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Hackers hijack radio stations to air a furry podcast
In the kind of story we should probably get used to hearing, Ars Technica digs into an incident Tuesday morning where someone redirected multiple radio stations including KIFT and KXAX to broadcast an archived episode of a NSFW podcast for the furry community. It's not clear who was responsible, but it appears to be linked to a coordinated effort to compromise Barix boxes many radio stations use to stream content for broadcasts. As we've seen with security cameras, baby monitors, cars and other connected devices, if something is left exposed to the wider internet with a default or weak password, hackers can and probably will access it.
SETI to begin searching older star systems for sentient life
The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute haven't had any luck finding signs of alien life so far, but it could just be that they're looking in the wrong place. To date, SETI has only searched around younger stars like our own but the Institute on Friday announced that it will expand its search to include older, red dwarf stars as well.
DARPA's next challenge could lead to AI-powered radios
So far, the solutions to wireless spectrum crunches have involved either offering relatively untapped airwaves or reusing frequencies that were previously assigned to something else. However, DARPA knows this can't go on forever -- and it's looking for help to devise a clever way around the problem. The military research agency has launched a new Grand Challenge that will have teams develop artificial intelligence-powered radios that cooperate with each other to avoid wireless congestion. Rather than force devices to use narrow frequency ranges regardless of how crowded they may be, DARPA would like to see those gadgets negotiate frequency sharing whenever they need it.
DAB radio gets 12 extra stations in the UK
If you have a shiny DAB radio sitting in your car or living room, now's the time to walk on over, turn it on and retune. Why? Well, a second "multiplex" has gone live in the UK today, opening up some much-needed airwaves so that a bunch of new stations can be broadcast. Once the process is complete, you should have access to the following: Share Radio, Premier Christian Radio, Fun Kids, Kisstory, Planet Rock, Absolute 80s, Sunrise Radio, Jazz FM, Awesome Radio, UCB2, Panjab Radio, and Heat.
BBC Radio 1 will broadcast a monthly gaming show
Slowly but surely, BBC Radio 1 has expanded beyond radio and into social and video. It now has its own iPlayer video channel, for instance, which hosts original shows, Live Lounge recordings and interviews with musicians and celebrities. MCV reports that for its next trick, Radio 1 has commissioned a new gaming show, titled The Radio 1 Gaming Show, which will launch in March be hosted by games presenter and YouTuber Julia Hardy.
iHeartRadio brings its internet radio stations to Apple TV
Earlier this year, Apple CEO Tim Cook proclaimed that TV's future meant more apps. That's certainly the case for Cupertino's streaming device, and today the gadget got one more piece of software. iHeartRadio now streams radio and other music content to the set-top box, offering another option for bringing some audio into your living room. The internet radio app also streams to Play-Fi-enabled speakers, too. With the Play-Fi app on both iOS and Android, you can beam high-quality lossless audio and control the stations with your phone or tablet.
Listen to NPR clips right in your Facebook news feed
NPR will offer bits of its audio stories directly in your Facebook news feed throughout December and January, NPR Tech Reporter Aarti Shahani announced via Twitter today. (If that lede doesn't encapsulate the idea of "old" media meeting new, we're not sure what does.) The social-media experiment offers clips of audio and a link to "Listen on NPR," which takes users to the full story, outside of Facebook. The experiment will be available via the Facebook iOS app and the site's desktop version.
Deezer expands podcasts and talk radio to bolster its streaming library
After nabbing podcast company Stitcher in late 2014, Deezer added the listening material to its own service earlier this year. Now, the streaming option is filling out its library and adding some to features to make the experience a bit more enjoyable. First, Deezer's lineup of podcasts and talk radio now totals 40,000, doubling the previous tally. The library of shows includes programming from the likes of NPR and CBS News with sports coverage from TalkSport (in the UK and Germany) and more. Next, the company's apps have some new tools for podcast listening. There are playlist and sharing options now, as well as offline listening for Premium Plus subscribers that'll allow access during a flight or other times a connection isn't available.
Pandora signs $90 million truce with the recording industry
Thanks to a quirk of copyright law, songs recorded before February 15th, 1972 weren't covered at the federal level. It's a loophole of sorts that Pandora, amongst others, has exploited to play classic pre-1972 tracks without paying a cent to the record labels. Or, at least, that was the case, since the firm has just signed a deal with the RIAA that'll see it pay $90 million to get the record industry to stop hassling it in the courts for unpaid royalties. It's the second big deal of its kind to land in the last few months, with Sirius XM paying $210 million in a similar deal back in June. It's probably not worth mentioning that the RIAA is scoring another own-goal, since services like Pandora are good for music sales, is it.
DARPA's developing a data network that connects squadrons even when jammed
DARPA issued a Broad Agency Announcement solicitation for a new program called Dynamic Network Adaptation for Mission Optimization (DyNAMO) which aims to keep America's manned (and unmanned) combat aircraft connected even if enemy forces attempt to jam their communications. But that's not as straightforward as it sounds. US aircraft are additionally hindered by the fact that many of the platforms operate on incompatible radio networks using different encryption schemes. And while the DoD has already developed specialized data-link gateways to act as universal translators between them, the gateways' bandwidth is limited.
Anti-drone rifle shoots down UAVs with radio waves
While the US military continues to develop new and awesome ways of blowing aerial drones to smithereens, not many of these systems can easily be adapted to use in the civilian realm. That's why Battelle has developed the DroneDefender, a shoulder-mounted rifle that knocks UAVs offline with a barrage of radio waves.
TuneIn adds NFL broadcasts to its $8 premium radio subscription
Back in August, radio-streaming app TuneIn announced its $8/month premium streaming option that included music, audiobooks and live sports. Today, the company revealed that NFL games are now part of its on-field coverage. Thanks to a multi-year deal with the league, TuneIn will offer live broadcasts for all 32 teams, including both home and away play-by-play feeds. What's more, all national and Spanish radio broadcasts will be included as well. There's an NFL on TuneIn station too, serving up football coverage around the clock with news and commentary from NFL Network shows and podcasts. Starting in November, there will be a live "look-in" show streaming through the app that'll offer news, stats and clips of in-progress games on Sundays from 1 PM to 8 PM ET. If you're willing to follow the action the gridiron without the visuals, TuneIn is certainly a cheaper option that the NFL Game Pass which offers video replays in addition to live gameday audio for $99/year. NFL streams join MLB, Barclays Premier League, Bundesliga and more sports coverage that's already available through the TuneIn subscription service. [Image credit: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images]
Ebro Darden: the DJ who curates the sound of New York on Beats 1
"Beats 1 worldwide. Always on," Ebro Darden's voice booms on the radio. A little over three months ago, Darden became the voice of New York on Apple Music. When the service was announced, Apple was already late to the music-streaming battle. But it hoped to gain some ground, and listeners, with a human edge. In addition to streaming music on demand and personalized playlists, Apple threw Beats 1 into the mix. The radio station would offer "human curation" in the form of three distinctly different DJs in music capitals of the world. But it also promised a star-studded lineup of hosts who would share their own playlists. Ever since, Drake's OVO Sound Radio has dropped exclusives; St. Vincent's quirky mixtapes have struck a note with fans sending in personal snippets; and Elton John's Rocket Hour has often taken listeners back to a pre-streaming era.
FAA tests tech to spot illegal drone operators near airports
As the number of privately-owned UAVs have exploded here in the US, so too have incidents of hobbyist drones being flown too closely to airports. More than 100 incidents have been reported every month this year, up from a handful of occurrences in 2015, according to FAA deputy administrator, Michael Whitaker. To combat this trend, the Federal Aviation Administration is looking into technology that zeros in on scofflaw drone pilots by tracking their radio signals.
Pandora snatches up Ticketfly to become a one-stop shop for music
Pandora has been providing artists with tools to connect with fans and understand their audience for a while now, but the company is getting serious about event promotion, too. The internet radio service announced that it's purchasing Ticketfly, a company that offers ticketing and other marketing tools for live gigs. Ticketfly currently works with 1,200 venues and promoters to help folks like you and I find and purchase tickets to catch a live show. The acquisition means that Pandora will have a way for artists to sell tickets in addition to its AMP (Artist Marketing Platform) feature that provides audience info and Artist Audio Messages that help them directly connect with fans. It also recently purchased Next Big Sound to help with listener insights and trends. This deal for Ticketfly is worth around $450 million and it's said to be "a nearly equal mix" of cash and stock.
HiddenHUB speaker scans the room to produce the best sound
It takes a unique set of features and an interesting design for a portable speaker to turn heads these days and Hidden's newest offering is definitely intriguing. The company's HiddenRadio series was its latest release, providing pop-up pills of 360-degree sound and capacitive touch controls. This time, it's taking to Kickstarter to launch the HiddenHUB, a more well-endowed offering that goes beyond the basics, with adaptive acoustic sound, smart features and a sleek futuristic design. If you're intrigued, you can head over to its crowdfunding page today and take advantage of a limited early bird deal of $339, which is a hefty savings over its proposed $599 retail price. That's certainly not cheap, but it does sound like an interesting piece of kit, especially when it can do double duty as a glowing blue wall sconce.
BBC to create 'personalised radio' that switches between stations
The BBC offers a mixture of local and national radio stations aimed at different types of listeners. Want the latest chart-toppers? Radio 1 has your back. Prefer something classical? Just switch to Radio 3 instead. The problem is that many Brits have eclectic music tastes spanning more than one station. To stop listeners from tuning out, the broadcaster is planning a personalised radio service -- a single stream that intelligently switches between live and on-demand broadcasting based on your preferences. So let's say you like the Today programme on BBC Radio 4, which runs from 6 to 9am. But you also love Lauren Laverne's show on Radio 6 Music, which kicks off at 10am -- the service would, in theory, change stations automatically, and maybe throw in a podcast for the hour in between.
TuneIn Premium streams live sports, music and audiobooks for $8 a month
The ability to livestream television, especially sports, is handy while you're away from home. But what about the times (driving, working, etc.) when you can't give a screen your undivided attention? You could opt for an all-audio option. With TuneIn's new subscription service, you won't have to worry about missing Major League Baseball, Barclays Premier League or Bundesliga action. For MLB games, you can choose between either the home or away feed for every game from spring training through the World Series. The BPL play-by-play is provided by talkSPORT, and while all Bundesliga matches will stream in German, only select match-ups will be available in English.
BBC's license fee study muddies the debate it tries to solve
WIth the BBC's funding firmly in the government's sights, the broadcaster has published a new study attempting to highlight its value. With help from research agency MTM, the Beeb removed access to its TV and radio broadcasts, as well as its websites, from 70 households in order to find out whether they would be missed and whether British families would still be prepared to pay for a licence fee after a brief hiatus. While some are claiming the report is a victory for the BBC, its findings aren't as simple as they initially look.
Shure wants dedicated spectrum for wireless audio gear in the UK
The proliferation of mobile phones is great, and so is the availability of 4G in the UK. However, dwindling spectrum available for wireless audio gear could cause problems at your local music venue or playhouse -- especially in the UK. Shure, the pro audio company, wants a dedicated radio spectrum for wireless microphones, in-ear monitors and other tech. As the company puts it, the best area for the audio gadgets to work is UHF bands IV and V or 470 – 854MHz. In the UK specifically, the 800MHz band has been approved for use by 4G networks and 700MHz is next. Those bands were made available after television service switched from analog to digital a few years back.
