The investigation into Michigan Radio in Ann Arbor now underway includes a look at underwriting incentives given to station employees, reports the Detroit Free Press. A former account exec received a pool table, Persian rugs and meals at local restaurants in exchange for underwriting spots, according to his attorney.

A former Voice of America employee questions whether public radio stations should carry the BBC World Service without warning listeners that the service is funded by the British Foreign Office. ". . . [I]t is disturbing that a foreign broadcaster has taken such a prominent role in U.S. public radio," writes David Pitts in the Washington Post.

"Terrestrial radio might be hyping a technology that isn’t quite ready for prime time," writes consultant Paul Marszalek after a frustrating experience with an HD radio. ". . . The fact is, while HD's lack of compression does sound a lot better than satellite, it just doesn’t work as well."

Studies forecast that more people will be listening to podcasts than HD Radio by 2010. "How much are you investing in podcasting vs. HD radio?" asks Mark Ramsey.

Improperly installed satellite radios are interfering with some listeners' enjoyment of noncommercial radio, reports the (Allentown, Pa.) Morning Call.

Lamar Marchese, g.m. of Nevada Public Radio in Las Vegas, is retiring. Marchese co-founded the station in 1979.

Today Discovery Education unveils Cosmeo, the consumers' version of its unitedstreaming service to K-12 schools. For a monthly subscription fee of less than $10, households with school-aged kids and high-speed Internet connections can buy access to curricular material from Discovery's library, as well as that of other "educational content providers such as Scholastic Corp. and the Public Broadcasting Service," reports the Washington Post.