CPB Accelerates Station Conversions to HD Radio

9/27/05 The Business Monthly

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and iBiquity Digital Corp. have announced an agreement that will accelerate the conversion of more than 800 AM and FM CPB-funded stations to iBiquity’s digital HD radio broadcasting.
Under the agreement, CPB will purchase a group license that will allow more than 400 CPB-funded public radio stations to acquire iBiquity’s digital HD radio technology. This group license will also cover costs associated with the technology’s advanced services, such as multicasting and datacasting.
“This historic agreement will give the overwhelming majority of public broadcasters the resources they need to pursue digital HD radio broadcasting and leverage the full range of capabilities made possible by the system,” said Patricia Harrison, CPB president and CEO.

Bob Edwards Again To Be Heard On Broadcast Public Radio

9/22 - From FishbowlDC:
Word out of DC's XM Satellite Radio is that 18 months after he was unceremoniously dropped from NPR, Bob Edwards (right) will be available on public radio again. PRI will start carrying a weekly version of Edwards' greatest hits from his XM show. The DC-based Edwards, who during 25 years at NPR became one of the best known voices on radio, has been hidden from public view at XM since his show launched on the network's public radio channel. The two-hour "Bob Edwards Weekend" will include snippets and interviews from his daily XM show. "We are thrilled to offer Bob to our public radio affiliates," says PRI's Alisa Miller in a press release. "His probing style, acerbic wit, and delightful humor are unparalleled, and listeners will enjoy hearing some of the best guests, profiles, and other features he presents each week".....

NPR executive Drake to step down Sept. 30

Former Sun editor Marimow to become acting vice president for news at network
By Stephen Kiehl - Sun Reporter - Originally published September 21, 2005

The top news executive at National Public Radio, who led the network to numerous awards and oversaw a large jump in listenership, announced his resignation yesterday.
Bruce Drake, vice president for news for the past five years, said he would step down Sept. 30. Former Sun Editor William K. Marimow, now managing editor for national news at NPR, will become the acting vice president.
Drake, 57, did not give a reason for his resignation after 14 years at NPR and declined to be interviewed yesterday. In a memo to his staff, he praised its coverage of major news events, from the 9/11 terrorist attacks to the war in Iraq to Hurricane Katrina.
"I truly stand in awe of what you have all accomplished," Drake wrote. "Each time one of these stories has challenged us, you out-do what you have done before. Each time, the power and eloquence of your storytelling goes up a notch."
During Drake's tenure as vice president for news, NPR won nine Peabody Awards and six Alfred I. duPont Awards for excellence in broadcast journalism. And in the past six years, NPR has doubled its weekly listenership, to 26 million.
Before joining NPR, Drake had spent 20 years at the New York Daily News in positions ranging from police reporter to White House correspondent. He is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University, where he was editor of the student paper.
"Bruce is the kind of editor who has really been in the trenches, so he knows, in terms of stories, what's possible, what's probable, what's highly unlikely and what's impossible," Marimow said.
"Bruce really nurtured an environment where good journalists could do good journalism."
stephen.kiehl@baltsun.com