Completely Conspicuous 618: You Say It's Your Birthday

Celebrating the podcast's 17th birthday by talking to Amanda Guest about the 10th birthday of the radio station she founded, BFF.fm. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

• Amanda was last on the podcast 10 years ago talking about moving to SF and launching BFF.fm
• Plenty of surprises along the way
• She was a DJ at the Salem State College (now University) station for 18 years
• Commercial radio was already being automated in the mid-'90s
• Built a studio in the Secret Alley in SF
• A lot of the DJs at BFF now weren't alive when Amanda was DJing in the '90s
• Shorter attention spans: Newer DJs are doing one-hour shows
• Jay has been doing a show for BFF since the station started
• "Where's Koomdogg?"
• Building exposure through a crazy boat DJing gig
• Became a nonprofit in 2015
• Amanda was hired as the GM of the station, now doing it full-time
• Went from dues-based organization to nonprofit
• Allows BFF to fundraise and get grants
• Celebrating the station's 10th birthday with events throughout the city
• Amanda plans to stay involved but wants to retire at some point
• SF went into COVID lockdown early and stayed in it the longest
• Studio had to shut down so BFF enabled DJs to broadcast from home
• Found free space in the SF Ferry Building so were able to broadcast from there
• The future of radio won't get less corporate
• Not a lot of commercial stations for indie music, except for college stations
• Amanda: Big electronic music movement happening in SF
• Looking for new music
• The DJ as curator
• BFF has 120 shows on the schedule, most done live in the studio
• Different approaches to show construction
• Great achievements in song segues
• Jay: Coming up on 500 episodes of the radio show

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 290: Just Play Music

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Amanda Guest as we discuss the new online radio station she's launching. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").


Show notes:
- Recorded via Skype
- Launching her own radio station, BFF.fm
- Taking back real radio
- Hope to bring back the college radio experience
- KUSF is trying to stay alive
- Amanda: College radio had a huge impact
- Amanda lives within walking distance of rock clubs in SF
- Already had discussions with venues about sponsoring shows
- Starting with seven DJs
- One DJ in Massachusetts pre-recording shows
- Even before launch, BFF.fm has generated a lot of enthusiasm
- Amanda: Work full-time gig so she can do this during her spare time
- Bonehead of the Week


Music:
PJ Harvey - Shaker Aamer
The Moondoggies - Red Eye
Wavves - Hippies is Punks
King Tuff - Anthem

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

The PJ Harvey song was recorded in support of Shaker Aamer, the last British prisoner being held in Guantanamo Bay prison. The song is available for free download at Soundcloud.
The Moondoggies song is on the album Adios I'm a Ghost on Hardly Art. Download the song for free at HardlyArt.
The Wavves song is a bonus track on the album Afraid of Heights on Warner Bros. Download the song for free at Epitonic.
The King Tuff song is on his self-titled album on Sub Pop. Download the song for free at Epitonic.
 
The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blog Clicky Clicky. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 289: We Want the Airwaves

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Amanda Guest as we discuss the new online radio station she's launching. Listen to the episode below or download it directly (right click and "save as").


Show notes:
- Recorded via Skype
- Amanda was last on CompCon in October 2010
- Moved to San Francisco a year ago
- Launching her own radio station, BFF.fm
- Did a radio show at WMWM at Salem State
- Found studio space to rent at The Secret Alley
- Adventures in Console Purchasing
- Have 4-5 DJs lined up to do shows
- Possible launch date is Sept. 1, but you can listen to music there now
- Best Frequencies Forever
- Using word of mouth
- Partnering with San Francisco venues and brands
- Possible remote broadcasts with DJs from around the world
- Focused on underground music
- DJs "pay to play" in SF
- Hoping to get sponsorships
- Still working full-time while getting BFF going
- Lifelong dream to start a radio station
- SF is a lot more optimistic
- Bonehead of the Week


Music:
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Hate the Taste (live)
Quicksand - Fazer (live)
Rocket from the Crypt - Born in '69 (live)
Dinosaur Jr. - The Only Other Way

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

The Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Quicksand and Rocket from the Crypt songs are on the Converse Represent San Francisco live EP, available for free at Soundcloud.
The Dinosaur Jr. song is an unreleased track available for free download at SkullCandy.
 
The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blog Clicky Clicky. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.