What is radio ? And what do we understand by ‘the’ radio ? Does it havething-ness, like the time it was seen as furniture covered by a piece of lace ? Is it without thingness, like the voice from an unknown universe ? Or does it takeits thingness from the very voice we do not know, but still recognize ? Is radio
recognition or alienation ? Reality or fiction ? Hard facts or entertainment ?
What is radio all about ? ( what can radio stand for ? ) It is a question that puzzles me. My project is a quest for answers. I therefore ask you: “ What is radio all about ? “ “Do you have the answer? “ Do send it to me spoken in your own words and language.All the messages sent to me will be part of a sound sculpture which I will design on the occasion of the Flemish radio broadcaster VRT’s WILD RADIODAY in March 2012.
I’m looking forward to receiving your reactions … Do not hesitate to forward this message to anyone who have a warm heart for radio.
Ward Weis

http://www.wiralab.com

Interesting call from Germany's national broadcaster. I can think of quite a number of Radia shows which would fit nicely into this environment, once they are chopped down to the required length... Here is the link: http://www.dradio.de/aktuell/1601309/

Deutschlandradio Kultur, a national public culture radio channel in Germany, is starting a new series. "Kurzstrecke" (short haul) is a joint project by the producers of Freispiel (experimental radio drama), Klangkunst (sound art), and Feature (documentary) on Deutschlandradio Kultur.
We support radio dramas that seek new forms of narration, sound art pieces that make noises speak, and artistic documentaries that bring multi-faceted stories to the radio. All this is being produced in the "classic" one-hour format, but also in shorter forms that are nimble enough to break fresh ground and leave stylistic boundaries behind. We will start presenting such audio miniatures in April 2012 on every last Monday of the month at 0:05 h CET (including one re-run a few days later). Therefore:

We are calling for innovative, timely, radiophonic audio pieces. We will select the most interesting submissions, and present them on our monthly late show "Kurzstrecke".

The pieces should be:
- no longer than 20 minutes
- not yet broadcast on German public radio
- previously unreleased on CD
- we accept pieces made available for download as wav files (no aiff or mp3, please) or on CD
- the selected pieces will be bought for two broadcasts. All rights remain with the authors.
- foreign language pieces should be intelligible for German listeners without translation.

Please send your submissions to:
Deutschlandradio Kultur
Abt. Hörspiel / Wortproduktion
Hans-Rosenthal-Platz 1
10825 Berlin
Germany

or send the soundfiles via e-mail to:
Barbara Gerland / Freispiel / Radio Drama (barbara.gerland[at]dradio.de) or
Marcus Gammel / Klangkunst / Sound Art (marcus.gammel[at]dradio.de) or
Ingo Kottkamp / Feature / Documentary (ingo.kottkamp[at]dradio.de)

Belfast based Radia artist Rui Chaves was involved in developing this free app that seems to be targeted at radio artists amongst other rare creatures. I'd be interested in hearing how well it works, they are offering their own icecast server for testing. Here is the how to: http://www.somasa.qub.ac.uk/~liveshout/howto.html

Below is the link and official description.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/liveshout/id469761290?mt=

Liveshout is a mobile streaming app that allows for single orsimultaneous multiple user broadcast. Liveshout works with Icecast streaming technology which allows for flexibility both in terms of
access and usage. The app is designed for locative media, sound and transmission art practitioners as well as amateur broadcasters.

Stream live soundwalks with high quality audio, collect multiple audio live streams for concert presentation or recording, use it as a baby monitor and much more… Try it and let us know about your projects using Liveshout!

List of Features :

    * High quality mono one-way stream
    * Ogg encoding
    * Based on Icecast streaming server technology
    * Single or simultaneous multiple user broadcast architecture.
    * Streams accessible though embedded web player, pure data or VLC
    * Works with wifi or 3G networks
    * Compatible built in or external iPhone microphones for high
quality audio capturing

More and more long wave and short wave radio stations are closing down or reducing their services around Europe, mainly due to cost factors. Now the BBC has found a reason to wind down its 198 kHz service of Radio 4: they can't find any more stock of the metre high glass valves that are needed to drive their 500 kW transmitter.

Expensive electricity bills are often cited as the main reason for the switch-off and I am wondering if the switch-over from analogue to digital has actually reduced the amount of energy used for transmission? If you consider both transmission and reception, is a high powered transmitter coupled with thousands of very low power receivers more or less energy consuming than a cluster of servers and thousands of personal computers and wifi-radios? Whatever the answer, in the digital domain the listener pays a bigger share of the electricity bill.

The Sound Bank is a new initiative from In the Dark, From first-time features to uncompleted passion projects, wild experiments to those great pitches that didn’t quite fit the brief, the Sound Bank is here to help you realise your ideas and explore the world of story telling in sound.
 How does it work? The Sound Bank scheme is offering funding of between £500 and £1500 towards the production of new audio pieces of 3 to 15 minutes duration each. Recipients of the scheme will also be allocated a ‘mentor’ to help with the artistic, editorial and practical realisation of their idea. The finished works will feature at In The Dark events and online. In addition In the Dark offers to promote winning commissions, liaising with broadcasters, webhosts, festivals and competition-holders across the English-speaking world. An independent jury of radio enthusiasts chaired by Nina Garthwaite will award up to four grants. The scheme is open to all – first-time producers and students, migrants from other arts and media as well as experienced radio professionals seeking the opportunity to attempt something bold and adventurous.
Deadlines
 All proposals and showreels need to be submitted by Monday 5th September Results will be published on this site on Friday 30th September
Pieces will need to be completed by January 2012
 For more info :: http://www.inthedarkradio.org/?page_id=1704

CALLING ALL FUTURES!

RADIOFUTURA
Local FM & http://futureplaces.org
The official FuturePlaces radio station

October 19-22, 2011

Digital media and local cultures intersect at FuturePlaces in Porto, bringing discussion and pratice to a common table. RadioFutura will once again be the place to find this intersection in the radio space, directly on your receiver at XX.XMHz in Porto or listening online.

This is a call for works to be streamed and broadcast on RadioFutura under the theme “Digital media and local cultures”. We believe the future of radio is Local. Come and participate!

We’re looking for pre-recorded programs of 30 minutes to one hour in length. Alternatively, if you're brave enough, you can broadcast live through streaming on from our temporary studios in  the city of Porto.

You can submit any kind of program, as long as it is connected to radio, digital culture and/or local cultures in any way. The moto of FuturePlaces 2011 is Intellectual Property, so here’s a starting point if you need one.

SONGS. RANTS. FIELD RECORDINGS. SOUND POETRY. MUSIC. EXPERIMENTAL. HOT TOPICS. PURE WEIRDNESS.

SUBMIT YOUR PROPOSALS TO: radiofutura at radiozero.pt

Deadline for submitting your proposals is: September 30, 2011.

Send your proposals as audio files (or links), with a brief description. If you want to do it live, by webstream or in Porto, please send it has proposal/rough draft and technical rider.

RadioFutura is a joint venture between FuturePlaces and Rádio Zero.

See/hear you in Porto (and in the ether) in October !

best regards,

Ricardo Reis
Heitor Alvelos

COL-ME (Bratislava, Slovakia) invites radio makers, collectives and radio stations to take part in the making of a temporary radio station scheduled according to wind-time - our very own TIK Radio, to be transmitting over the TIK Radiodays from the 6th - 11th of September 2011.
TIK Radiodays is part of TimeInventorsKabinet, a project dealing with alternative time control systems, investigating into time relations within biological and circumstantial ecologies. Within the frame of this project wind-time was established, that we take as a base for measuring a new time.
http://timeinventorskabinet.org

Wind-time is time, that is not based on a regular intervall like a second is, but rather on the fact if wind blows or does not blow. Therefore it cannot be forseen, when the radioshow actually starts (starting time) and/or ends (length). With this event we would like to break the idea of time-based and time-related media and free it from its horrible boundaries of seconds, minutes and hours.
See the original concept here.

For contributors we have various approaches, how you can participate without screwing up your regular schedule(s) while a special unit in Bratislava is taking the adventorous approach from the 6th to the 11th of September.
How can you contribute?

Radio makers and collectives
Pre-prepare or do live one or more radioshows or code a patch using data from the wind-time clocks.

• The adventurous approach: the start and/or lenght of your show will be announced by wind steered time
• The cushioned approach: the show will start at a given (classical) time and last given length

The TIK project runs a video and sound archive - padma - storing content made during workshops and working meetings. You might submit even unfinished small pieces or sounds into Padma (to be used by other participants), or use existing sound files in your show.

Radio stations
Consider providing us with 3-30 minutes of your airtime (or more) to transmit shows done by collectives.

• The adventurous approach: the start and/or duration of the TIK Radio slot will be defined by wind (and therefore involves unexpected changes in your radio schedule)
• The cushioned approach: the start and/or duration of the TIK Radio slot has a fixed (classical) time

TIK Radio will be transmitting over internet and apart from streaming shows submitted and done live there will be a constant static stream for the whole duration of the project.
If you are interested to be part of the special unit in Bratislava and/or want to contribute in any other way or have more questions, please don't hesitate to contact us!

Deadline for sumbissions: 15th of august 2011
Contact: callme@col-me.info

Emanating from the free103point9 headquaters comes this new book that I found in my letter box this morning

Already the cover image piqued my curiosity, who is the artist playing with the homemade receivers? Or are they transmitters? Or both?

Inside you will find a selection of 150 artists who each have a whole page divided between biographical information and one of their transmission based artworks including b&w photos. The artists range from early radio pioneers to fluxus founders to contemporary practitioners and many more inbetween. Many are completely unknown to me, partly because there is an understandable emphasis on artists who are based in North America. Their works are presented with just the right amount of text that makes me want to do more research on almost every one of them. At the beginning of the book there are furthermore vital sections on "Air Design (Inventors)", "Air Rights (Activists)" and "Air Support (Organizations)", with a paragraph on the Radia Network in the latter part.

I love the encyclopedic approach, it makes me aware how little I know about so many beautiful radio works. Time to follow in Marconi's footsteps and create a better connection between European and American listener makers.

To order a copy, click here or here

Under the program GHOST, Rádio Zero will be in residency at Re-al in
Lisbon and is making an open call for the submission of radio
programmes and proposals of radio programmes, either pre-recorded, to
be streamed live or made live in situ for the temporary radio station
Radio Real.

Radio Real will be a neighbourd radio located in Rua do Poço dos
Negros in Lisbon, broadcasting from the 15th to the 24th July 2011.
The proposals should expore the possibilities opened by the concept of
neighbourhood radio.

This call is open to all, from artists to radio producers and the
anonymous citizen, either portuguese or not.

Neighbourhood radio explores notions of distance, involvement,
comunity. Radio Real will be localy broadcasted in FM and worlwider
through Radio Zero webstream.

Deadline for entries: July, 3.
Length preference: 28:00 or 57:00. but we do accept other lengths.
minimum quality: mp3, 192 

info:
http://www.atelier-real.org/GHOST2011.htm
Contact: radioreal@radiozero.pt
Listen: radiozero.pt || || ||

This survey of the last decade in radio art first appeared in The Wire issue 320 October 2010. To get hold of a hard copy with many photos that go along with the article click here. Below is the text only version.

Click here to download:

Breaking_the_Airwaves.pdf (116 KB)

(download)

Click here to download:

Breaking_the_Airwaves.pdf (116 KB)