How do you connect better with your music community?

Laura Fedele and Jim O'Hara from WFUV in New York City have been working on that with their "independent, emerging music" online and HD Radio channel (TheAlternateSide.org) and will report on best practices and best pitfalls at a webinar Sept. 16 (3-4 p.m., Eastern) organized by Public Media Innovation. Capacity is limited, reservation required. Listeners' computers must run Windows 2000, XP and newer versions or Mac OS 10.4 (Tiger) or newer.

Progress on Mt. Wilson, still ablaze

Firefighters have made "significant progress" in containing wildfires on Mt. Wilson, the Los Angeles Times is reporting, but "they are still concerned about the massive blaze's fast-moving southeastern flank." To protect the historic Mt. Wilson observatory and broadcast transmission facilities on the peak, fire crews have been dumping water and flame-resistant gel on the area. An AP story on NPR.org reports that 150 firefighters and engines were stationed at the peak last night to defend the towers. KPCC, one of six pubcasters with transmitters on the mountain, created this special website for wildfire coverage. The Pasadena-based news station has arranged for a backup transmitter with the help of KUSC-FM, which broadcasts from Mt. Lookout.

Ted Kennedy, Chappaquiddick and public broadcasting

A comment on WAMU about Sen. Ted Kennedy enjoying jokes about the notorious Chappaquiddick incident is generating a lot of press, particularly on conservative news sites. Edward Klein, biographer of the senator who died last week, told Diane Rehm's guest host Katty Kay that one of Kennedy's "favorite topics of humor was, indeed, Chappaquiddick." He added as an explanation: "Not that he didn't feel remorse about the death of Mary Jo Kopechne but that he still always saw the other side of everything and the ridiculous side of things, too." NPR ombudsman Alicia Shepard writes about Kennedy coverage in her latest column, noting that of 23 NPR stories on Kennedy's death, "only one mentioned the name Mary Jo Kopechne and 5 mentioned Chappaquiddick."

FCC details rules for wildfire assistance

The FCC has announced guidelines for special procedures to assist licensees impacted by the ongoing California wildfires (PDF).