Category Archives: radio
CONGRATS To………
…..my nephew Andrew Burroughs Jr., who is being honored this week by the Newark Black Film Festival. His film won the Long Narrative Competition. The award, the 2008 Paul Robeson Award, is being presented by Paul Robeson Jr.
JULY 30th UPDATE: My nephew tells me last night Mr. Robeson is sick, so Richard Wesley is doing the honors. Get well soon, Mr. Robeson.
P.S. In an unrelated note, enjoyed this NPR story on Kevin Powell’s Congressional run. Congrats to you too, K.P.
P.P.S. More unrelated: Congrats to Pacifica’s “Democracy Now!” and NPR’s “Tell Me More” for actually covering what Obama said at “Unity” about reparations, et. al.
Black (Activist Commerical) Radio, R.I.P.?
It was great hearing Bob Law’s voice on the radio again. The occasion was a new documentary film he’s narrating.
Enjoyed the recent NPR discussion about it, and Black radio. I agree with the host—the time for Black Activist Commercial Radio might be past, but not necessarily for the same reasons she brought up. Check here for my five-year-old rant on the subject. Here are a couple of great books and two great radio programs on the subject.
The Death Of The Magazine, The Birth Of The Magazine
I like “NOVAScienceNOW,” even though I’m not hosting it. 🙂 Believe me, that’s high praise. It’s clear we’re in the Golden Age of the Magazine—the BROADCAST magazine. I’m happy that I can listen to three national Black(ish) radio newsmagazines in a week, watch the NOVA spinoff show every summer and check out what the brother’s doing on “History Detectives,” but it’s hard to let the dream go of working full-time for a national (Black) general interest magazine. (Aside: It’s really too bad that too many of these broadcast magazines don’t have full-time [or sometimes any!] correspondents.) Soon it’ll be time for the local library to get my Gordon Parks autobiographies, I guess.
I Don't Watch "The Simpsons"……….
…..so I’ll leave it to the audience as to whether this episode of “Click & Clack’s As The Wrench Turns,” the new “Car Talk” animated series I saw over the weekend, is borderline racist. I know that if I was from India I’d be getting tired of this kind of thing. And what’s up with every person of color in the garage sounding like they escaped from 1970s network sitcoms?
Congrats To Pacifica And WPFW……….
……for the single greatest radio broadcast I’ve heard yet.
The Fourth of July as “Freedom Of Speech Day!” What a concept!
I couldn’t believe the careful balance of time, place, geography, race, and gender that was attempted for those nine hours of radio—From Paul Robeson to George Carlin to Maurice Bishop to Coretta Scott King to Sam Cooke.
Again, Congrats! I can now officially say I celebrate the Fourth!
P.S. To ‘PFW: If you can, use that day’s broadcast as the main pledge offering from now on!
Surround Sound
I was very inspired by this one story. I guess most radio folks see themselves in this way, in this man.
The Artist
The kind of conversation I love. The artist talks about his life and his art. Damn.
“America was founded by slave owners who wanted to be free.”
                                                 -George Carlin, 1937-2008
Let's Take A Poll!
Was this hour of NPR’s “The Diane Rehm Show” really as scary as it sounded? Let me know.
More proof that it’s not a conspiracy if a) it’s out in the open, and b) the targets don’t have the same level of power as the “conspirators.”
Do YOU Know Someone Who Has What It Takes To Replace This Man On "The Tom Joyner Morning Show?"
If you do, go to Tom’s site and vote!
I voted for:
JUNE 27th UPDATE: The finalists have been announced. Although they are not my picks, I’m glad Tom didn’t just go for the first “intellectual celebrities” everyone could think of.
Drums in the Global Village 
