Radio

(Newser) - It's been almost two years since Howard Stern switched to satellite radio, and the never-modest shock jock is reveling in his success on Sirius—and the woes of his former network, CBS, and rival, Don Imus, back in terrestrial radio. In a sit-down with the AP, Stern crows that his show is funnier than ever, now that he can tell jokes without the punchlines being bleeped. More »

(Newser) - Industry and diplomats are close to hammering out a new deal for dividing up the worldwide radio spectrum. It's a crowded field, with phone companies, TV networks, and gadget-makers jostling with militaries and governments at a month-long conference. Part of the issue: a big new slice of the airwaves is about to open up, since digital TV broadcasts take up less frequency than traditional broadcasts. More »

(Newser) - After weeks of speculation, FCC chairman Kevin Martin came out  today in favor of relaxing a decades-old rule barring ownership of newspapers and TV stations in the same market. In a call to reporters and an op-ed piece in the New York Times , he said the change is needed to bolster the flagging newspaper industry; he would allow cross-ownership only in the well-diversified top 20 markets. More »

(Newser) - Anyone heard Hollywood's radio silence lately? Movie tunes like "My Heart Will Go On," "Up Where We Belong," and "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" aren't ruling the airwaves like before. And star directors like Cameron Crowe and Wes Anderson are opting for known tunes to carry their flicks. Why? It starts with radio's splintering over the past decade, AP reports. More »

(Newser) - For anyone doubting that a merger between Sirius and XM would harm the satellite radio industry by forcing listeners to go through a single provider, the Washington Post’s Marc Fisher has two words: cable TV. Fisher argues that for all of the advantages any union may produce, ultimately it would result in fewer channels, inferior customer service, and higher prices. More »

(Newser) - The FCC is taking aim at cable television giants, finding that they have become too dominant, and is preparing to impose new regulations that would open the market to competition, the New York Times reports. Among proposals on the table is a cap that would block continued growth by the likes of Comcast and Time Warner. The regs would make it easier for independent programmers and rival video services to get traction. More »

(Newser) - Online curiosity directory BoingBoing says it has found the perfect bathroom radio--The Henry Kloss Tivoli Audio PAL. It's the right solution for people whose bathrooms don't have an electrical outlet, as it has a rechargeable and replaceable NiMH battery good for 18 hours of use per charge. More »

(Newser) - A UC Berkeley team has invented the world's smallest radio, composed of a single carbon nanotube 10,000 times thinner than a human hair. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the device is the first fully functional radio to qualify as a piece of nanotechnology -- inventions no larger than a 100 billionths of a meter. More »

(Newser) - Apparently not content to subject listeners to "The Little Drummer Boy" in the traditional Thanksgiving-to-Christmas window, two Chicago radio stations switched to the all-fa-la-la-la-la, all-the-time holiday format today. The move is both the latest volley in a hot rivalry and a repeat of a strategy that paid off in ratings a year ago, the Chicago Tribune reports. More »

(Newser) - Don Imus, the radio host taken off the air in April after referring to the Rutgers women's basketball team as "nappy-headed hos," will be back on the air