Several years ago, Radio Survivor had the pleasure of speaking with artist and restaurateur Alice Brock, the woman who provided much inspiration for Arlo Guthrie’s inadvertent Thanksgiving Day radio staple, “Alice’s Restaurant.” Sadly, Alice Brock passed away on November 21, 2024 at the age of 83, just a week before the classic rock radio airwaves will be blanketed with the song that made her famous.

This year, in honor of Alice, we are presenting the Radio Survivor episode that we recorded with her in advance of Thanksgiving 2020, which was the most unusual of holidays, as the COVID-19 pandemic kept many of us separated from friends and family. During our discussion, Alice Brock shares with us not only some insight into the 18-minute anti-war epic “Alice’s Restaurant”; but also stories about her life and holiday traditions. For 2020, Brock was inspired to create a special introductory message for radio stations to play in advance of “Alice’s Restaurant,” and she explains why she was moved to offer up these words of thanks during that pandemic year in particular.

As we approach another holiday, our thoughts go out to Alice Brock’s friends and family. We are so grateful to have had the chance to chat with Alice and share Thanksgiving 2020 with her through the magic of podcasting.

Show Notes:

• Thanksgiving Radio Tradition withstands the Pandemic as “Alice’s Restaurant” Hits the 2020 Airwaves
• Alice’s Restaurant on the Radio Thanksgiving 2024
• Radio Survivor posts documenting where to hear “Alice’s Restaurant” on the radio
• Alice Brock’s Message for Radio Stations (NFCB)
• Alice Brock’s website

Show Credits:

• This episode was produced by Jennifer Waits
• Hosted by Jennifer Waits, Eric Klein, and Paul Riismandel
• Edited by Eric Klein

The post Podcast: Remembering Alice Brock of Alice’s Restaurant appeared first on Radio Survivor.

We travel back to the 1980s, when the show, The Famous Computer Cafe, initially launched over the radio in southern California. With a focus on home computers, computer news, and more, the program had a fascinating roster of guests, including Timothy Leary, Donny Osmond, Bill Gates, and so many others. Although it was assumed that all the recordings of the show were lost; recently 53 episodes were found and digitized. Computer historian and archivist Kay Savetz spearheaded this project and joins us on Radio Survivor, alongside one of the creators and hosts of The Famous Computer Cafe, Ellen Fields.

Show Notes:

• Listen to The Famous Computer Cafe on Archive.org
• The Famous Computer Cafe ads and ephemera on Archive.org
• Interviews with The Famous Computer Cafe founders on ANTIC: The Atari 8-bit Podcast
• Digitizing “The Famous Computer Cafe” Radio Show (GoFundMe)
• The PBS television show The Computer Chronicles (Wikipedia)
• Episode of “The Famous Computer Cafe” that mentions computer ads (at about the 4 minute mark) in New York taxi cabs
• Timothy Leary episode of “The Famous Computer Cafe”
• COMDEX was a computer trade show in Las Vegas from 1979 to 2003 (Wikipedia)
• “Resurfacing Women’s Contributions in Podcasting History” (Radio Survivor #135)
• The Famous Computer Cafe collection at Stanford University Libraries

Show Credits:

• This episode was produced by Jennifer Waits
• Hosted by Jennifer Waits and Eric Klein
• Edited by Eric Klein

The post Podcast #342 – The Famous Computer Cafe appeared first on Radio Survivor.

Journalist Marc Masters joins us to discuss his book, High Bias: the Distorted History of the Cassette Tape. We dive into how the oft-maligned cassette influenced the music industry and our culture by inspiring musicians, taking music to the streets and returning power back to listeners.

Show Notes

• High Bias: The Distorted History of the Cassette Tape at UNC Press
• High Bias: Music from the Book
• The Music Book Podcast
• The Spindle: A Podcast About 7-inch Records
• Minoy
• Shrimper Records and Tapes
• Aaron Dilloway
• Howard Steltzer
• The Daily Ping: The Personics System

Show Credits:

• This episode was produced by Paul Riismandel
• Hosted by Jennifer Waits and Paul Riismandel
• Edited by Eric Klein

The post Podcast #341 – The Distorted History of the Cassette Tape appeared first on Radio Survivor.

Williams College student Josh Picoult arrived on campus with a fascination for both history and radio. Four years later, he’s about to graduate after completing his undergraduate thesis on the history of college radio station WCFM, where he’s also the general manager. On this edition of Radio Survivor, we are joined by Josh, who talks us through some of the big ideas from his thesis: Gas Pipes, Gigahertz, and Grunge: Broadcasting at Williams College, 1940-1998. Josh also shares details about the current state of radio on campus.

Show Notes:

• Williams College radio station WCFM 91.9 FM in Williamstown, Massachusetts
• Podcast #89 – How to Preserve Radio History (guest Laura Schnitker)
• Podcast #158 – Surveying Community Radio’s Deep Archives (guest Laura Schnitker)
• Jennifer’s radio station tours
• Radio Station Field Trip #100 – WPRB at Princeton University

Show Credits:

• This episode was produced by Jennifer Waits
• Hosted by Jennifer Waits, Eric Klein and Paul Riismandel
• Edited by Eric Klein

The post Podcast #340 – College Radio History at Williams College appeared first on Radio Survivor.

Matthew Lasar talks with Brian Edwards-Tiekert, host of KPFA’s Upfront to commemorate the Birthday of Pacifica Radio.

The post Podcast #339- 75 Years of Listener Supported Radio appeared first on Radio Survivor.

In the last few years YouTube has become one of the most popular platforms for consuming podcasts, even though it’s a primarily a video platform, and podcasts have traditionally been an audio-first medium. This fact has raised both questions and concerns with podcasters. Paul has worked on research studies intended to better understand why and how people use YouTube to consume podcasts. He shares that data along with analyses and thoughts on how podcasters might think about YouTube and video.

Show Notes:

• Sounds Profitable’s Sound You Can See study
• The Download on Podcasts, Fall 2023
• YouTube and Video Will Grow Podcasting in 2024
• Podcasting on YouTube

Show Credits:

• This episode was produced by Paul Riismandel
• Hosted by Jennifer Waits, Eric Klein and Paul Riismandel
• Edited by Eric Klein

The post Podcast #338 – YouTube, Video and Podcasting appeared first on Radio Survivor.

The Radio Survivor team returns for a new episode, during which Jennifer, Eric and Paul recap some of the latest radio news. Topics this week including LPFM, college radio history, radio documentaries, expanding and returning radio stations, and a slow radio broadcast for Earth Day.

Jennifer talks about her new gig working on a college radio history collection that is part of the Digital Library of Amateur Radio and Communications (DLARC) on the Internet Archive.

Additionally, we cover some updates to the radio landscape, including details about the most recent low-power FM licensing window, during which 388 groups (and counting) have been awarded construction permits for new LPFM stations. In San Francisco, streaming radio station BFF.fm is the recipient of one of these coveted spots on the dial.

Also coming to the San Francisco airwaves is Seattle-based non-commercial radio station KEXP, which acquired the former KREV full-power FM commercial frequency in a bankruptcy auction. Across the country in New York City, streaming community radio station East Village Radio is returning after it ceased operations nearly a decade ago.

A few radio stories are coming to the big screen. 35,000 Watts, a documentary about college radio, has made its debut and is initially hitting the college radio circuit. Jennifer will be in attendance at a 35,000 Watts screening and panel discussion at Pomona College on March 28th as part of a fundraising event for college radio station KSPC. Another radio film in the works, 40 Watts to Nowhere, recounts the story of pirate radio station KBLT, which ran out of founder Sue Carpenter’s home in Silver Lake near Los Angeles in the late 1990s.

Finally, we alert stations to an opportunity to participate in the annual Earth Day radio event: Wetland Project Slow Radio Broadcast on April 22, 2024. Stations can air all or part of the 24-hour broadcast featuring the sounds of nature, including birds, frogs, insects, and airplanes.

Show Notes:

• Podcast #335 – Digital Library of Amateur Radio and Communications (DLARC)
• DLARC on the Internet Archive
• College Radio Collection on DLARC
• Website for the college radio documentary 35,000 Watts
• 35,000 Watts screening dates
• Pomona College radio station KSPC-FM website (and see Jennifer’s tour of KSPC)
• BFF.fm on LPFM (Bff.fm)
• Jennifer’s tour of BFF.fm
• KEXP Coming Soon to the Bay Area (KEXP)
• Jennifer’s tour of KEXP in Seattle
• East Village Radio website
• Here is Why NYC’s Iconic East Village Radio is Coming Back from the Dead after a Decade (NY Post)
• Jennifer’s 2008 tour of East Village Radio
• Granted LPFM Applications for 2023 Filing Window (REC Networks)
• 40 Watts from Nowhere Documentary Kickstarter
• 40 Watts from Nowhere: A Journey into Pirate Radio book by Sue Carpenter (Amazon)
• Podcast #330 – Wetland Project and Slow Radio
• Wetland Project website

Show Credits:

• This episode was produced by Jennifer Waits
• Hosted by Jennifer Waits, Eric Klein and Paul Riismandel
• Edited by Eric Klein

The post Podcast #337 – Catching up on Radio News including LPFM, a College Radio Archive, Documentaries, and More appeared first on Radio Survivor.

On this edition of the show, we explore public radio history, specifically the origins of public radio in the United States, including the important role played by college and university-based stations. Josh Shepperd joins to talk about his new book, Shadow of the New Deal: The Victory of Public Broadcasting, which examines the intersections between the media reform movement, public broadcasting, educational technology and communications policy and research. Josh is an assistant professor of media studies at the University of Colorado Boulder and is Director of the Radio Preservation Task Force at the Library of Congress.

Show Notes:

• Josh Shepperd’s website at University of Colorado Boulder
• Radio Preservation Task Force of the Library of Congress
• Shadow of the New Deal: The Victory of Public Broadcasting (affiliate link on Amazon)
• Association of College and University Broadcasting Stations (ACUBS) evolved into the National Association of Educational Broadcasters (NAEB)
• Unlocking the Airwaves collection of NAEB materials
• Robert McChesney’s book: Telcommunications, Mass Media, and Democracy: The Battle for the Control of U.S. Broadcasting, 1928-1935 (affiliate link on Amazon)
• What is Low Power FM? (page on Radio Survivor)
• Podcast #333 – Low Power FM for Dummies (LPFM window opens Dec. 6, 2023)
• Prometheus Radio Project
• Common Frequency

Show Credits:

• This episode was produced by Jennifer Waits
• Hosted by Jennifer Waits, Eric Klein and Paul Riismandel
• Edited by Eric Klein

The post Podcast #336 – Educational Radio and the Beginnings of Public Radio appeared first on Radio Survivor.

On this week’s show, we peek behind the scenes of The Digital Library of Amateur Radio and Communications (DLARC). A project of the Internet Archive, the DLARC collection includes a range of amateur radio-related materials, including magazines, ham radio newsletters, podcasts and even discussion forums. Within the expansive library are items generally categorized as non-commercial radio, including pirate radio, shortwave, numbers stations, experimental radio, and “radio weirdness.” Additionally, every episode of the Radio Survivor Podcast was recently added to DLARC, which is how we learned about this archive. DLARC’s Curator Kay Savetz joins us on Radio Survivor to talk about not only the archive, but also how you can contribute.

Show Notes

• The Digital Library of Amateur Radio and Communications (DLARC)
• Kay Savetz website
• Radio Survivor Podcast episodes archived on DLARC
• October 2022 announcement about launch of DLARC
• Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC)
• Internet Archive
• Podcast #178: Irish Pirate Radio Archive (with guests Brian Greene and John Walsh)
• Podcast #212: Border Radio in North America (with guest Kevin Curran)
• Podcast #260: Radio History on the Northern Border of Mexico (with guest Sonia Robles)
• Look out FCC Part 15 Devices: AM radio is gonna getcha! (learn about Matthew’s Part 15 spider)
• Radio4All
• The Shortwave Report
• Mediageek radio show

Show Credits:

• This episode was produced by Jennifer Waits
• Hosted by Jennifer Waits, Eric Klein, Matthew Lasar, and Paul Riismandel
• Edited by Eric Klein

The post Podcast #335 – Digital Library of Amateur Radio and Communications appeared first on Radio Survivor.

World College Radio Day takes place on October 6, 2023 and in honor of that, we dig into the early history of college radio on our latest episode of the show. Jennifer Waits walks us through her research about college radio in the 1920s and earlier, sharing details from a paper that she presented this past spring at the Radio Preservation Task Force Conference at the Library of Congress. In that paper, she argues that we should be broadening our definitions of what college radio is, pointing out examples of radio clubs, radio experiments, and amateur radio activities that mirror the activities of future “broadcast” stations.

Jennifer recounts stories from more than 100 years ago, pointing out the incredible contributions that students have made to radio history. Along the way, we hear tales about early student radio practitioners at places like Haverford College, Union College, Harvard University, and Columbia University. Jennifer also asks for listeners to share details that they may have about very early college radio (1920s and earlier) at other schools.

Show Notes:

• College Radio Day
• World College Radio Day is October 6
• College radio history resources on Radio Survivor’s “About College Radio” page
• College Radio Watch: College Radio is Older Than You Think
• Radio Preservation Task Force
• 2023 Radio Preservation Task Force Conference
• Jennifer’s radio station tours
• College radio history on Radio Survivor
• Union College (WRUC) radio tour
• Making Waves: Race, radio and the legacy of Wendell King (Union College)
• From Wireless Experiments to Streaming: The Secret History and Changing Role of College Radio at Haverford College, 1923-2014
• Haverford on the Radio (Jennifer’s piece in Haverford Magazine)
• WHRC – Haverford College Radio Tours from 2009 and from 2014
• College Radio Revival at Haverford College’s WHRC
• California Historical Radio Society
• The Gas Pipe Networks is 80
• Tour of Brown University radio station BSR
• Lee De Forest
• Podcast #333 – Low Power FM for Dummies

Show Credits:

• This episode was produced by Jennifer Waits
• Hosted by Jennifer Waits, Eric Klein, and Paul Riismandel
• Edited by Eric Klein
• Photo: Jennifer Waits’ photo of a photo of the Union College Radio Club. Courtesy of Special Collections, Schaffer Library, Union College (RG-08-006-015)

The post Podcast #334 – College Radio’s Hidden Early History appeared first on Radio Survivor.

10/17/23 Update! The new low power FM filing window has been delayed and is now opening on December 6, 2023. See the FCC’s announcement here.

On our latest episode of Radio Survivor, it’s a very special treat, with all four Radio Survivor hosts at the mic discussing an exciting low power FM opportunity. Another low power FM licensing window for non-commercial radio stations in the United States opens on November 1, 2023 December 6, 2023. Who is eligible to apply for these licenses? And why should they? And what help is available? Our guest, Sharon Scott, joins us to talk us through all things LPFM. Scott is the co-founder and general manager of a low power FM radio station, WXOX-LP in Louisville, Kentucky. She is also the author of Low Power FM for Dummies, which is set to be released in October, 2023.

Show Notes

• FCC Public Notice on Revised Dates for LPFM Filing Window (10/17/23)
• Low Power FM for Dummies (affiliate link on Amazon)
• Sharon Scott’s LPFM Resources website
• Radio station WXOX-LP (ARTxFM)
• Jennifer’s “SpinningIndie” radio station tours
• Podcast #331: New Low-Power FM Opportunity Coming This November
• Sex and Broadcasting, book by Lorenzo Milam (affiliate link on Amazon)
• R.I.P. Radio Trailblazer Lorenzo Milam
• Vanderbilt University’s college radio station WRVU
• 2023 Grassroots Radio Conference is October 19-22 in Charleston, WV, hosted by WTSQ-FM
• Prometheus Radio Project
• WORT-FM, Madison, Wisconsin
• Common Frequency
• Broadcast Tool and Die
• Meow! Get Ready for Low Power FM Radio for Cats and Dogs (Matthew’s piece on Flash Cats Radio)
• Michelle Bradley’s REC Networks
• Free Radio Berkeley
• Mbanna Kantako and the Human Rights Information Network (DIYmedia.net)
• The Inspiration for US Micropower Radio, and the Mediageek Radio Show – Mbanna Kantako from the Archives (Mediageek)
• Pete Tridish at International Media Action
• San Francisco Liberation Radio story on FoundSF
• Seizing the Airwaves – A Free Radio Handbook
• Low Power FM Radio – including details on Class D (10 watt) stations (FCC)
• XRAY.fm in Portland, Oregon
• Solving the Mystery of the Ubiquitous Radio Station Call Letter Signs: The Leo Blais Interview

Show Credits:

• This episode was produced by Jennifer Waits
• Hosted by Jennifer Waits, Eric Klein, Matthew Lasar and Paul Riismandel
• Edited by Eric Klein

The post Podcast #333 – Low Power FM for Dummies appeared first on Radio Survivor.