Radio

Memorial Day is the time we pay tribute to the men and women who have served to keep our rights secure and our country free. If you find yourself with a little personal time this long weekend and want another reminder of why we have an extra day off, check out some of the special radio programming dedicated to the military. There are Old Time Radio shows with lots of laughs from the likes of Bob Hope on USO tours to serious discussions about veterans on SiriusXM Satellite Radio. Read more.

The current scandal involving the IRS targeting conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status is a chilling reminder of how easily the government can infringe upon your rights. There are some other ramifications to this scandal which affect radio listeners because the ability to speak freely is just as important as the ability to listen freely. Read more. (Opinion) (Graphic: Internal Revenue Service, public domain)

Comedy Central is launching a 24/7 channel on SiriusXM Satellite Radio which will feature contemporary comedians you know and up-and-coming comics who are hot on the comedy circuit. In addition, the new Comedy Central Radio will offer selected archived audio from the Comedy Central library. Tom Petty is also getting his own 24/7 Internet stream based on his weekly SiriusXM show, Tom Petty's Buried Treasure. Read more. (Photo: by MusicIsEntropy, Creative Commons license)

SiriusXM Satellite Radio seems to have pioneered the idea of "limited Run" radio formats. Launching today is Tom Petty Radio which will be heard on Channel 111 until May 30. Expect to hear Petty's music as well as The Traveling Wilburys and Mudcrutch, his first band. (Photo: Tom Petty in Concert 2010, by MusicIsEntropy, Creative Commons License)

Then, beginning on June 1, SiriusXM will roll out Tom Petty's Buried Treasure to be heard 24/7 channel on SiriusXM.com, channel 714 and connected devices that stream SiriusXM Internet Radio.

Tom Petty's Buried Treasures has been previously heard as a weekly show on the service.

For more information, visit TomPetty.com.

It doesn't happen too often but this week I was faced with two dueling press releases in my inbox. One touted a survey from a traditional radio company about how strong AM and FM was. The second press release bandied about another survey done for an online streaming portal that basically trashed traditional radio and predicted it would be washed up in just a few years. I immediately realized the only fair thing to do was to pit them both against each other and may the best medium win! Read more. ( Clear Channel - One Side of the Duel, Graphic: © Clear Channel Media and Entertainment)

Listeners say Paula White sounded as if she was drunk. That's the report from news.com.au which says the host at BBC Radio Stoke "...slurred and stumbled her way through the first 30 minutes of her live show." (Right: Paula White, photo: BBC Radio)

White did admit she had tipped a drink or two but denied being DWI: Deejaying While Intoxicated.

You can hear a bit of Paula White on the air last Friday before she was replaced by another presenter. White is a 20-year broadcast veteran and was slated to begin a new job with the BBC the following day. No word yet on how that went.

Listen: Paula White on BBC Radio Stoke

The online music streaming service, Slacker, is out with some recent growth numbers. The portal says since a relaunch in mid-February over 6 million new listeners have signed up of which 3.5 million are on mobile devices. In addition, of the new listeners over 100,000 have upgraded to a paid subscribership. Listening time has also increased 25%.

Slacker is now offering a 13 million song library of streaming and on-demand music. Users can use a music guide and other tools to customize their listening experience. The service also offers 200 genre-based stations that are curated by specialists.

To try it out, head on over to Slacker.com.

Radio advertising is great. You can reach a lot of people - and target a specific audience - when you buy radio ads. Oops. Did I say "buy?" Something happened this morning which made me realize all this "money stuff" is really overblown. Forget cash. You want to acquire some radio advertising? Do what the really smart people do! Invest in donuts. Read more (Satire) (Graphic Credit: © Corey Deitz)

I try and avoid being negative because it's a dead end. That's why when I started mulling over some of the negative things that have reared itself over the past few years I decided to balance it out with an equal number of positive ones. Here are 8 thing about radio as it is today. Some are good, some are bad. You may agree with some or come up with a completely different list. But, then again, it's just my opinion. Read more.

Joey Boy is joining 101.5 JAMZ/Phoenix (KZON-FM) beginning this afternoon. Joey Boy will be heard from 2 p.m. - 7 p.m. on weekdays. He is also becoming the station's Assistant Music Director. (Right: Joey Boy, Photo: CBS Radio)

Joey Boy spent nine years in Phoenix at Power 98.3 between 2001 and 2010. He was most recently working in Ventura, California at Q104.7. In a released statement, Joey Boy said, "101.5 has always been a power-house station that I'm proud to say I'm now a part of."

101.5 JAMZ is a Top 40 station and can be heard online.