; and the evolution of NPR Music, a music discovery site launched in November 2007.
NPR's COO Mitch Praver said of the appointment, "NPR is committed to making smart, thoughtful investments in the Web and mobile platforms that best support and extend its journalism, while meeting the rapidly changing ways that audiences consume news and information. The strategy calls for developing the digital infrastructure to allow for areas of greater collaboration with NPR's 850 plus stations in order to build the foundation for a shared digital future. Kinsey Wilson brings the digital media leadership experience, editorial judgment, and vision we need to build upon past successes and take NPR.org to the next level."
Previous NPR:
2008-09-26: Greater Media has announced that its chairman John Bordes died suddenly on Thursday but gave no further details, simply requesting in a posting on its web site that "everyone respect the family's privacy during this difficult time." No details were given on Bordes' age or cause of death" and adding that details of funeral arrangements will be announced shortly.
Greater Media was founded in 1956 by Yale classmates Peter A. Bordes and Joseph Rosenmiller.
Peter Bordes died in 199 aged 71: His brother John became chairman and CEO of the company in 2000 and retained the chairmanship role when Peter Smyth became President and CEO in 2002.
Previous Greater Media:
2008-09-26: Reporters Without Borders has expressed its support for Mexican station EXA FM, based in the Tabasco State capital of Villahermosa, following the fatal shooting of its morning show host Alejandro Xenón Fonseca Estrada and says it is "outraged that neither federal nor state investigators had contacted the station nearly 24 hours after the murder."
The host was putting up anticrime posters in Villahermosa when he was shot and it is suspected that he may have been killed because of his campaigning against organized crime and the Committee to Protect Journalists says it is investigating possible links between Fonseca's work as a journalist and his killing.
Witnesses told local police and journalists that four unidentified men riding in a van pulled alongside Fonseca as he was putting up the posters opposing kidnapping and expressing support for Tabasco's governor, Andrés Granier Melo; berated him for the posters and then shot him. He was taken to a local hospital but died from chest wounds.
Fonseca had hosted the morning call-in show "El Padrino Fonseca" (The Godfather Fonseca), geared toward young listeners, for the past 10 years and had announced that he was to put up the posters as part of his campaign against violence in Tabasco.
The Committe to Protect Journalists (CPJ) Americas Senior Program Coordinator, Carlos Lauría said, "We call on state and federal authorities to conduct an exhaustive investigation that will bring all those responsible to justice. The time has come for the government of President Felipe Calderón and congressional leaders to reach a consensus and develop legislation that federalizes crimes against free expression and freedom of the press. The legislation must focus on broadly protecting freedom of expression as the wave of violence is inhibiting all Mexicans, including journalists, in communicating with each other."
It also noted that Mexico is one of the most dangerous places for journalists in Latin America and says that as the war between powerful drug cartels has intensified, local journalists who report on organized crime and the drug trade are facing grave risks: 21 journalists have been killed in Mexico since 2000, seven of them in direct reprisal for their work and seven others have gone missing since 2005.
It added that one of the missing reporters, Rodolfo Rincón Taracena, disappeared on January 20, 2007, in Villahermosa after finishing a piece about local criminal groups attacking cash-machine customers and in June this year, Juan Padilla, editorial director at the Villahermosa-based daily El Correo de Tabasco, was threatened in a note reading "You're next, Director" left outside the front door of the newspaper's office building two days after a severed human head was found near the same spot.
Reporters Without Borders commented, "The lack of any immediate reaction from the police and judicial authorities is all the more incomprehensible as the Mexican congress is currently debating a bill initiated by President Felipe Calderón that would make it a federal crime to attack the media…Even assuming Fonseca was killed above all because of his campaigning against organised crime rather than his journalism, there should have been an immediate demonstration of the political will to defend press freedom and restore the rule of law."
It added that station staff had said they were unaware of any prior threats against Fonseca, who started his programme in 2001 on Radio Tabasco before moving with it to EXA FM.
Committee to Protect Journalists report:
Reports Without Borders report:
2008-09-26: UK media regulator Ofcom says it has received two applications for the North and Mid Wales commercial radio licence, the final commercial FM licence it is scheduled to offer in the UK.
They are from Radio Glyndwr and Real Radio Wales offering respectively a "local speech and music station for the North and Mid Wales area, with 24-hour news, information and comment aimed primarily at the 35+ age group, with a predominately Gold and Easy Listening mix of music, regularly reflecting Welsh culture and language" and "A full-service Adult Contemporary music station for North and Mid Wales, targeting primarily 25-54 year-olds, including speech, regional information and listener interactivity along with 24-hour news."
The Radio Glyndwr bid is from a group led by Dee 106.3, Chester, in which UTV Radio has a 22% interest and the Real Radio bid is from GMG Radio, which already operates a Real Radio station in South Wales.
The licence is for an area already served by Coast 96.3, Marcher Sound, and Radio Ceredigion.
Previous Guardian Media Group:
Previous Ofcom:
Previous UTV:
2008-09-25: Arbitron has announced the formal filing of comments with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) both responding to the call for an inquiry into its Portable People Meter (PPM) ratings and saying that the agency has no authority to regulate radio ratings.
Its action follows the filing of comments by the PPM Coalition - comprised of the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters (NABOB), the Spanish Radio Association (SRA), the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council (MMTC), the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies(AHAA), Border Media Partners, Entravision, ICBC Broadcast Holdings, Spanish Broadcasting System (SBS) and Univision - on its petition for an inquiry that is currently before the FCC (See RNW Sept 4).
The Coalition argues that minority stations suffer in the PPM ratings because their listeners are undercounted and thus the rollout of the PPM in eight more markets from October 8 will hurt their businesses and the agency's diversity goals. They have asked the FCC to "undertake a fact-finding inquiry, using subpoenas for document production and conducting witness testimony under oath."
Their concerns have been echoed by various politicians with both the New York and New Jersey attorney generals launching investigations and New York City Council, which has held its own hearings about the issues, has also has voted unanimously to ask the FCC to investigate PPM Methodology, a call also made by the agency's own Advisory Committee on Diversity for Communications in the Digital Age (A call later voided by the agency See RNW Jul 8).
Arbitron, which has consistently argued that the agency has no remit or authority over radio ratings has also defended the PPPM as producing more accurate results than the diary system.
In its petition it says there is "extensive precedent in which both Congress and the Commission have previously recognized that the FCC lacks authority to regulate audience ratings" and says that "Both Congress and the Commission have expressly stated that the reliability and methodologies of audience ratings services are best left to private industry groups such as the Media Rating Council, Inc., or MRC."
It also said that the PPM Coalition petition is "replete with misstatements of facts, unsupported speculation, and overheated rhetoric" and continues, "The company maintains that an examination of only a few of the allegations at the heart of the petition demonstrates that the petitioners cannot support the extreme measures that they demand."
A number of stations targeting minority audiences says Arbitron "have maintained or increased market ranking since the introduction of PPM", listing amongst them Houston Urban-formatted KBXX-FM and KMJQ-FM whose ratings fell when the PPM was first used in Houston but recovered after they "implemented several well-publicized changes in their programming and promotion practices - but not changes in their basic station formats." It says that the Houston ratings also showed Spanish language KLOL-FM ratings to have improved under the PPM and cites other examples from Philadelphia, now converted to PPM, and from Chicago, New York and San Francisco.
To buttress its arguments Arbitron has also posted figures showing minority and young adult representation to be as good or better in PPM samples compared to Arbitron's diary surveys
The PPM Coalition in its filing places emphasis on Media Rating Council (MRC) accreditation, accusing Arbitron of being disingenuous in citing Houston accreditation when the methodology used there is not the one intended for other markets where it plans to implement a "substantially different methodology" that has been denied MRC accreditation.
It adds that "Arbitron's plan to commercialize an unaccredited currency product is unprecedented" and says the FCC inquiry is needed to "ascertain the facts and assess potential harm to broadcast diversity."
In relation to talks with Arbitron the Coalition says they have been to no avail and adds, "On the one hand, Arbitron acknowledges the industry's concerns and promises to continue its efforts to improve its PPM services -- improvements to the quality of its sample, improvements to the weighting of its data, and improvements to the compliance rates of its participants, etc. On the other hand, Arbitron insists that its PPM services are reliable and effective. Which is the truth? Is PPM ready for market or does it still need considerable work?"
The filing continues, "Without MRC accreditation or access to Arbitron's guarded research data, there is no way for the industry to judge. That is why the commission must investigate."
It claims the FCC has the authority to investigate the PPM system under Section 403 of the Communications Act, commenting, "If, as asserted by the PPMC, implementation of Arbitron's flawed methodology will gravely impact broadcast diversity and the diversity of media voices within the U.S. radio market, the Commission must investigate these claims because they strike at the very heart of the commission's policies on diversity of media ownership."
Arbitron Chairman, President and CEO Stephen Morris is scheduled to attend the National Assn. of Black Owned Broadcasters' 32nd annual fall broadcast management conference tomorrow as part of the panel discussion "PPM: Continuing the Dialogue."
Previous Arbitron:
Previous FCC:
Previous Media Rating Council:
Previous Morris:
Previous NABOB:
2008-09-25:
Global Radio has re-branded London flagship Capital Radio only a year and a half after its latest re-vamp dropping the old Capital logo that showed the station name with an outline of the River Thames in favour of a new red, blue and white logo and the return of the name Capital FM and strap line "London's number one hit music station".
The change makes the fifth identity in less than three years for the station - its names have included Capital 95.8 "London's hit music station"; Capital 95.8 "The Sound of London";"' 95.8 Capital Radio" and plain old" Capital Radio".
Global Radio group executive director and director of broadcasting, Richard Park said of the new "95.8 Capital FM" that the "simplistic and vibrant design reflects the iconic status of 95.8 Capital FM as it moves forward as an important part of Global Radio".
The new branding was launched on the station's website at 07:00 this morning and represents the first time the FM designation has been used for the stations since January 2006.
Previous Global Radio:
Previous Park:
Global Radio has re-branded London flagship Capital Radio only a year and a half after its latest re-vamp dropping the old Capital logo that showed the station name with an outline of the River Thames in favour of a new red, blue and white logo and the return of the name Capital FM and strap line "London's number one hit music station".
The change makes the fifth identity in less than three years for the station - its names have included Capital 95.8 "London's hit music station"; Capital 95.8 "The Sound of London";"' 95.8 Capital Radio" and plain old" Capital Radio".
Global Radio group executive director and director of broadcasting, Richard Park said of the new "95.8 Capital FM" that the "simplistic and vibrant design reflects the iconic status of 95.8 Capital FM as it moves forward as an important part of Global Radio".
The new branding was launched on the station's website at 07:00 this morning and represents the first time the FM designation has been used for the stations since January 2006.
Previous Global Radio:
Previous Park:
2008-09-24: This week with the NAB Radio Show just ended and the US economy in turmoil, the main focus of this week's look at print comment on media is on the business of radio in the current state of the economy.
Most of the comment veered towards the pessimistic so we opted to start with the most positive comment we noted on the NAB show - from the exceptional or exceptionally deluded Harve Alan whose blog, headed "An Optimistic Tone" began, "After attending the NAB and R&R Conventions in Austin this past week, I felt a little different leaving these gatherings than I had in recent years--optimistic."
He continued, "It was a pleasant surprise. Sure, there was the normal (and usually empty) rah rah speeches and a certain amount of grousing one would expect from these meetings. However, for the first time in quite a long time I got the feeling something good could be brewing. I listened to and talked to a lot of people and I detected a more determined spirit."
But he then goes on in apparent contradiction, "How could this be? August revenue down another 11%. Good people are still losing their jobs. The banking and credit situation is still shaking foundations loose. Radio stocks still at record low levels. Station multiples have declined. Under 25's haven't magically developed a newfound passion for radio. HD Radio is still flailing. And 'Radio Heard Here' is no more an effective slogan, pitch or campaign than it was last year when it was introduced."
Turning this to the positive he goes on, "Any one of these things could dampen anyone's spirit. I think what has changed is everything has changed and a certain sense of reality has set in. Act now or your time to act may be very short. And there is lots of action."
So what should be done? The blog as with so many then becomes what seems to us a pitch to sell or promote services, in this case through a list of the things he is involved in that includes, "Developing a new commercial strategy designed for both PPM and diaries that defies conventional wisdom and does everything WRONG! So crazy it just might work."
This prompted a number of responses including one quoting John Gorman about which Alan commented, "My post wasn't as much about the NAB organization as much as it was about people of quality in the radio business who are trying to improve things. I prefer to try to be statesman- like as opposed to John Gorman who most times walks around with a burning club waiting to flame anyone or anything he dislikes. This is no surprise--he built his former radio career on these tactics."
He concluded, "Let me be clear. I have my own issues with NAB and certainly with the "problematic" HD Radio and have said so on this blog. It is my belief that along side of the criticism I have an obligation to offer constructive suggestions and solutions as I did today."
Sharing that view - and also with a product to promote - was Andrew Deal whose post on fourthspeaker.com was headed, "Prognosticating the Demise of Radio Will Get Us Nowhere" and was in turn a response to a post by Erik Schwartz's foneshow blog that postulated a grim outlook for radio - "Listenership is down. Revenues are off. The audience is trending older and young people aren't listening.
Schwarz - as might be expected from someone involved in getting audio to mobile phones? - suggests the problem is a change in habits rather than lack of interest: "It's not that people don't like audio programming anymore. It's that the audience has changed in ways that radio does not understand. People don't consume media the way they did 5 years ago. Want to see the future of media consumption? Look at your TiVo. Look at YouTube. People want a user-controllable experience. They want media to be on-demand, in discrete single micro-chunks, sharable and re-usable as they wish. They need fresh content. They find out about new programming from their friends. They're quick to try something new, but quick to drop it if it doesn't fit their needs."
Radio's response he postulated is "Mostly denial" and in this frame he puts HD Radio - "a way of cramming more stations into the existing radio spectrum. More stations don't address the problem of the changing consumption habits of the audience. NAB is trying to get cell phone manufacturers to put FM radios into cell phones. As if the problem is a lack of radios."
He then goes on to say "the distribution channel must change from a centrally-controlled broadcast model to a narrowcast model, where the consumer has more control…. Programming will change. Talk, news, and sports will become more dominant. Music radio can't just be music; iPods do that just fine. Music radio will need personality. They're in the audio content business -- it should not matter how that audio is distributed… Revenue models will change. Advertisers too have a different set of expectations in the internet age."
And at the end, "The radio industry has a brief window of time standing open right now. I estimate it's about 36 months. They will either embrace change and understand what they are, or they will settle into the dustbin of industries that have failed to adapt to the changing needs of the audience. The time is now."
That deadline immediately sparked disagreement - to the extent that a later post emphasises that this is the tipping point" to take action, not the death of radio as some of those responding had taken it to mean.
Among them Andrew Deal on Fourthspeaker.com described Schwartz's comments as "nothing other than a cheap shot at an industry in genuine transition" and continued, "I understand what drives the thinking within it, because I too have been frustrated at the slower than expected pace of radio networks moving content to mobile radio, and have been tempted to do likewise. The thing that stops me though is the wisdom of mentors who cautioned me not to lash out for attention when you are frustrated."
Deal, who obviously hadn't read the blog carefully, then went on, "Before I go deeper into how counterproductive this partisan outsider approach is, my first point is that the 36 month prediction of radios relegation to "the dustbin" is just plain wrong... In short, the industry will not expire, but it will gradually transform into a multi-platform model. The platforms that still reach 93% of the population are not going away anytime soon, nor should they."
He then went on say talking down radio, as David Rehr so aptly stated in his NAB Radio Show Opening Keynote Address today is a senseless self-inflicted wound that we would expect to be reserved for radio's detractors. The only people that benefit from creating a divide between new and old media are those seeking to acquire old media's hard earned treasure."
And also on the positive side in response to this was Dave Van Dyke of Bridge Ratings who commented, "Not only is radio listenership, in general, growing, but we are also seeing recent trends that the youth market continues to depend on terrestrial radio especially for music discovery. Pundits seeking radio's demise with 12-24 year olds are missing the general mood amongst this demographic who are using traditional radio alongside their other digital media. They've figured it out - it's perhaps non-surprising that self-proclaimed experts would predict a non-rational 36 month death, when doing so only serves their purposes.
Which takes us to that John Gorman blog and a much more negative take as the heading "Rehr ended in Austin" indicates. Gorman no friend of NAB CEO David Rehr, whom he nickmanes Fumbles", referred to his keynote address as lighting up the Convention Center "like a three-watt bulb" and then hit harder with the comment, "I know some of you feel I'm being too hard on Fumbles when I call him a liar. Some of you feel he's really sincere and merely illustrating the state of the radio industry through fables. Here's the problem. Fables and out and out lies are different things. Fables are told for the good of the listener, lies are told for the good of the liar."
Gorman then goes on with a list of "What he said" and "What he meant."
For most of them -some are fairly long - read his blog but in view of current economic circumstances we particularly appreciated one of the latter…" Translation: I wouldn't put too much stock…. oops, wrong word…. I wouldn't read too much into the possible de-listing of Citadel, Radio One, Regent, and Westwood One from the New York Stock Exchange. I mean look at Sirius XM. They're way under a buck, too - and they're our competition…. oops, I didn't mean to say that either, or did I? "
And finally a brief excerpt from Jerry Del Colliano's insidemusicmedia blog headed, "Hey Feds, Bail Out Radio and Records Next"
After commenting on the rescue of banking and mortgage and insurance with the auto industry coming up behind he comments, "Why not radio and records next? Radio is as mismanaged as any other industry."
And after some other comments, "You see, radio CEOs have worked darn hard to build shareholder value and everything is against them. The economy. The so-called regulators (for not allowing further deregulation). The Wall Street banks -- the ones they must repay their over leveraged debt to. Damn. Being a radio CEO or a record label exec must be a bitch these days. It's never their fault when things go to hell -- that alone should qualify them for a handout."
And later…" Okay, I'll admit it. My bailout is to help my friends who are in over their heads right now trying to run local radio on Wall Street principles. I just want to help my friends."…True presidential material maybe!
Now to listening suggestions starting with two BBC Podcasts - Last Saturday's "From Our Own Correspondent" that include Owen Bennett Jones on why he considers America is losing a crucial battle for hearts and minds in Pakistan and "Profile" - on Hank Paulson, the US Treasury Secretary who is currently embroiled in the biggest economic crisis of this century.
Then sticking with the BBC we go to BBC Radio 4 for some regulars - the "Afternoon Reading" slot (14:30 GMT) that this week features offbeat love stories from a variety of writers and is followed (at 14:45 GMT) by the continuing "America, Empire of Liberty" series - reasons for some of those who emigrated to the US seem remarkably similar to those of today - economic interests first followed by liberty (the comment was one that listed the price of land, low taxes, and absence of feudal overlords).
Backtracking a little with Radio 4 we also suggest last Saturday's "Let Me Entertain You", the start of a series in which John Sessions presents a series charting the history of popular entertainment in Britain, from medieval minstrels to Victorian freak shows (Available until next Saturday's edition at 09:30 GMT). Also from Saturday we suggest last week's "Archive Hour" - "The Voices in my Head" in which Julian Rhind-Tutt explores how actors react to the sounds of their own voices.
From Sunday we suggest "The Original" in which writer and journalist Alkarim Jivani asks why we value originality: The programme includes interesting comment on the decisions behind the restoration of Warsaw after it had been flattened by the German Army in a frenzy of revenge-oriented destruction in the Second World War - the issue being which Warsaw should be reconstructed and how far back it made sense to go..
From Monday we suggest "The Music Feature" - this week it looked at "Swan Lake" and the impact it has had; "Law in Action" which returned with a first programme examining the plausibility of the claim that the medieval Islamic world influenced the 13th-century foundations of English common law; "File on 4" in which Alan Urry looked at the case for linking animal cruelty with child abuse, amid concerns expressed by organisations such as the RSPCA and the NSPCC (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children) that offenders may be more likely to commit both crimes. (It seems to make a good case for contributing to neither organisation until their more extreme factions are excised and a little moderation is introduced into their judgments); "Case Notes" that this week looked at the medical and psychological aspects of abortion; and "Material Girls" in which as Barbie and Madonna both turn 50, Emily Maitlis looks at the marketing, promotion and parallel development of two brands (Barbie developed from a pornographic German doll!).
After so much from Monday we skip Tuesday apart from the regular items already noted and go to Wednesday and the latest "Tracing your Roots." This issue looked at how the manner of an ancestor's death can affect family history. Later we go for "Turned out Nice Again!" in which Allan Beswick tells the remarkable story of two George Formbys - it continues on Thursday (22:30 GMT).
Also from Thursday we note the return of "In Our Time", a discussion this week on the history of miracles. Later in the day we suggest "Document- Britain's Cuban Missile Crisis" in which Mike Thomson looks at the actions of the British government during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 (19:00 GMT) and the following "In Business - Brand Wagon" in which Peter Day visits a museum of brands that failed and talks to the people trying to revive old brands from the dead" and after "Costing the Earth", this week "Hurrah for the Eco Car" a much promised but little delivered concept.
Switching to Music we go for BBC Radio 2 from Monday and "Higher and Higher...The Life and Soul of Jackie Wilson", the third of Paul Gambaccini's four-part series; Tuesday's "Living in Harmony", the sixth and final part of Russell Davies' series on close-harmony singing, and the following "Howlin' Wolf", the first of a two-part profile of the eponymous Chicago bluesman.
Then from Friday we suggest the continuing "Howard Goodall's Class Acts", the third in a six part series that this weeks looks at the Purcell School in Hertfordshire and from Saturday "Jimi Hendrix: Made in London", a look at the nine months Hendrix spent in London and moved from being an unknown to a superstar. It's part of the BBC's Guitar Stories season as was Howlin' Wolf.
As for Radio 3 we note that this week's "Performance on 3" features a number of programmes from the Edinburgh International Festival 2008 and that next Sunday's "Drama on 3" (19:00 GMT) is
"Season of Migration to the North", a dramatisation of Sudanese novelist Tayeb Salih's thriller. In the "Sunday Feature" that follows Hari Kunzru looks writers' responses to the Anarchists of the Victorian and Edwardian era.
RNW Note: We expect to expand listening suggestions later.
Previous Columnists:
foneshow blog - Schwartz:
fourthspeaker - Deal:
John Gorman blog:
Harve Alan blog:
Insidemusicmedia - Del Colliano:
2008-09-24: Reprising the situation in Providence, Rhode Island a month ago when host John De Petro's family were found to have sent in Arbitron Diaries that boosted his ratings on Citadel's WPRO-AM (See RNW Aug 22), Clear Channel's San Diego XTRA Sports 1360 - the former Progressive talk KLSD-AM that switched to sports in November last year - has fired morning host Dave Palet after admitting that three Arbitron diaries had come from a household "directly linked to the household of an on-air personality on KLSD-AM."
The San Diego Union-Tribune says that the admission was in a memo sent out on Friday that said the "on-air personality in question has been removed from the on-air shift and will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including dismissal" and adds that Palet was fired on Friday afternoon.
Palet had co-hosted a talk show at the station with Jeff Dotseth since it was launched: The paper says he declined comment but his agent said he "denies all claims by Clear Channel and will pursue legal action for defamation of professional reputation."
Arbitron had announced that it had learned "that three Summer 2008 Week 2 San Diego metro diaries were returned from a media-affiliated household" and says it is to release revised ratings for the past two "Arbitrends" ratings periods covering May-July and June-August on Friday.
It noted that the station had shown substantial improvements in the reports but added, "Audience estimates for KLSD-AM may be substantially affected in particular demos and dayparts."
Previous Arbitron:
Previous Clear Channel:
San Diego Union-Tribune report:
2008-09-24: Former talkSPORT host James Whale, who was fired from his late-night phone-in show on the station by owner UTV after he urged his listeners to vote for Boris Johnson in the London mayoral election (See RNW May 6) has now withdrawn from legal action over the dismissal.
Whale who was subsequently hired by Global Radio to host a weekday drive time show on its LBC 97.3 (See RNW Sep 9), was quoted by the UK Guardian as saying he did not have the funds to continue the unfair dismissal claim.
He said, "I felt I deserved better than to be sacked, but the fact of the matter is that the legal system in this country precludes an individual taking on a big company. I have run out of funds and I just could not continue" and added, "I have still got a lot of friends at TalkSport … and I think I have made my point. There is no point dwelling on it. I was angry at the way I was treated by the company after all that time. I feel better now because I have got it out of my system."
Whale said he had not benefited at all from the legal action.
talkSPORT management had said when it fired Whale that he had committed a "gross error of judgment" in making the comments that it said were against UK broadcasting regulations on impartiality and UTV has confirmed that it has made no payment to Whale in connection with the matter.
RNW comment: In this particular case, we suspect the judgment was little to do with lack of funds as much as that Whale's legal advice was that he did not have much chance of winning - we are sure some of the no-claims no-fee lawyers would have taken up the cudgels had his case been very strong.
In this case talkSPORT may have been more sensitive about impartiality rulings following a ruling against it by Ofcom in November last year after morning stand-in host - and Respect Party MP - George Galloway, announced his intention to stand in the next general election in the constituency of Poplar and Limehouse and also made derogatory comments about the existing MP, Jim Fitzpatrick. (See RNW Nov 20, 2007 2007-11.html#OFCOM8).
Galloway, however was not fired - he currently hosts a call-in show on talkSPORT from 22:00 to 01:00 on Friday and Saturday nights - so Whale has a point about the severity of the action against him, weakened by the fact he should have been aware of the ruling against Galloway's comments, but probably nowhere near enough of one to win his case.
Previous Global Radio:
Previous UTV:
Previous Whale:
UK Guardian report:
2008-09-24: UK Media regulator Ofcom which recently allowed Chelmsford/Mid Essex Dream 107.7 FM to reduce the number of hours of output it produces locally and replace a daily weekday news/news magazine/interview hour centred on local activity with a daily locally focussed music and speech programme has now allowed its new owners to move it Chelmsford and co-locate with new sister station Southend Radio some 20 miles (32 km) away.
Southend's owner Adventure Radio recently bought the loss-making station from Tindle Radio (who had made the co-location request) and say the change will not affect the services offered in the station's transmission area.
Previous Ofcom:
2008-09-23: Triton Media's Dial Global - it has now rebranded the former Jones Networks shows that it acquired in June (See RNW Jun 20) under the Dial Global name, took the top ratings in Arbitron's RADAR 98 (Radio's All Dimension Audience Research) Radio Network Audience rankings just released by Arbitron covering the period June 28, 2007 to June 25, 2008.
Its Contemporary Network moved into top spot swapping ranks with its MAI Adult Power (formerly Jones Adult Power) network. The rebranding was less successful for ABCRN (Formerly ABC Radio Networks but now rebranded by Citadel) as its top ranking networks lost listeners although the ABCRN Daytime Direction Network retained third rank.
Amongst other networks, Westwood One had a successful period with its fourth-ranked WON1 Network and Westwood CBS News Day Network both gaining listeners - the former retained fifth rank and the latter moved up from 12th to eighth as it gained 262,000 listeners and took share up from 1.6 to 1.7: Clear Channel's Premiere Radio Network fell back again and had no contender in the top ten - its Morning Drive Network was pushed down a rank to 11th as its li