WITF Spotlight: I Can Laugh About It Now: My Most Embarrassing Moment On-Air (or In-Print)

Staffers at WITF in Harrisburg, Pa., share embarrassing moments from their broadcasting career: "I have one, but it involves transposing the initial consonants in the phrase 'forty bucks,' so I'm guessing it'll be inappropriate to share."

Habeas Motion by PNB

The Pacifica Foundation passed a resolution last week empowering its executive director to "use the resources of the foundation to educate and inform the public" about U.S. Senate Bill 3930, which addresses the rights of detainees. The legislation "has given President Bush extraordinary and chilling power to indefinitely detain and try prisoners in the so-called war on terror," the resolution says.

RadioSutton: New Arbitron Survey, Same Results (mostly)

John Sutton looks at the latest national Arbitron data for public radio's audience, which shows continuing declines in most measurements, although cume rebounded somewhat. "The loss of Share means public radio is losing ground in the radio marketplace," he writes. "A decline in Loyalty, if further analysis shows that's the case, means that public radio listeners are still using the radio but choosing to spend an increasing amount of the radio listening time with commercial broadcasters."

An Interview with NPR Digital's GM Maria Thomas | Digital Media Wire

NPR's upcoming music website will not directly offer song downloads, says Maria Thomas, v.p. of digital media, in an interview with Digital Media Wire. Thomas also says that it's unlikely public radio will create a central web portal, an idea espoused by Mark Fuerst, executive director of the Integrated Media Association, in a Current commentary.

Motorola to offer pubradio content

Motorola announced yesterday that it will offer programs from NPR, Public Radio International and American Public Media to mobile phones via its iRadio service.

Cal State Long Beach picks Mt. Wilson as prospective operator of KKJZ-FM

The California State Long Beach Foundation has chosen Mt. Wilson FM Broadcasters Inc. as the prospective operator of KKJZ-FM (PDF). The foundation's Board of Directors heard recommendations tonight from an evaluation committee. Also bidding were Pacific Public Radio, the nonprofit that has run the station since 1987; Southern California Public Radio, the L.A. sibling of Minnesota Public Radio; and the Jazz Institute of Los Angeles. Mt. Wilson already operates two commercial outlets: K-Mozart, an FM classical station, and KKGO-AM, which airs adult standards. (More coverage in the Long Beach Press-Telegram.)

Ohio county to lose NPR

Adams County in Ohio stands to lose its sole NPR station with the sale of WVXW-FM to a Christian broadcaster, reports the (West Union) People's Defender. Cincinnati Public Radio is selling the station after acquiring it from Xavier University last year. The county's Chamber of Commerce is urging residents to ask the FCC to block the sale.

KQED asks members to give up the vote

In a ballot mailing to 190,000 local supporters, KQED asks its members to waive their rights to vote on major corporate decisions and elections of the board of directors. "This is about money and this is about responsiveness," Board Chair Nick Donatiello told the San Francisco Chronicle. "It's up to the members if they want to spend this money on elections. It could buy a lot of programming."

This American Gripe

A devoted fan of This American Life takes issue with Chicago Public Radio's approach to offering the show's audio online: "They could save money by encouraging filesharing of their shows instead of wasting money fighting it."

Online Q&A with Frontline's Martin Smith

Martin Smith answered online questions about "Return of the Taliban," his Frontline documentary that debuted on PBS last night.