No More Finals At Harvard U? No More "Orgies"(tm) @ WHRB?

[Laurence Glavin]

The Boston Sunday Globe for October 3rd contained an article about the demise of final exams at some colleges, with a focus on Harvard University. For years, nay decades, exam time was also the time for "Orgies"(tm) at WHRB, AM 550; FM 107.1; FM 95.3. Would the eradication of final exams (the article didn't mention mid-semester exams in the December/January period) mean the end to these "Orgies"(tm)...and perhaps the NEED for a terrestrial radio station at Harvard in the first place?

 

[carmen]

i have a need for WHRB. not that i couldnt accumulate a decent collection of classical, jazz, and obscure record-hospitalia, but outsourcing to experts is the way the world works

 

[Eli Polonsky]

The Boston Sunday Globe for October 3rd contained an article about the demise of final exams at some colleges, with a focus on Harvard University. For years, nay decades, exam time was also the time for "Orgies"(tm) at WHRB, AM 550; FM 107.1; FM 95.3. Would the eradication of final exams (the article didn't mention mid-semester exams in the December/January period) mean the end to these "Orgies"(tm)...and perhaps the NEED for a terrestrial radio station at Harvard in the first place?

You'd have to ask someone at WHRB whether the change in Harvard exams will result in any change in their programming, "Orgies" or otherwise. I'm not involved, so I don't know.

However, as for your last question, WHRB does not exist only for the "Orgies". While many of them have been spectacular over the many decades, WHRB has significant listenership (for a non-profit college station) for its regular programming as well. The only every-weekday daytime jazz block in Boston, the only every-weekday source of deeper classical music (than WCRB), the only every-weeknight hard-edged college alternative rock program with live hosts all night long (WZBC, WMBR, etc.. sign off in the wee hours, some others go automated), popular long-running weekend specialty shows including bluegrass, blues, etc... WHRB serves niches in the Boston area, and their regular shows have faithful audiences. It also still serves as an outlet for some Harvard students interested in doing radio, the original reason for its existence.

 

[4CX1000A]

You'd have to ask someone at WHRB whether the change in Harvard exams will result in any change in their programming, "Orgies" or otherwise. I'm not involved, so I don't know.

I'm on WHRB's board of trustees, so perhaps I'll do. The change in Harvard's academic calendar that took place last year means winter Orgy period now falls in December instead of January. Spring Orgy period will end a week or so earlier as well, as Commencement is now in late May instead of June.

Other than that, there should be no significant changes.

"Orgy" is a registered trade mark of The Harvard Radio Broadcasting Company, Incorporated.

 

[Laurence Glavin]

I do believe that somebody at WHRB is designated as "The Orgy Director". His (or her) parents must be so proud.

 

[bigtom101]

The Boston Sunday Globe for October 3rd contained an article about the demise of final exams at some colleges, with a focus on Harvard University. For years, nay decades, exam time was also the time for "Orgies"(tm) at WHRB, AM 550; FM 107.1; FM 95.3. Would the eradication of final exams (the article didn't mention mid-semester exams in the December/January period) mean the end to these "Orgies"(tm)...and perhaps the NEED for a terrestrial radio station at Harvard in the first place?

I would LOVE for finals to go the way of the do do and cart machine. But...what are these "Orgies" you speak of?

 

[Laurence Glavin]

The Boston Sunday Globe for October 3rd contained an article about the demise of final exams at some colleges, with a focus on Harvard University. For years, nay decades, exam time was also the time for "Orgies"(tm) at WHRB, AM 550; FM 107.1; FM 95.3. Would the eradication of final exams (the article didn't mention mid-semester exams in the December/January period) mean the end to these "Orgies"(tm)...and perhaps the NEED for a terrestrial radio station at Harvard in the first place?

I would LOVE for finals to go the way of the do do and cart machine. But...what are these "Orgies" you speak of?

Extended periods of special programming, usually music, mostly classical (all the recorded works of J. S. Bach, taking a nearly a week to play); once-in-a-while non-musical, like comedy bits or old-time radio shows. Orgies were supposed to be background material while " students readied for exams.

 

[raccoonradio]

Scene from Animal House; one of the Deltas is trying to get a girl to attend a party
at Delta House:
"I'm not going to your orgy."

"It's not an orgy, it's a toga party..."

But the orgies indeed have been long running themed programs that run for extended periods
of time--and I remember when a brief magazine called Radio Waves used to list them (probably
got info from WHRB Prog Guide, which I'm sure is still around). The Muddy Waters Orgy.
The Bach Orgy. Etc.

At my station we're prevented from playing the same artist more than a certain amount of
time in a three hour period, lest we be taken off the webstream due to DMCA rules. I suppose
we could do "the blues orgy" etc as long as we followed the rules about number of songs
by same artist.

btw re: Animal House :the real Animal House was at Dartmouth, where future
Natl. Lampoon writer Chris Miller went to school...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_house

>>However, Kenney felt that fellow Lampoon writer Chris Miller was the magazine's expert on the college experience...Miller submitted a chapter from his then-abandoned memoirs entitled "The Night of the Seven Fires" about pledging experiences from his fraternity days in Alpha Delta ..at the Ivy League's Dartmouth College, in Hanover, New Hampshire.
-----------------------------------
The National Lampoon of course was spun off from the Harvard Lampoon

 

[Eli Polonsky]

At my station we're prevented from playing the same artist more than a certain amount of
time in a three hour period, lest we be taken off the webstream due to DMCA rules. I suppose
we could do "the blues orgy" etc as long as we followed the rules about number of songs
by same artist.

Actually, I believe that the WHRB "orgies" that feature one recording artist or group are in violation of the DMCA, and that WHRB is either ignorant of it, or counting on the fact that enforcement seems to be nil. Though some stations (including WMBR, where I do my music show) do comply, I have never heard yet of any station anywhere being caught and penalized for exceeding the amount of airplay per artist allowed within the allotted time by the DMCA, and it has been in effect for at least more than half of the past decade.

In spring '09 WHRB did a Grateful Dead "orgy" that ran nearly a week, in which they played every one of their series of live archival CD's of past concerts (called "Dick's Picks") released throughout the 1990's and early 2000's in its entirety, about 35 volumes, mostly multi-disc sets. I called one of the students hosting and asked how they get away with that with the DMCA, and his answer didn't make much sense to me. He seemed to believe that WHRB was somehow absolved of the regulations, but honestly, I don't think he really knew what he was talking about.

 

[Deleted User]

The DCMA prevents you from playing X many songs by an artist in Y amount of time, in addition to preventing you from announcing ahead of time what song you are ging to play next.

Does anyone think there are people recording songs off the radio anymore? I can get any song I want off of YouTube, and strip the audio off it and save it as a MP3 file with any one of a dozen free conversion programs, and by other means.

In any 3-hour period, we can webcast:

* No more than 3 songs from one album;
no more than 2 played consecutively
* No more than 4 songs from a set/compilation;
no more than 3 played consecutively
* No more than 4 recorded songs by the same artist
(live studio appearances are okay)

 

[raccoonradio]

A few weeks back I played three songs in a row from the same Boogaloo Swamis album
and it wiped our stream out. (Forgot that 2 in a row is OK, not 3). Technically it was a best of
album and I could have said that one of the songs came from an earlier album, maybe....? OR
done two from same album, song by a diff. artist, then a third song from that first album

Sometimes the Vt Public Radio show My Place has had situations where they have had to
substitute a previous show on the stream because they couldn't stream a certain artist, due to
copyright, I think. (The show has oldies and the stories behind the songs)

There may be ways around the limit; a local band is Sweet Loretta's Snake Oil Jug Band.
They used to be called Cheap Champagne. Same three people basically in the band
but different name...

Copyright hits YouTube, too. You can post a scene from a movie and a song is in background
(example: My Summer Story, the sequel to A Christmas Story, had "theme from the good,
the bad, and the ugly" in background. YouTube had to wipe out the sound but left video up.
So, video clip with no dialogue at all... Other times they will allow it but a popup window
will say what song and how you can buy the file.

A puppeteer I know did a cute video of "If I Had A Million Dollars" by Barenaked Ladies with
puppets of a dog and a bear, etc. and it worked really well till YouTube disabled the
sound. Now it was worthless. Though it IS on his site:
http://www.fluffandsuch.com/vids/FS-Million_Dollars_CABLE.mov

Agreed about band appearances (we have had artists down at WMWM to perform their
own songs and they can do more than 4, etc. Often we will ask their permission to
play back the performances later and give them a copy of their performances, of course.)

Maybe DMCA, etc. is indeed paranoid about recording off air, etc. Some mp3 players like
my Sansa can record off FM radio, etc.

No more "album plays" like the old days. I used to get airchecks where you'd hear a classic
country show and "today we're playing side 1 of Buck Owens' Tiger By The Tail" etc

What about all-Elvis, all-Beatles shows? Admittedly in case of latter you may get by, by
playing some solo Beatles recordings and only a select number of songs by the band...

 

[mgpt6]

I bet every college station has run broken DCMA rules at one time or more.

 

[Eli Polonsky]

I bet every college station has run broken DCMA rules at one time or more.

I also hear many commercial stations break them frequently.

 

[kc1ih]

I guess DCMA doesn’t apply to the single-artist channels on SiriusXM?

 

[Eli Polonsky]

I guess DCMA doesn’t apply to the single-artist channels on SiriusXM?

Are those stations also streamed online? If not, it doesn't.

The DMCA applies only to stations that ALSO stream their audio online. If those channels are only on satellite radio and aren't streamed on computers, they don't apply.

 

[kc1ih]

The SiriusXM channels are streamed online, but for subscribers only.

 

[raccoonradio]

Yup I'm one (you do have to pay a little extra for online streaming--or you can pay to listen online if you have no XM radio) and they do have Elvis Ch 18 (13 on Sirius) etc. Special
arrangements? No doubt the estate of E.P. gave OK?

 

[CTListener]

Yup I'm one (you do have to pay a little extra for online streaming--or you can pay to listen online if you have no XM radio) and they do have Elvis Ch 18 (13 on Sirius) etc. Special
arrangements? No doubt the estate of E.P. gave OK?

As I understand it, Sirius XM's single-artist channels, both the one-week, temporary variety (like the Elton John channel last week) and the more permanent ones (like Grateful Dead Radio and the latest, Pearl Jam Radio), are basically legal payola. The labels or the artists' management pay Sirius XM for the channel and saturate it with product. SiriXM pays the Presley estate for the Elvis channel, though. Same thing goes for Margaritaville Radio, which technically isn't a single-artist channel because only one of every five songs is by Jimmy Buffett except during the request hours, during which all you can request is Buffett.