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The older stuff
Category Archives: Cool old stuff
The Nagra
At the end of the film The Year of Living Dangerously, Mel Gibson’s journalist character Guy Hamilton is forced to flee Indonesia during the 1965 revolution. He’s almost stopped and arrested at the airport but manages to distract the officials … Continue reading
Posted in Cool old stuff, Philosophy
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A very busy morning
This past April I paid tribute to Marion Watson, former station manager at KUOM, the University of Minnesota radio station that gave me my first real radio job. Just yesterday her name came up again, on the distribution list at … Continue reading
Posted in Cool old stuff, How Not To
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Carlos Fuentes: Beneath the Mask
I honestly didn’t know much about Carlos Fuentes, who died yesterday at age 83, when I agreed to work on a radio documentary about him. It was 1984, I was out of a job (having just been purged from NPR) … Continue reading
Posted in Cool old stuff, Philosophy
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Site Mainteneance
We’re trying a new audio plug-in, one that will make it possible to listen on mobile devices as well as computers. Here’s a snippet from one of Tokyo Rose’s World War II broadcasts … let’s see if I can hear … Continue reading
Posted in Cool old stuff, Technology
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Herb and Charlie’s Big Day
Yesterday was the 75th anniversary of the Hindenburg disaster. The iconic German airship, filled with volatile hydrogen, exploded in flames while mooring at Lakehurst, New Jersey on the evening of May 6, 1937. Thirty-six people died. Today is the 75th … Continue reading
Posted in Cool old stuff, On The Air, Radio in the news
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Happy Birthday, Marion
Today at 11:00 am there’s a KUOM staff meeting at a fancy restaurant in St. Paul, Minnesota. It wouldn’t make sense to hold it at the radio station because, strictly speaking, the KUOM I knew hasn’t really existed since 1993. … Continue reading
Posted in Cool old stuff
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Peter Bergman
“Rocky Rococo, at your cervix.” “Looseners, the all-weather breakfast cereal!” “Shoes for Industry! Shoes for the Dead!” “Danger – you haven’t seen the last of me!” “No, but the first of you turns my stomach.” “Who is he talking to … Continue reading
Posted in Cool old stuff, Philosophy, Radio in the news
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Radio (drama) off the dial
If radio journalism is all about telling the story with audio, then its closest cousin must be radio drama. Pioneers of early radio were quick to catch on to the theatrical possibilities of the new medium, which could conjure up … Continue reading
Posted in Cool old stuff, Philosophy, Radio in the news
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Time Capsule, 1978
Evening of New Year’s Day. A Sunday evening. Central Michigan. Just about recovered from the effects of the night before. Watched the various parades and football games. Loafed around. Now it’s almost time for bed. Work tomorrow. Cold outside. Wonder … Continue reading
Posted in Cool old stuff, On The Air
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Sad day
Today I’m reminded of my first computer — an Apple IIe. I’d been reading article after article about these things called personal computers and I knew I had to have one, even if I wasn’t sure what I’d do with … Continue reading
Posted in Cool old stuff, Philosophy, Technology
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