Category Archives: Radio

CBS News shutting down its radio division

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(LA Times) In a stunning move, CBS News is shutting down its radio division, bringing to an end one of its most recognizable sources of news reporting after nearly 100 years on air. CBS News announced Friday it will stop offering its radio service to its 700 affiliate stations on May 22.

CBS sold its own radio stations in 2017, but continued to offer hourly network newscasts to affiliate stations, including “World News Roundup,” which has been on the air since 1938. Legendary CBS News journalist Edward R. Murrow — who would become a nationally recognized anchor covering the international battlefields of World War II and the domestic “Red Scare” of the McCarthy era — delivered his first report on the program.

Microphones

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Nothing is more emblematic of the Golden Age of Radio than the microphones of that era. I asked ChatGPT to identify a few that were used at KBOA.

RCA 77-M (early) or RCA 77-A / 77-B variant. This is an earlier RCA 77, before the D / DX refinements. These were extremely common in regional stations transitioning from prewar gear.

Shure 55A or 55B (pre-“Elvis” Unidyne). This is the earlier Shure 55, before the iconic chrome “Elvis” look (the 55S). Radio stations used these constantly in the late ’40s–early ’50s. Key tells:

  • End-address (announcer speaking into the top)
  • Horizontal grille rings
  • Small-diameter cylindrical body
  • Cable exiting low, angled

RCA 44-BX ribbon microphone. The 44-BX was the mic for Groups, Music, Dramatic readings, Anything needing that huge ribbon warmth

What happened to radio?

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The post below was written by ChatGPT5.1. This is not the first time I’ve done this and it is always with some trepidation. But this analysis is so on-the-money I couldn’t think of what I might add. I hope this wasn’t ripped whole-cloth from somebody’s article or blog post. If it is I’ll kill this post or give it the proper attribution.

Radio didn’t die so much as it ossified, while listeners moved on. But there’s more texture to it, and I think you’ll appreciate seeing the forces that pushed it downhill—and the narrow paths it might still have back up the mountain. Here are the big levers, in order of impact: Continue reading →

The demise of “Hometown Radio”

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Like a lot of small town radio stations, KBOA billed itself as “Hometown Radio.” And it was truly that. My father worked in small town radio for most of his career and I was lucky enough to be part of it for a dozen years (1972-1984).

I spent most of the next dozen years doing affiliate relations for a company that operated regional radio networks throughout the Midwest. It was during this time I witnessed the beginning of the end for small market radio. GPT-5 does a pretty good job of explaining what happened: Continue reading →