mediageek 3-17-06: broadcast quality ogg vorbis

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• mediageek 3-17-06 broadcast quality ogg vorbis (15 MB)

mediageek 3-10-06: The Reconstruction of a Meaner Ma Bell

The announcement that AT&T intends to acquire BellSouth dropped like a bomb last week, and has left public interest and consumers groups worried that the end result will be increased rates, lowered competition and new restrictions on internet service. But the new AT&T is really SBC, and what’s being left out of most press accounts of the merger is that SBC has a record of jacking up rates and defunding customer service after a merger.

On this edition of mediageek Paul reviews SBC’s past, and looks how the proposed merger is playing in Washington, and what it means for crucial telecommunications debates, like network neutrality.

This month also marks the 4th anniversary of the radioshow, so we’ll listen to an excerpt from one of Paul’s favorite interviews from the first year of mediageek. The subject of this interview is Russ Forster, creator of the zine 8-Track Mind and filmmaker behind So Wrong They’re Right and Tributary.

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• mediageek 3-10-06 broadcast quality mp3 (64kbps 14 MB)

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mediageek 3-3-06: Congress Mulls Cable & Internet Legislation

On this edition Paul reflects on the 4th anniversary of the radioshow and catches up on the news, including stories about NAB’s week-long intense lobbying campaign in DC, and the House Energy Commerce Committee’s chances for tackling different telecomm issues this year.

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• mediageek 3-3-06 broadcast quality mp3 (14 MB 64kbps)

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mediageek 2-24-06 ogg vorbis and low-bandwidth mp3

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• mediageek 2-24-06 broadcast quality ogg vorbis (15 MB)
• mediageek 2-24-06 low-bandwidth mp3 (24kbps 5 MB)

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mediageek 2-17-06: HD Radio — Is It Really High-Definition or a High-Dollar Scam?

Digital radio has been slowly creeping onto the US airwaves for the last nine years or so. Recently, expensive receivers bearing the marking “HD Radio” have started appearing on the shelves in an obvious attempt to associate digital radio with high-definition digital TV. But is HD radio all it’s cracked up to be?

John Anderson, of DIYMedia and Free Press’ Media Minutes, has been working on a year-long research project on HD Radio. On this edition of mediageek he tells us how HD Radio is not exactly high-fidelity, and is more about generating profits for HD Radio’s patent-holders than enhancing the listening experience.

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• mediageek 2-17-06 broadcast quality mp3 (64kpbs 14 MB)

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mediageek 1-27-06: Senate Hearing on the Broadcast Flag

On Jan. 24 the Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing on the Broadcast Flag, a technology that the entertainment industry wants to impose on digital broadcasts in order to restrict our ability to record and use broadcast programming. Jeff Nicholson-Owens from WEFT’s Digital Citizen program joins Paul to listen to excerpts of testimony from the hearing, and to discuss what the implications of the Flag are for our rights and for democracy.

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• mediageek 1-27-06 broadcast quality mp3 (64kbps 14 MB)

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mediageek 1-20-06: Public broadcasting, podcasting and the internet

This week’s guest is Jack Brighton, who is in charge of internet operations for public broadcaster WILL-AM-FM-TV in Champaign, IL. WILL embraced streaming its radio programs back in 1998 and quickly began podcasting its locally produced programs after podcasting became a standard technology. Jack is passionate about the role of public broadcasting in a democracy, and sees the internet as part of this obligation. He discusses WILL’s internet strategy, and also talks about how some parties in the national public broadcasting scene are pushing to move towards paid rather than free content on the internet.

Click here to read this program’s news headlines.

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• mediageek 1-20-06 broadcast quality mp3 (64kbps 14 MB)

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mediageek 1-13-05: Leaving Corporate TV News for Independent Film Making

Guest Ken Schreiner used to be news director at Nexstar’s Champaign, IL CBS affiliate station, WCIA-TV, but he left the TV news business to pursue independent filmmaking. In this interview we talk about why he left the business, and he tells us more about his most recent film, which he debuted on his website, Our Other Neighbors. Ken also tells more about Nexstar’s business practices as a growing owner of TV stations in mid-sized markets.

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• mediageek 1-13-06 broadcast quality mp3 (64kbps 13 MB)

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mediageek 12-30-05: Commercial Sponsorhip of Clear Channel’s Madison Newsroom

John Anderson of DIYmedia.net and Free Press’ Media Minutes is kind enough to join me again this week to discuss the recent naming rights that Amcore bank bought for a Madison radio newsroom. John used to be a radio news anchor in Madison, and nearly worked for Clear Channel’s WIBA-AM, the station with the sponsored newsroom. He fills us in on the details of this situation, and we also discuss how Iowa Citizens for Better Local TV are challenging the license of a Sinclair-owned TV station in that state.

Please be advised that the sound quality of this episode is somewhat degraded, due to a problem getting a clean feed of our audio board, complicated by some inclement weather that was occuring during airtime. The problem should be resolved by next week.

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• mediageek 12-30-05 broadcast quality mp3 (64kbps 13 MB)

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