Jennifer, Eric and Paul join together to review what’s news as we kick off the month of March. Top of the list is an upcoming FCC radio license auction. Originally planned for April 2020, but delayed by the first coronavirus lockdowns, the auction will see 140 commercial radio construction permits up for bid. We discuss if this is a good opportunity for community organizations hoping to broadcast, and things to keep in mind when applying.

A new Nielsen report shows that the podcast audience has grown more diverse than the US population as a whole, and Jennifer alerts us to a fascinating new podcast the dives into the audio diaries of former first-lady Ladybird Johnson. Then we dig into one of the biggest controversies in podcasting right now, the “Reply All” mini-series on the racist workplace culture at “Bon Appetit” magazine, that brought a spotlight on the racial inequities in the podcast’s own corporate home. Rather than picking apart the details, we analyze how simply being a new medium open to fresh ideas and voices isn’t enough to escape the racial and gender biases that are still pervasive in media organizations and the culture at large.

• FCC: Auction 109 announced
• Completion of this July commercial station auction is a pre-requisite for the upcoming non-commerical and LPFM license windows.
• Inside Radio: Podcast Audiences Are Increasingly Diverse with Different Strokes for Different Folks.
• ABC News: Audio diaries reveal Lady Bird Johnson’s unseen influence in husband’s administration
• Podcast #135 – Resurfacing Women’s Contributions in Podcasting History
• Podcast #184 – Hidden Women’s Radio History in Uruguay
• NY Times: ‘Reply All’ Podcast Is Paused After Accusations of Toxic Culture
• “Mystery Show” podcast
• “Back to the Double R” is Jennifer’s new “Twin Peaks” rewatch podcast

Feature image credit: Wikimedia Commons – CKUA Radio Tower on campus / Public Domain

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