Tom Taylor of radio-info.com (Apr 6, 2010)

Dallas-based RadioTime helps supply the missing link to truly seamless radio tuning in the car - smooth enough that you can connect your iPhone to a cable, which then powers a display of Internet-available stations on a normal-looking radio display. The driver (or a helpful passenger) chooses the station "the usual way through the car's audio and infotainment system, making the controls convenient and safe while driving", says RadioTime. BMW has built a "MINI Connected" system that makes the interface easy. After you plug in the smart phone (just iPhone for now, more to come), you use the RadioTime display to choose from your own list of favorites, or you search the entire web. RadioTime says this qualifies as "the first in-car web radio." CEO Bill Moore says they're working with other car companies in North America, Europe and Asia. By the way - "IP Radio" stands for "Internet Protocol", and you don't even necessarily need a standard-looking computer. RadioTime has a further explanation and some nifty screenshots of the new MINI Connected system.

Read about the product here

FCC's new "Spectrum Dashboard" lets the public see how its spectrum is being used. (Apr 6, 2010)

Read the FCC's release about the Spectrum Dashboard here.

View the Dashboard here.

Tom Taylor of radio-info.com (Apr 6, 2010)

For one thing, it will point out that it gave television way more digital spectrum than it really needs, unless a station chooses to maximize picture quality by using the 1080P standard - which few do. But many commercial TV stations struggling with debtloads and revenue pressures, and aren't doing much to fill out those potential new digital channels. TV programming is expensive and at a time when some GMs are slashing their news budgets, they may have a weak argument in defending their need for three, four, or even five digital channels. If TV can't prove they can efficiently use all their spectrum, it may lose it. Again, back to the implications of the FCC's hardening stance toward broadcasters. AM spectrum, ironically, is probably safe from any demands for a giveback. It's just not that useful for the extra digital services the FCC's looking at. The FM spectrum takes up only about as much room as three digital TV channels and because it's relatively low on the "spectrum dashboard", it needs a fairly large antenna compared to the higher frequencies. So it doesn't work as well for mobile digital. Radio's relatively safe from the spectrum giveback demands - except that a few folks around the FCC would like to keep burdening broadcasters with more requirements for "localism."

Tom Taylor of radio-info.com (Apr 6, 2010)

NYC's revived "Pulse 87 Online" is back with the promised jocks - Jewelz Lopez, Abel Sanchez, Andre Ferro. Entrepreneur Joel Salkowitz pays off on his pledge to flesh out his dance music station with personalities - and he says "we have been contacted by countless radio folks that have expressed interest in joining the team." For now, the Internet-only successor to "Pulse 87" WNYZ-LPTV is staffed from 9am to midnight. A core of New York-market listeners has been unwavering in its passion for dance music on the radio. Now they can access it online and on smart phones. Onetime Hot 97 PD Salkowitz previews live broadcasts from NYC-area clubs, and a new website with premium content that would help pay the rent (and the music licensing fees and bandwidth charges).

The Wires (Apr 6, 2010)

TV Tech: TiVo Rolls Out 'Net-connecting Boxes. They're slated to roll out in April, through TiVo's Web site, retail partner Best Buy, and cable overbuilder RCN.

TV Broadcast: Lobbyist Urges Lawmakers to Step into Retrans Battles. WABC-TV stand-off with Cablevision motivates call to action

TV Broadcast: 3DTVs Hit the Market

TV Tech: FCC Proposes Reallocating 40 Percent of Broadcast Spectrum. National Broadband Plan calls for making 500 MHz of spectrum available in 10 years.

RW Online: It's All Good Fun. April Fool!

Inside Radio Survey: Wide majority says keep webcasts free. By a three-to-one margin, Inside Radio readers believe radio stations should keep their webcast available to listeners free of charge. Nearly three-quarters (73%) say radio has always been the free audio medium and a move to charge a streaming fee would only send listeners to Pandora and other online services.

Inside Radio: Pioneering modern rock brand WOXY goes silent. The online stream of WOXY.com abruptly shut down today, ending an era for the groundbreaking, independently owned brand. The sign-off comes six months after the online station moved from Cincinnati to Austin, following its acquisition by Future Sounds from streaming music company Lala.com.

Inside Radio: House opposition to royalty grows to 260 reps. Suzanne Kosmas (D-FL) and Tim Murphy (R-PA) are the latest House co-sponsors of a non-binding resolution opposing enactment of a performance royalty for terrestrial radio. The Local Radio Freedom Act is now backed by 260 House lawmakers. An identical Senate resolution is supported by 27 U.S. Senators.

More Americans would give up TV than internet. The internet has surpassed TV as the "most essential" medium, according to a new study by Arbitron and Edison Research. When presented with the "false choice" of either never again watching television, or never again accessing the internet, just over 49% said they would eliminate television, compared to a little over 48% who said they would eliminate the internet.

"Gen X Radio" off to a promising start. A new format that mixes `90s alternative with hip-hop and other seemingly disparate genres has made a big ratings splash in Louisville and is spreading to other markets. In its first survey, "Gen X Radio" WGLX leaped from eleventh to second in persons 18-34 with a 230% increase in AQH persons. It also finished second in 25-54 and first in 25-34 and 25-44 in the fall survey.

Inside Radio Survey: More in-car MP3 listening. Nearly one-quarter of respondents to an Arbitron-Edison Research survey say they've listened to an iPod, iPhone or other MP3 player while connected to a car stereo. Among those that do connect, most tune into an MP3 more than once a week. The number is likely to grow as more automakers make it easier to plug in removable devices.

Pro-pot ads air on California radio. Days after an initiative to legalize recreational use of marijuana made the ballot in California, pro-legalization ads began running this week on radio stations in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Oakland Raiders head to CBS. The Oakland Raiders say they're heading for CBS Radio. In a brief posting on the team's website, the NFL franchise says it has a "new relationship" with Compass Media Networks and Raiders games will be heard on two San Francisco stations: alternative "Live 105" KITS and "True Oldies" KFRC (1550). The move comes after Citadel's KSFO (560) announced it would no longer be the team flagship.

Oakland Raiders play national field. In what may one day be considered a turning point in radio sports deals, the Oakland Raiders have set their goal to have affiliates nationwide. Rather than sign with a local station, the team inks a multi-year agreement with Compass Media Networks to produce and syndicate Raiders games nationally beginning next fall. It could be the start of a new trend.

Univision to encode for PPM. In response to frustration among some buyers over the lack of ratings, Univision is telling advertisers and ad agencies it will once again encode its signals for PPM in all markets. Univision had refused to encode in Miami, Phoenix and San Diego over its ongoing dispute with Arbitron about PPM methodology.

Obama signals support for royalty. President Obama has never publicly taken a stand on the proposed performance royalty for radio. But the first indication of which way he's leaning comes in a letter from a Commerce Department attorney to Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT). In it, attorney Cameron Kerry says there is a "strong support" for eliminating the exemption currently held by terrestrial broadcasters.

D.T. Is Back (Apr 5, 2010)

Q96 For Sale (Apr 5, 2010)

Also in the article, Q96, which runs a teen top 40 format, is up for sale.

Anybody want to buy a radio station?

Comments from a poster: "When we lived in the Valley in 1970 There were 4 AM stations programming various formats: KXO 1230(MOR)
KAMP 1430 (top 40)
KROP 1300(Country)
KICO 1490 (Standards, Paul Harvey..ect)

Pending KROP's status there is now only one english AM station. "

EARTHQUAKE! (Apr 5, 2010)

I was sitting in my car writing some new song lyrics for a dementia song, when all of a sudden, my car started jumping up and down. The food store nearby had windows rocking in and out. People were getting out of the building.

An earthquake at a magnitude of 7.2 had struck just 42 miles SSE of Calexico, about I guess 150 miles away from where I was at.

I turned on KFMB. No news about the earthquake. KNX 1070 had the news within a minute. About three minutes later, KOGO started noncommercial earthquake coverage. Cliff Albert, the KOGO news director came on live and took some phone calls from listeners who felt the quake. At about 4:05, Steve Yuhas, the 5pm host of his own live show, came on early to take over for Cliff and fielded phone calls from his listeners.

Where was KFMB-AM? I don't know. Didn't bother to tune in. Guess they would rather run taped syndicated financial informercials and ABC news.

Earthquake Retro 1979

Radio Twitterings (Apr 5, 2010)

Quake tracker as posted by mark: http://quake.wr.usgs.gov/recenteqs/

Ruthie66: Isn't April Earthquake Awareness month?! Alright already - I'm aware! Sheesh - biggest 1 I felt in 33 yrs of living in #sandiego!

BobbieHill: The quake shut down the rides at Disneyland! Geez it must be serious - or the mouse is just scared!

rdotinga: They keep it simple at the Yuma Sun: "Breaking News: Earthquake"

marklarsonradio: Our late afternoon Easter egg roll may take on a whole new meaning

Berger_Prescott: Neither of us felt the quake...the border check points are working.

hilahil: i love that the first tweet i got about that big quake we just had was this one from barbarella: RT @Barbarellaf HOLY S%^T