'The last sage' -- NPR's Schorr nears 90, still musing on the news

A Washington Jewish Week profile of NPR's Daniel Schorr features details about Schorr's early days rarely reported in other write-ups. "In preparation for his 1929 bar mitzvah ceremony, Schorr went to a local cheder (Jewish primary school) where his Hebrew prowess earned him a gold watch and a train ride to Philadelphia," writes Paula Amann.

Stations grow audience after going all-news

The audience for WVXU-FM in Cincinnati grew 20 percent over the last year since the station was acquired by Cincinnati Public Radio and went all-news, reports the city's Post. "I think our success will probably be a blueprint for ... other markets," says CPR president Rich Eiswerth. CPR's WGUC-FM, which became all classical, saw no audience growth. Meanwhile, KAZU-FM in Pacific Grove, Calif., has attracted more listeners since an all-news switch, reports the Santa Cruz Sentinel, while community station KUSP-FM has lost some listeners and missed fundraising goals in recent years.

So what's indecent again?

A sign of the times? Check out this photo of the mixing board in the main air studio at Pacifica's KPFA-FM in Berkeley, Calif. And remember, it was a Pacifica station that brought about the establishment of broadcast indecency rules.

CPB awards grants for digital radio

CPB announced yesterday that it has awarded $7.74 million in grants to 85 radio stations for converting to digital broadcasting.