Community radio station WCUW 91.3FM is having some troubles. I personally don't listen to the station. Once in a while I tune in at random to see if something is on but there is never anything that interests me. Can a community radio station exist and be profitable these days? I feel that in the terrestrial radio world, community stations are potentially the only radio stations that matter. They have the ability to be truly local in a way that a corporate station or a satellite station can't be. It's a shame that with all that potential that I still see no reason to tune in.

However...

via www.wcuw.org
The radio station is currently off the air. We are currently dealing with the expenses of a broken power tube in the transmitter, winter heating costs, and an increase in royalty fees from Ascap/ BMI amongst others. Point blank, WE NEED YOUR HELP. Please DONATE and help us get back on the air.

Motif Magazine is reporting that the legendary WBRU 95.5 in Providence is for sale.

link

April Fools Days jokes in March. Lame

On August 5th 2005 my world came to a crushing halt. I was on my way to work listening to my Sirius satellite radio (you know uncensored, commercial free, so worth the $10 a month). I was listening to the Alt Nation channel, Greenday was on American Idiot was the song. I was thrown back when I heard the lyrics being censored. My initial thought was, this station never censors music. Does it? But there played the lyrics to the song:

"Don't wanna be an American idiot. Don't want a nation under the new mania. And can you hear the sound of hysteria? The subliminal mind____ America."

And then

"Well maybe I'm the ______ America.
I'm not a part of a redneck agenda.
Now everybody do the propaganda.
And sing along in the age of paranoia.

WTF, the "uncensored music" was being censored!
Then I immediately got pissed since I pay for uncensored music.

Initially I thought it was a mistake. There are some censored stations on Sirius but those are just the ones for religious right and children. Not me I pay for the 5 or 6 uncensored channels and this is one of them. I kept listening to reassure myself that song was a fluke, but after an hour found 2 more songs edited.

Like a proud father, well more like a proud stock holder, I am happy to hear that Sirius has grabbed Nascar broadcasts from XM. After hearing Mel Karmizan (CEO of Sirius) speak at this years 2005 Media Summit it only makes sense that he is going after the best content he can. "No matter where it is, mobile phones, pdas, cars or television people want content" and it's true content is what drives the media industry. You can have the best technology in the world but if there is nothing on it who cares?