BlatherWatch

KBCS changes protested

A group of former KBCS volunteer music producers, the people who love them will demonstrate against the paid staff they hold accountable for the station’s deep format changes next week.

A group who calls itself SaveKCBS, will protest Nov. 27th, 5:30-7p, outside a KBCS benefit with Amy Goodman at Seatttle's Townhall (8th & Seneca). Goodman’s Democracy Now! headlines the station’s new morning line-up.

Public radio audiences "ain't getting any younger..."

With the slight exception at news-based stations,  public radio audiences are aging at a disturbing pace. The future may be bleak for the music stations: particularly classical.

A new study by Walrus Research calculated the rate of aging of audiences for each public radio format.

Luke burbank to "wait, wait, don't tell me"

TBTL's Luke Burbank will be a Halloween panelist on NPR's zane-filled radio quiz, Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me (KUOW, Saturday 10-11a) with guest with legendary horror movie director George Romero, the man behind Dawn of the Dead and Night of the Living Dead.

Made for seattle: radios that play only npr!

They're calling it the "baby boomer's boom box."

Don't laugh- that 35-64 demo may have fewer teeth, but they still have lots of ears. NPR is selling a granny-proof, internet radio already tuned to streams of local NPR stations, more than 1,000 nationwide NPR outlets, plus on-demand content from NPR.org. (Only boomers know what a boom box actually is- chances are, they still listen to one).

Also 16,000 Internet radio stations not affiliated with NPR are also accessible on the device, offered for $199 from the NPR Shop and Livio Radio, who designed the thing for WiFi or ethernet. Wired writes: "[I]t should pass the 'granny test' in ease of use, and it looks like a friendly radio and not a scary, virus-catching computer."

Can't believe the affiliates are too happy about this: they've been fighting NPR's on-line efforts for years. It eliminates the middleman, they say, "and we're the middleman!"

Will KPTK step up to radio reality?

Seattle liberal-interest money groups have long talked up the possibility of buying a radio station to counter the overwhelmingly conservative news talk stations in a market that's overwhelmingly liberal.

That's probably not a good idea, since it's been proven many times that radio should be left to radio professionals...Oh wait, that's right, a generation of professionals put radio where it is today: in the shit.

KBCS makes some changes... and the bullets fly.

Surprise, surprise, community radio is on the ropes.

Community radio: where the sounds of the experimenting, the esoteric, the exuberantly hip or the hopelessly out-of-date can be heard- the stuff  that polar reject the kind of cume that made commercial radio profitable when it was.

How much would YOU pay... to keep kirby wilbur on the air?

KVI, the KIROs and KTTH begging for money like NPR?

Radio-info's Sean Ross posed an interesting question to radio pros: "What commercial radio station would you pay to keep on the air?" 

So we're asking you the talk radio listeners- who would you actually pay for?

(photo: Kirby Wilbur how much would you pledge?)

NPR steps up: will KUOW take the challenge?

It's oft joked in commercial talk radio, that 34% of topics are stolen from NPR.

Local news outlets- KIROFM famously- rely heavily on public radio news for ideas and stories.

("let them hear cake." photo: thanks KUOW).

NPR is making that even easier. They announced today a revamping of their web site and digital news delivery that will make their news product not only easier to access in all platforms, but will have more emphasis on text, supplying almost instant transcripts of broadcast pieces.

Let the stealing begin!

Brian jennings' talk radio book is less than some of its parts

 It's an inconsequential book. There's no new information, and it neither asks new questions; nor anything of its readers. (Plus, there are no pictures,  always a disappointment in a geezerly book about radio).

It's Censorship, The Threat to Silence Talk Radio by Brian Jennings and we waited until we could get it new at Amazon for $5.52. (Advice: don't pay retail for this dog!)

Well duh dep't: smart radio without obnoxious commercials rules!

NPR is kicking ass.

Whodathunkit? Radio that's not pissed off; doesn't talk down to its listeners; and is free of ads that insult your sensibilities and intelligence? ... It's growing like mad.

NPR listenership has expanded... dramatically -- 47 percent! since  2000, according to Arbitron.

The Washington Post reports today that while other traditional media, including commercial radio, is falling on its ass: