A Montreal Rock station CHOI (96.9 FM) engaged in some psychological warfare today as the character "Super Pig" and a fellow conspirator taped a Montreal Canadiens jersey to the iconic Rocky statue in Philadelphia, PA. You can watch the photos here.
I would never try something this dangerous as knowing Philadelphia's reputation. I have been there plenty of times to know that Philly will not take this lying down.
When I was at Penn State, we continued the tradition called "guard the lion" - an all night party the night before the Penn State Football Homecoming game. The logic being that any rival school would not deface the Nittany Lion statue as it currently sits in the grotto just outside the Rec Hall gymnasium.
Not that I would condone such an act, but would we see a Philadelphia banner flying from Stade Olympique in the near future for retribution?
The FCC is considering retrofitting its rule book with a slew of vintage regulations that broadcasters say will mire them down with endless paperwork and tax their resources into a state of paralysis.
Among the rules the FCC proposes to reinstitute are ascertainment panels for neighborhood watch groups to give their input on such topics as the songs on a station’s playlist, hosts, advertisers and overall content of stations. The FCC also is considering re-crafting procedural guidelines for processing license renewal applications, similar to the process in place in the 1970s, and re-enacting the main studio rule to eliminate remote studios and stop voicetracking.
I love the idea that voicetracking is getting a look at during this examination process. With the advent of station formats that feature jock-less and wide ranges of play lists, this rule could affect the way station managers hire and demand the on-air talent be live while broadcasting.
Terrestrial radio must pull out all the stops now that it will be competing with a Sirius/XM company. I expect a renaissance of local talent to rise up against national broadcast formats.
