The Wires (Oct 26, 2007)

Inside Music Media: From Jerry Del Colliano -- Perhaps you’ve noticed how Radiohead has shaken the four major record labels to the core by offering value pricing for digital downloads. Now Oasis and Jamiroquai – two major acts that don’t have a record label contract – are considering following in Radiohead’s footsteps (read more - Inside Music Media)

Houston Chronicle: From David Barron -- New technology doesn't mean you won't, on occasion, have the same old problems with your television service. Customers of AT&T's U-verse network in 33 markets, including Houston, experienced a partial service interruption for several hours Sunday

From XM Radio: XM ended the 2007 third quarter with approximately 8.57 million subscribers compared to approximately 7.19 million subscribers in the prior year period.

Alyssa Milano on "My Name is Earl" (Delayed until October 25, 2007)

Ironically, Alyssa is a baseball fan.

Alyssa first guests as Billie on "My Name is Earl" on October 25 in a recurring role.

Episode Description: When fellow prisoner Frank (Michael Rapaport) is dumped by his girlfriend (Alyssa Milano), Earl tries to bring the two back together again. Meanwhile, Joy and Catalina become entangled in a knotty situation. Cast & Credits: Jason Lee, Ethan Suplee, Jaime Pressly, Eddie Steeples, Nadine Velazquez

An excerpt from Alyssa's blog: Alyssa plays a girl with a shady past and a parole officer. After meeting Earl and learning of his karmic belief system, she decides to turn her life around. The character will not be a "love interest" of Earl's as of right now.

Side note: Alyssa on DFS has reopened at http://alyssa.davesfunstuff.com/. It's basically a revamped version of my Alyssa Milano section I had online until 2001.

FM 94.9 Update (October 25, 2007)

The Wires (October 25, 2007)

Kurt Hanson: The Washington Post reports this morning's Senate hearing on "The Future of Radio" presents another chance for webcasters to sound the CRB alarm in front of Congress and urge their assistance by passing the Internet Radio Equality Act. In exclusive RAIN Analysis, assistant editor Dan McSwain suggests that this morning's hearing confirmed that webcasters need a solution to the CRB royalty crisis in the form of the Internet Radio Equality Act. So why, despite various Senators' vocal support in today's hearing, does the IREA seem like it's not going anywhere? Read more about the Senate's response to webcasters and webcasting advocates in a full run-down of the hearing in today's issue of RAIN, available now at http://www.kurthanson.com. Also in today's issue, "first time public" Arbitron numbers on satellite radio listening crown Howard Stern king of the medium. Today's issue is sponsored by Limelight Networks, a leading provider of outsourced media delivery solutions..

Washington Post: From Catherine Rampell -- Internet radio webcasters are hoping a Senate hearing today will renew legislators' interest in their negotiations with the recording industry over royalty fees. The hearing, held by the Senate Commerce Committee, will focus on the future of radio, the number of women and minorities who own radio stations, expansion and protection of community radio, and other aspects of a medium that is rapidly changing through technological advances and the recording industry's crumbling business model

Inside Music Media: From Jerry Del Colliano -- Yesterday, I wrote a piece called "NPR Is Not Radio". Basically, the gist was that my young students don't consider NPR radio. Radio to them is what consolidators do. They don't much like it. Someone sent me a copy of the Arbitron National Satellite Report for Spring of 2007 and I've got to tell you that based on the results, satellite radio is radio. Terrestrial radio. And I'm not sure that is a compliment

Inside Radio: A close call for one San Diego station. In northern San Diego County the flames came just 50 yards from KSOQ-FM's transmitter site. Somehow the flames shifted and left the structure standing. But power and telephone lines were destroyed, so KSOQ-FM is off the air while Lincoln Financial engineers work to get a back-up generator to the site. KSOQ-FM simulcasts "Country 97" KSON-FM to the northern part of San Diego County. Meanwhile Univision engineers head to Mt. San Miguel today to see what's left of KLQV's back-up transmitter.

Radio a "worst job for the 21st Century." The U.S. Labor Department says radio will be among the slowest-growing industries in the coming decade. Government economists say consolidation and technology breakthroughs will lead to 5% fewer radio announcers by 2015. Among the "negatives" for radio work - shift work and low pay, with the median salary for a radio employee about $11 an hour