Conrad on HD Radio

Robert Conrad, president of WCLV-FM in Cleveland, says the technological shortcomings of HD Radio "[are] really very discouraging and [are] leading us to wonder why we should bother to promote HD. To do so will only disappoint, and, perhaps, antagonize a significant segment of the audience who finds that the system doesn't deliver." (Via The Future of Radio.)

Charlie Rose returns after recovering from surgery

Charlie Rose returns to his round table tonight after emergency heart surgery interrupted on overseas trip in March, AP reports. Topic No. 1 will be heart surgery. Guest hosts have included WNYC's Brian Lehrer, ABC's Barbara Walters, NBC's Brian Williams, CBS's Bob Schieffer and The New Yorker's David Remnick. Interviews from his show are available on demand for 99 cents each through Google Video.

James Barrett dies

James Barrett, NPR's first public relations director and a former director of public information for New York's WNET, died of pneumonia June 4 in Fairfax, Va., according to the Washington Post. He was 75.