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The Letter
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May 26, 2023
A Tribute To College Radio, Or Bela Lugosi LivesThe drive between where I live and where I was going is long and boring, and on that Saturday morning, I was idly poking around the radio dial looking for something different when I landed on honest-to-goodness college radio. It was the University of Miami's WVUM, popping ...
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May 19, 2023
I Can Fix ThatSo. Congress is taking a shot at a bill to ensure AM radio access in all vehicles, huh? The "AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act"? Catchy name there. Good luck to them. I have another idea. How about a bill that DOESN'T require car makers to provide an outmoded broadcast ...
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May 12, 2023
Temperature's RisingHow prepared are you for something bad to happen? I'm not talking about natural disasters or emergencies. I've told you enough about the need for that. No, I'm talking about what can happen when someone in your audience takes things to extremes. That's happened from time ...
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May 5, 2023
You Versus The BotsOkay, then. Exactly how replaceable ARE you? We've established that most people in radio have to be at least a little concerned about being replaced by AI. The best we can say is that "AI will never have that connection with listeners that humans have," which is not ...
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April 28, 2023
Pay Now Or Pay LaterIf what I heard at the All Access Audio Summit is any indication, the talk around radio is about artificial intelligence when it isn't about where and how to find new talent. The two are, of course, related -- AI voices could conceivably replace talent, though most ...
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April 21, 2023
Human TouchThe NAB Show, for radio people, was all about artificial intelligence, and data, and streaming, and more artificial intelligence, and wondering whether certain companies might be filing Chapter 11 soon, and more artificial intelligence and more data. You know what there ...
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April 14, 2023
Getting The Word OutHow can people know to depend on you if they don't even know you're there? This wasn't a problem back in the day. Everybody used radio, and everybody knew which stations in town were the "news stations." If your city didn't have an all-news station, there was always a ...
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April 7, 2023
Let 'Em All TalkAnyone can do your job. Except that they can't. But they can. You know the conversation. You're talking to someone and, knowing what you do for a living, the other person says, "you know, I could host a talk show." And you know that it isn't, as they think, just a matter ...
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March 31, 2023
The Good New DaysThings change. Nothing lasts forever. Insert whatever cliché about cultural evolution suits you best. The world isn't the same today as it was 30, 40, 50 years ago. We know that. Yet... Okay, so, I was walking in our neighborhood and I noticed a flyer tacked up in ...
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March 24, 2023
How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The AxYou can't say you're surprised. After all, radio and podcasting are businesses, and businesses are taking the opportunity of dark economic projections to claw back whatever gains employees made in the pandemic and save some money. This week alone saw NPR dropping about ...