Long before the phrase “social media” infiltrated the minds of the masses there was public radio and Boston’s underground station, WBCN, was at the forefront of bringing revolution to the people. Much like the grassroots efforts of today’s Occupy Wall Street, WBCN broadcasted the rock music of a generation and reflected on the political and social changed taking place between 1968 and 1974.

In 1970, Bill Lichtenstein was 14 years old and the youngest DJ in WBCN’s history. All grown up, he is now a documentary filmmaker and determined to raise enough funds to put together an archive and film about the brief yet volatile history of WBCN.

“WBCN and other free-form radio stations across the country gave a voice to young people like me who were demanding change from our leaders,” Lichtenstein said. “It is the perfect time to go back and capture the days when rock and roll radio and the underground media changed the world.”

Already more than 50,000 pieces of WBCN memorabilia have been donated to the project to be added to the film archive and enthusiasm is growing. More and more creative projects today are being funded by Kickstarter.com and The American Revolution is among them. Perhaps the most widely discussed Kickstarter campaign so far, the fundraising has brought together a community of artists and broadcasters that haven’t been together since the 1970s.

But the adults aren’t the only ones having fun. Tiffany Lopinsky, a local high school student working on the film said, “To me the film is about educating people about the generation of the 1960s. Back then they had their own kind of social change through media. We’re having our own…now. You can see the parallels and learn from them.”

In Fall 2012 The American Revolution film and WBCN Nation will be having a release party at the infamous Paradise Rock Club with rock and media stars coming out en masse. With four days left a call to arms has been sent out so donate, purchase tickets, and occupy the revolution!

More information at: kickstartWBCN.com and theamericanrevolution.fm

After a drop in listenership partly due to weak AM signal, WEEI The Sports Hub (850 AM) will begin simulcasting on WMKK (93.7 FM), wiping out the existing pop rock station on that channel.

The Boston Globe reports that Entercom, WEEI’s parent company, will announce WEEI’s switch to the station best known as Mike FM.

The Sports Hub executives have denied claims that a simulcast on FM radio was in the future, but it has been discussed that this would be a smart move for the station.

This news comes only a few months after WEEI’s victory in Arbitron’s spring ratings book.  The station earned an 8.8 share, winning the men 25-54 demographic.

The announcement will most likely be made on Thursday morning at 8 a.m. on the “Dennis and Callahan Show.”

NEW YORK — The vast majority of American cell phone users (which is the vast majority of Americans) would pay extra to be able to listen to their local radio stations on their phone.

With all this talk about Pandora, iTunes, iheartradio, and all the other apps, 76 percent of cell phone owners would pay a one-time fee of 30 cents just to be able to tune to 107.9 or 101.7 on the FM dial, according to a poll conducted by Harris Interactive, one of the world’s leading research firms.

But we should mention, as a caveat, that the survey was commissioned by the National Association of Broadcasters. The 30 cent fee doesn’t seem significant either.

What is significant is that 71 percent of those aged 18-34 said they would actually listen to local radio if the feature was available.

Those surveyed cited local weather and musical preference as reasons why they’d listen to radio.

LET GO: Ed Oliveira (pictured) and Charlie Padgett (Blast staff photo/Sarah Gordon/File 2009)

We’re just going to assume this isn’t our fault.

WFNX, with new vice president of broadcast operations Mike Tierney, is making huge changes to the station’s lineup.

“The Sandbox,” the popular morning show that Blast sometimes appeared on, has been axed. The Sandbox’s Charlie Padgett and Ed Oliveira were fired, and Dustin Fletcher Matthews and news reader Henry Santoro will join a new morning show with program director Keith Dakin.

WFNX will also no longer air Dr. Drew Pinsky’s syndicated “Loveline” nighttime radio show.

In the afternoon slot. "Big Jim" Murray has been replaced with former WBCN jock Adam 12. Murray will stay at the station but will have an off-air role.

The Boston Globe reported Saturday that ESPN Radio WAMG-AM 890 will go off the air on Monday after a series of problems, including awful signal strength and an utter lack of local programming.

But that’s not what makes the Globe’s story so interesting.

ESPN Radio isn’t going away in Boston. The Globe’s sources say ESPN may move programming to Boston’s mainstay sports station, WEEI-AM 850, because WEEI plans to move itself to an FM station to compete better with the new CBS station, 98.5 The Sports Hub.

The company that owns WEEI, Entercom Communications, only has two FM stations that it can use. Entercom also owns WRKO-AM 680.

The Sports Hub kicked rock station WBCN off the air, and the company that owns WEEI only owns two FM stations that it can move it to: Mike 93.7 and WAAF 97.7/107.3. WAAF and Phoenix Media station WFNX are the only rock stations left in Boston.

Mike 93.7 sounds like a much better option. The station doesn’t have nearly the following that WAAF has, but there’s at least the possibility that WAAF could get axed. Whichever station gets WEEI, the Globe says that ESPN will take over the WEEI-AM station to supplement the ESPN Boston website, which starts Monday.

Entercom had no news posted on its website Saturday.

“Special” Ed Oliveira lounged on the sunny outdoor deck out back at Allston’s Deep Ellum, nursing what can’t possibly be his first Allagash of the day. He’s all smiles and small-talk with a pair of female brunchers at a nearby table, letting his aviator sunglasses draw just enough attention away from the faux-hawk he sports with mock seriousness. The girls thanked him for his menu recommendation and giggled at his inaudible closing quip before he refocused his attention.

Listeners?

“Fans,” Oliveira clarified. “Let’s call them fans.”

It was just after noon on what seemed like hottest Saturday of the year, and one thing was already certain: The guy knows how to knock back a cold one long before it turns warm. He also knows his strengths as a radio personality. Words roll off his tongue as if he had a six-figure audience there to hold onto each one. He’s not fishing for laughs, but he is listening to himself.

If I ran golf, it would be a full-contact sport, said Special Ed (Blast staff photo/Sarah Gordon)

“The Washington Redskins and the New England Patriots are complete cosmic opposites,” Oliveira mused at one point, invisible fists raised in anguish to the football gods. Other deep thoughts: “Satellite radio is already dead,” and “mixed martial arts is the pinnacle of full-contact spectator sports.”

He gets even better later on: “If I ran golf, it would be a full-contact sport. All players would carry a quiver of the four basic clubs and travel on foot. It would be survivalist golf. There would be no waiting. An opponent can sneak up behind you while you’re putting and break your legs with his driver, and you’d lose.”

Fine craft brews aside, this is more professionalism than narcissism. And it helps that Special Ed is actually quick and funny. He verbalizes thoughts, tries out material, comes back to talking points for another go-round. At least the cute waitress in the sundress and the menu-challenged ladies to his left are within earshot. They’re getting a free show, and they don’t even know it.

Consider this rehearsal, then. For the past two years, Ed has acted as one-third of The Sandbox, WFNX’s uncharacteristic attempt at a talk-centric morning radio show in the Boston market. The move was met with some criticism. How can the historically musical FNX justify a four-hour broadcast with maybe a dozen rock songs thrown in to break up the banter? This is the station that broke The Pixies. Kurt Cobain was an avid listener. You know, “Boston’s True Alternative?” As it is, this clogged market is rampant with humor-and-talk teams: Toucher and Rich on WBCN, Ramir and Pebbles on JAM’N 94.5, Opie and Anthony on Sirius/XM, Howard Stern, etc. With such immense pressure and competition, it’s easy to see why Oliveira never actually drops the routine. In truth, there isn’t one.

“I can’t turn it off,” he said. “I’m not playing a character at all. The Special Ed you hear on the radio is 100 percent genuine. Off the air, I’m still that same asshole.”

That’s hardly an understatement, though one would be tempted to apply “lovable” as a modifier for that self-given title. “Fearless,” too. For what other New England semi-celebrity would call the sport of baseball “boring and outdated” and riff on his “newly instilled sense of annoyance for the Boston Red Sox” that comes along every summer? Oliveira has lived in Boston only a little more than two years, but this apparent cultural divide illuminates his overall appeal. Like much of The Sandbox’s young-and-hip listenership, Oliveira admitted Boston may not be his permanent home, but in the meantime, he hates the Green Line for the same reasons as the rest of us and is no stranger to the phrase “Boozy Mick.” The only difference is that it’s part of his job to talk about it.

“I don’t find many of the aspects of Boston pride all that sacred,” Oliveira said. “I think we aim to attract an overall intelligent audience — a more worldly audience than just Boston. It’s a great market and a great town, and FNX is a great station. But our industry’s so weird right now that it’s hard to tell where it’s going. If you wanna be a movie star, you go to L.A. If you wanna be a radio guy, you go where the work is.”

This is exactly what he did in the summer of 2007. Along with co-hosts Charlie Padgett and Dustin “Fletcher” Matthews, Oliveira was transplanted from WYDL in Richmond, Virginia to take over Michael Swayze’s popular morning rock show on FNX. Since the transition, music for the time-slot has been cut down to “maybe four songs an hour,” while a wide array of topics are discussed each day in a rapid-fire call-in format: News, sports, politics, movies, music or “basically whatever we feel like,” Matthews said.

Among the trio’s talk are special guests, interviews, comic bits and commercials. The latter is probably the most significant change from the show’s birth as a podcast in Virginia, besides then being able to swear. Oliveira (whose real last name is d’Oliveira), Matthews and Padgett worked at WYDL doing marketing, afternoons and mornings respectively. They started The Sandbox as a podcast in 2004.

“We were never live before FNX,” Oliveira said. “The original idea was just to have an excuse to goof off, swear and drink. But people listened. We were in three different states at one point, and thanks to Skype, we were still able to record the show together, as if we were all in the same room.”

The three low-on-the-totem-pole radio employees would not have had the chance to do a podcast at all had it not been for WYDL higher-up Mike Murphy. “Mike was the buffer between the people behind the boardroom doors and our shenanigans,” Matthews said. “He made it possible for our podcast to exist.”

Despite the blessing from Murphy, Matthews (who is Ed’s roommate) maintains that “the funniest stuff happened off-air, like when we built a bathroom in Mike’s office.” The team installed restroom amenities like a toilet and a faucet, not to mention a fully operational plumbing system, in a room that was big enough for only Murphy’s desk and bookshelf. Murphy was simultaneously confused and amused. While not a gag that would work well on radio, one has to admire the anarchic inventiveness.

The youngest host of the show, Fletcher Matthews stuck to bottles of Miller High Life, sporting plastic lime-green wayfarer knockoffs to rival the kitschy impact of Special Ed’s aviators. The conversation veered off to the recent Best Music Poll free concert, to the The Gaslight Anthem, to the gruff Midwest punk bands that somehow instantly unite their common listeners. The back deck of Deep Ellum was once again bathed in sunlight and populated by groups of attractive drinkers soaking in the vitamin D as their livers do the alcohol. There was not a microphone in sight but Oliveira and Matthews appear in their element. A surprising amount of their rapport later winds up as asides on the following day’s show. The waitress — same as before — brings over each new longneck as the previous one’s frothy final gulp is about to be consumed.

Clearly comfortable with each other, the Sandbox guys know how to make an impression. But they weren’t so lucky upon their initial meetings with WFNX as the station searched for a possible new morning show.

“It was a long, slow hiring process,” Oliveira said. “But the beautiful thing about FNX is that they don’t think just like a radio company.”

Matthews chimes in: “They are very protective of their workplace and the people are passionate about what they’re doing. They have a huge standard for quality and a demanding audience to maintain. You know the FNX audience is tough to impress. It’s like, ‘Oooo … we all love Roxy Music.’”

Challenges presented themselves early for the trio. At one grueling interview in Boston, the General Manager was an hour-and-a-half late. “He barges in the board room,” Oliveira said, “and says verbatim to us, ‘Sorry I’m late but I don’t give a shit about any of this.”

According to Fletcher and Ed, even Henry Santoro, a radio veteran and longtime WFNX stalwart, was initially unimpressed. “I’m not kidding,” Oliveira said, “but he said he wasn’t interested in any of our ‘small-market bullshit.’ Unless we made some changes.”

That request was honored, and Matthews, Oliveira and Padgett got the job. They broadcast the first Sandbox show on July 23, 2007. The initial response from the public was overwhelmingly negative, as is the norm for regular radio listeners to throw their arms up in defiance at the first sign of change. Fast forward two years and Santoro is now a regular on the show. “They told us, ‘Oh, and you also get Henry. He just sort of comes with the station,’” Oliveira said. “Despite the fact that he’s sort of just a piece of furniture that hangs out in the studio, he eventually became a father figure for us on the show.”

Co-host Charlie Padgett confirmed Santoro’s status. “The only thing that makes Santoro “Ëœlegendary,’” he said, “is the fact that he has managed to hold down the same job for 26 years by doing the absolute minimum amount of work possible.”

Padgett is a little older than Matthews, a little younger than Oliveira, and is referred to as the “vanilla” one by his colleagues. Case in point, he was absent from the afternoon bar trip because he was taking his wife and kid fishing. But he defines his role in the group a little differently. “Just because I don’t live in an apartment with outdoor-carpeting indoors doesn’t mean I’m “Ëœvanilla,’ he says. “I got my rock n’ roll lifestyle out of my system 10 years ago, when I was single, sort of good-looking and in halfway decent shape.”

If anything, Charlie rounds out the ball-busting dynamic that has helped The Sandbox quickly establish a loyal audience. There’s a certain affection to the extended arguments on the show that shows up in conversation. “Ask Ed,” Padgett said, “who’s 38 by the way, how many times he has been asleep in the floor of the green room on a Tuesday morning compared to how many times I have been asleep in the floor of the green room. And no one can be as hipster-awesome as Fletcher. “ËœOoooooh! I only go to bars that take cash!’ Get out of here. Give me a corner booth, a decent-looking waitress and a few hours and I’ll show you a good time.”

Or just hand the man a microphone.

Now, distinguished guests like Loveline’s Dr. Drew and the comedian Gary Gulman champion their experiences as some of their favorites. Oliveira is particular taken by Dr. Drew. “If it were up to me,” he says, “I would replace Charlie with Dr. Drew any day.”

Still, the rag-tag dynamic and speed of high-energy talk radio remains, The Sandbox having come into its own recently pretty much by just being itself. “It comes down to this,” Matthews said. “There’s no sleeping in. We have a show to do. But there’s a constant dog pile mentality. If there’s any sign of weakness on-air, you jump on it until it’s crushed.”

“We are all such sensitive babies who constantly criticize our own work,” Oliveira added. “A normal person would be reduced to tears.”

The guys insist that whatever they have to offer is either self-taught or at least affectionately derivative. These guys were raised on Howard Stern, whom they idolize, but The Sandbox possesses an attitude all its own. The hosts are engaged in a “love fest” with Sam Yoon that involves the ringing of a gong each time the candidate is on air. They think it would be funny to do a segment called “We Need More Black Friends.” They had Fletcher do a serious review of the animated 80s version of Transformers: The Movie, where their “Bah Weep” slogan originated. See? It’s natural.

“I went to the University of Tennessee for like a weekend,” Matthews siad. “It was pointless. There’s no guarantee to be successful on the radio and you can’t just learn it at some media studies program. Are you a hard worker that’s good on the air? Then you’ll be successful. That’s it.”

It also helps if you can put away a dozen beers before 3 p.m. and still be able to shoot the shit on a summer’s day. As if it were your job or something.

Alana Levinson and John M. Guilfoil of the Blast staff contributed to this report — mostly drinking.

“There’s no better way to reach large numbers of male listeners than through exclusive sports programming” said Dan Mason, the president and CEO of CBS Radio in a statement released this morning.

And with that cheerful tone, the corporate machine is axing 104.1 WBCN: The Rock of Boston, leaving most of New England without a dedicated modern rock and roll radio station.

On August 13, Mix 98.5, one of those “80s, 90s and today” top 40 stations will move to the 104.1 frequency. CBS Radio will launch 98.5 The Sports Hub in the other slot. WBCN will continue to operate as a web-only broadcaster. In Hartford, a very similar radio station with the same frequency, 104.1 “Radio 104″ WMRQ was shut down in much the same way by owner Clear Channel several years ago.

According to the company website, CBS will try to change the call letters of 98.5 to WBZ-FM, named after its historic AM news and talk station.

This is a money decision for CBS.

“Advertisers will have an array of opportunities to brand themselves on the website using text, audio, and video, along with the capability to target consumers down to a specific zip code,” the company said about its new sports station.

Morning show personalities Toucher and Rich will run mornings on the new sports station.

Blast learned the news today while editor John Guilfoil was giving a video game themed broadcast on the morning show of the independent 101.7 WFNX, the only remaining rock station in Boston. However, WFNX and WBCN have decidedly different music and decidedly different listeners. While there is much crossover, WFNX is known for its indie rock while WBCN blasts the harder stuff. WBCN gained its fame in the 1960s, when it was at the forefront of the growth of progressive rock.

The move marks the end of an era in Boston and is utterly devastating to Boston’s suffering local rock music scene, which has been on the downturn for almost a decade.

The police scanner is still one of the most versatile tools in the journalist’s arsenal, sometimes right up there with the No. 8030 Gregg Ruled spiral reporter’s notebook and a pencil (pens are unreliable when it’s -10 degrees or if its raining).

Spot news photographers are famous for their scanners. I once rode along with a photog who had five scanners going in his car at once. Personally, whether I’m on the road or in the office, the scanner is usually clacking and beeping away with potential news from around Boston or the surrounding towns.

The antennas that come with scanners aren’t exactly professional grade, but they get the job done … mostly.

But there exists a whole, eager, dedicated group of hobbyists in the field of scanning. Some of them build their own antennas, and others buy any of a variety of commercially available ones.

Lately, there’s been buzz about a so-called “Snoop” antenna, which is essentially wire inside a PVC pipe. It’s popular on eBay and some other online retailers especially.

So I bought one.

Here is some technical jargon:

The antenna claims to be tuned to 30 – 1200 MHz, but the lower bands, 30-200 MHz come in very poorly compared to the higher end of the spectrum, 450-900 MHz.

The majority of police and fire departments around Boston use 450-490ish MHz, but many still operate on the lower band, 150-162 MHz, and some towns even operate on the 25-50 MHz band.

Technical jargon over.

The Snoop antenna picks up the 400 MHz frequencies very well in my tests, pulling transmissions from Brighton to as far north as Andover, as far west as Framingham, and all the way south to Plymouth. Plymouth and Andover are well more than 20 miles away, but Framingham is much closer, and I believe the reason I’m not picking up many more is because more departments in MetroWest use the lower frequencies that the Snoop isn’t picking up.

I’m not an expert, and I don’t have sophisticated, expensive equipment to compare it to, but if you want one guy’s advice: The Snoop picks up frequencies from farther away and works well on higher frequencies. Overall, it does work better than a stock antenna, but don’t expect miracles.

The Logitech Squeezebox really tickled our fancy. This product will forever change the way we listen to music. We like it, in part, because the Internet provides tons of free choices from radio stations all over the world.

It would be fair to go into the ring not expecting much of a fight out of the plucky $300 Logitech — it’s based on fairly lossy streaming Internet audio after all and built on good if not basically mediocre drivers. But no. It sounds good. Not audiophile, but you’re not paying for audiophile either, are you?

One of the funnest things about the Logitech Squeezebox Boom is listening to Radio One London from an apartment in Boston.

That’s why Blast loves the Squeezebox: expanded horizons.

One of the funnest things about the Logitech Squeezebox Boom is listening to Radio One London from an apartment in Boston.

Tuning via a knob is much easier than tediously and repeatedly pressing buttons over and over, so that’s a big plus as well.

Download an audio design white paper on the Squeezebox Boom.

Pros: Internet radio provides a number of free choices from radio stations all over the world, giving you not only a wide range of music, but a little culture. A ton of the content is free, and you can also stream your existing music collection from your computer to the Squeezebox. It plugs into your network or downloads via Wi-Fi.

Cons: You have to download special software to send your MP3s and music files to the device. It doesn’t automatically find them on your network.

The final word: This is really more of a lifestyle choice than an impulse buy, meaning it will change your music listening life. We loved it.

Don’t miss John Guilfoil’s “Five ways to listen to music without an iPod” story, in The Boston Globe.

The Meridian F80 was pitched to us as a solution for a flashy executive as a great “secondary audio system” for bedrooms, kitchens, etc.

Of course, this British audio product partially designed by Ferrari costs $3,000.

The Boothroyd Stuart Meridian F80

It may not be cheap, but what the F80 is is a full on 2.1 (two speakers and a subwoofer) stereo system with two programmable antennae, input/output options and an excellent CD player built in/

You can also buy an iPod dock for the F80, but if you buy a $3,000 stereo, don’t sully it with your compressed musical crap, ok?

The rear mounted subwoofer adds amazing depth to the system, but the real surprise is that the two front speakers don’t sound like they’re inches apart. You get a spacial experience that feels like a room full of sound in a compact little red box.

Pros: The F80 sounds amazing. It is a complete 2.1 (two speakers and a subwoofer) setup inside one compact box. It plays CDs, AM/FM radio, and you can even plug it into your television/home theater to play DVDs. If you really miss your iPod, you can buy an external dock to plug it in.

Cons: Why doesn’t it have HD radio? We understand that not everyone is all about HD radio, but why not throw it in for three grand?

The final word: The F80 is basically a portable home theater with 80 watts of power. It doesn’t feel like the speakers are right next to each other. If you absolutely have to have the best stereo/radio/alarm clock, drop your chips here.

Don’t miss John Guilfoil’s “Five ways to listen to music without an iPod” story, in The Boston Globe.

Promotional:
Get the best home theater speakers for optimum home theater experience at The Speaker Company.

A few years ago, you were looking at $400+ for any decent Cambridge SoundWorks product at their mall-front audio boutiques.

You got a good product, but they sort of fell into the Sharper Image category of “oh, this is nice, but I’d never spend that much money on it.”

The big difference, however, is that Cambridge actually has useful products that normal people can benefit from instead of hundreds of different back massagers.

Cambridge SoundWorks, now owned by Creative Labs, decided to close all of its retail outlets and focus on direct marketing — reducing their and our costs.

Thus, the SW820 HD Radio, which would run you hundreds more in the store days, is only $129.99, and it still sounds like $400.

Not everyone is a believer in HD Radio, and we’re not necessarily sold on the concept either. But look at it this way: Radio is here to stay. Why not give HD a shot if it really does offer more programming options for free?

There’s just one flaw in that otherwise impeccable logic. The HD signals are often spotty at best, especially getting 15-20 miles into the suburbs, away from a metro radio signal.

Here in Boston, you’ll have a hard time getting a good HD signal — or the stations-between-the-stations — on the South or North Shore or beyond Framingham. (West Coasters — think of that as deep into Orange County from Downtown Los Angeles.)

The other big flaw with the SW820 is that the antenna is a bitch to screw on, requiring a special wrench that comes with the radio. Don’t lose it, or you can forget about HD programming no matter where you are.

The radio does sound very good, and tuning via the knob instead of repeatedly mashing buttons is a relief. When you do get an HD signal, you clearly notice the difference.

Like it or not, HD Radio sounds good, and for the $100 you’ll spend on Amazon for this baby, Cambridge SoundWorks makes their case.

Don’t miss John Guilfoil’s “Five ways to listen to music without an iPod” story, in The Boston Globe.

Are you in a band? Do you want to succeed in the business world? Did you ever wonder what brings success? If you answered yes to any of these questions, let Dayna Steele give you the answers.

The 90′s radio personality better known as the First Lady of Radio, worked with iconic bands, married an astronaut, founded a business and mothered three sons aside from promoting her books. As she explains, her life has been “everything but boring.” In trying to show people that their lives can be as interesting too she wrote Rock to the Top and shares life and business lessons rock stars turned entrepreneurs use.

“I love adventure my whole life has been an adventure, every day I wake up and think oh my God I am so lucky. Even going through a hurricane I still thought I was lucky because I didn’t loose much. I always tell people I work really hard to make this life this good. If you want a great life no one will get it for you, if you want to be a success in anything its up to you,” Steele said to Blast.

In reference to the hurricane, the lady of radio experienced hurricane Ike since she lives in Houston, TX. In fact, a week after the hurricane hit, our scheduled interview was in the middle of her home reparations.

“I don’t want to say that Katrina was not important because of course it was, but we were hit as hard and did not receive the attention. Mainly because when FEMA finally got here one guy said, “ËœI’ve never seen such incredible destruction over such a wide path but I’ve also never seen such work ethic and neighborly concern to one another.’ I said, “Ëœwelcome to Texas,’” Steele recalled.

Whether it came from her Texan background or her father’s mentorship Steele has continuously been a “go-getter.” Raised with the teachings that every job is worth giving it 100 percent effort, Steele knew she loved music; and although when auditioning to be a DJ she did it to impress a guy, she felt that a radio career could be a shoe-in. So she dedicated herself to making it big.

After getting the radio job she didn’t land a date with the guy, but she did get people’s attention. Her midday show with Houston’s radio powerhouse KLOL grew in popularity because of her friendly manner and ability to relate to listeners (nicknamed Steeleworkers) or bands like the Rolling Stones. Over her tenure in radio she was nominated as Local Radio Personality of the Year by Billboard Magazine and included in Talkers Magazine’s 100 Most Important Radio Talk Show Host. Being VIP at shows, getting platinum records as gifts and living backstage life were her everyday happenings.

“If people only knew the tings that went on backstage they’d be impressed, everyone thinks its sex drugs and rock and roll and if it had been we’d all be dead! After a very successful career I felt I could try other fields so I left radio and started being a business woman, a successful business woman,” she adds.

Hanging with band members, who knew fame could be temporary, taught Steele valuable lessons she shares in writing. Her book is divided into easy-to-understand chapters targeting specific areas. First chapter being dedicated to passion because, “if you truly have a passion for something you will keep trying no mater what.” Following chapters target confidence, organization skills and even a section about health and business leading titled, “We Can’t All be Keith Richards.”

The book contains anecdotes of her years in the music world with morals that are identifiable. Without the bore of typical business books Steele’s style is casual and poignant so that readers feel as if she’s talking to them one-on-one. Her advice aims to prove that businesses can be successful in any field, not just the typical banking or investing routes.

“After leaving radio I started making professional speeches but they were boring and I always had a question about rock at the end. This was what people wanted to listen, the rock stories. So, I used my stories to talk about business and wrote the book in the same way. Overall reaction has been amazing, but from business people being that they were motivated to do something else they always wanted to do. That is the best response ever,” the author admits.

Her various roles in life have shown the lighthearted woman that giving can also be rewarding. The mother of three said that she knew she wanted to have kids, “I just never knew how much I would like them.” In setting a good example for them she has dedicated time to promote national pride and teach her children to be good doers.

She launched Operation National Anthem with the idea that soldiers in service record a simple request to be played at events, large or small, around the United States before the national anthem is played. The soldiers remind people to be respectful and quiet during our anthem’s run. Like with her other projects, the videos Steele created are being played across the United States now.

“My boys are 9, 12 and 20. They have chores, we expect straight A’s and they get punishments. I try to tell them to look at the world and see how good they have it. Anything we have its worth fighting and working for and its to do it for the passion not the money,” Steele said.

If your interests are as broad as this Texan’s and you need a little guidance, Rock to the Top is a valuable read. Aside from getting tips you will be entertained and amazed with the personal stories of a woman who is everything, but boring.

Enter to win a copy of Dayna’s book by emailing Giveaways@BlastMagazine.com

Howard Dean, Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, gave the Democratic radio address to the nation this week. He used it to come out strongly against Senator John McCain, the presumed Republican presidential candidate.

“Citing Senator John McCain’s belief that the country is better off, when more than a quarter of a million jobs have been lost this year and many people are struggling to make ends met, Dean noted how out of touch McCain is with the challenges facing American families,” the DNC said in a statement Saturday. “Despite his talk about fiscal discipline, Senator McCain has failed to account for the costs of a long-term engagement in Iraq, making the Bush tax cuts permanent, and giving additional tax cuts to billionaires.”

Transcript:

Good morning. I’m Governor Howard Dean, Chairman of the Democratic National Committee. I want to start by offering Pope Benedict XVI the warmest welcome as he travels here in the United States. He is in our thoughts and prayers while he visits America.

His visit reminds us of the Catholic values of social justice, working for the common good, and caring for those most in need.

These are also the values of the Democratic Party.

We face challenging times in our country and our world. Our troops are in Iraq – many on their second or even third tour of duty. The gap between the most fortunate and everyone else is widening. As we elect our nation’s next leader it’s important that we choose someone who understands the struggles that so many families here at home face as they try to make ends meet.

As I listened to Senator John McCain’s remarks about the economy this week, I heard more of the same Republican policies that George Bush has brought us for the last eight years.

This year, more than a quarter of a million Americans have already lost their jobs. Since the Republicans have occupied the White House, seven million more Americans have lost their health insurance. Wages have fallen. Gas prices are at record highs. And even groceries cost more than they have in the past 17 years. And America has the largest deficits in our history.

Senator McCain believes we are better off.

On the campaign trail, Senator McCain talks about spending American tax dollars responsibly. But how can he think he’ll pay for a $12 billion a month war in Iraq, make the Bush tax cuts permanent, and give additional tax cuts to billionaires without making our deficits even bigger?

So far in this campaign we have heard very little “straight talk” from John McCain.

He was against the Bush tax cuts before he was for them. He was for comprehensive immigration reform before he was against it. He was for campaign finance reform before he said it didn’t apply to him.

Next week, Senator McCain will embark on what he’s calling a compassion tour. We haven’t seen much compassion from George Bush and I don’t think we are going to see any more from John McCain: privatizing social security, denying our children health care, adding eight trillion in new deficits, no plan to turn our economy around, or help people keep their homes.

We honor John McCain’s service to our country, but John McCain is not the right choice for America’s future. This November, voters do have a choice. If you want to see more of this Bush economy, if you want to see our troops in Iraq for a long period of time, we can stay the course with Senator McCain.

But the Democrats have a different vision for America’s future. Both of our candidates for president have a plan to get us out of Iraq responsibly so that we can invest in the American people and American jobs.

We have a history of balancing budgets, the only party to do so in the past 40 years. Both of our candidates will turn our economy around with fair and honest tax policies, will help people keep their homes, and finally have a health care system that makes sense for all of us.

But most importantly, both of our candidates will restore America’s moral leadership at home and around the world.

I’m Governor Howard Dean, Chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Thanks so much for listening.

iHome, the folks who brought you the hot iPod alarm clocks you’re starting to see in every hotel room similar to this one, is going to release some beautiful new iPod-compatible audio systems. We had the chance to take an early look at two of them.

One is small and loud, and the other’s got Bluetooth.

They’re still in the concept stage. Here’s what we’ve gathered so far — mind you nothing is set in stone.

The iH69 iPod Computer Speaker System with Computer Sync, in addition to being a mouthful, is a compact, versatile solution for all your dorm/desktop/bedroom audio needs. It docks, charges, plays and syncs your iPod and computer audio (or any other audio source for that matter) and if it follows company trends, will sound as good as some of the larger computer speaker options out there.

It’s being marketed as a clutter-reducing sound solution. The iH69 also has a remote control and is built on 20-watt, 2.5″ Reson8 speakers.

iHome showed the iH69 concept at CES in January. Look for it later this year in the $200 range.

For a more robust choice, the iP47 looks like it will be a sick desktop solution with built-in Bluetooth to wirelessly stream your audio from a cell phone, PDA or computer. It also works with your iPhone and has a speakerphone/microphone combo that lets you take/make calls right on the device.

Like we’ve seen with other iHome clock/radio options, the iP47 also features dual alarms, AM/FM radio, snooze, etc.

iHome may have a few more tricks up its sleeve later this spring. Stay tuned.

Cobra Electronics will debut the first ever Bluetooth-compatible CB radio at the 2008 Mid-America Trucking Show March 27 through 29 in Louisville.

The patent pending 29 LTD BT is the first-ever CB radio is aimed at making communication easier and safer on the road by bringing your cell phone calls wirelessly into the CB unit.

This isn’t your normal Blast Magazine uber gadget, iPod, MP3 whatchamacallit, but the nerd in me squeals at the sight of this baby.

“With Bluetooth technology, the 29 LTD BT allows drivers a better way to have phone conversations on the road because calls from a mobile phone are synched with the CB radio. A noise canceling microphone allows calls to be heard loud and clear, even over a noisy engine,” Cobra said in a statement earlier this week. “Incoming audio is routed through the radio’s 5-Watt CB speaker making it easy for the driver to hear the caller. The Bluetooth feature also gives drivers the ability to answer and terminate calls by pushing one button on the CB microphone, allowing drivers to stay focused on the road.”

The new 29 LTD BT also has the standard CB complement including access to emergency channel 9, and tactile controls to allow the driver to feel where the dial is in its rotation without taking his eyes off the road.

The new unit also offers 4 Watts AM RF power output, the maximum amount of power allowed by law. (Insert Tim Allen grunt here)

The 29 LTD BT will be available this summer for $189.95.

High-end (they say “distinctive”) audio manufacturer Sonoro is storming into the American market with the release of the “cubo” line.

The product will come in two flavors — “cubo elements” and “cubo fusion.” The elements model comes with Internet radio that allows users to choose from 10,000 radio stations. There is also an AM/FM version of the product. “fusion” comes equipped with an iPod docking station and key-lock system to secure the unit in place.

“Cubo fits comfortably on nightstands, kitchen counters and tabletops, adding flair to any room,” the company said recently. “User-friendly buttons let individuals effortlessly control their music and program alarms to a desired song or radio station.”

The system is built on a full-range driver with a bass-reflex tube. It comes in three wood and seven lacquer-color finishes. It looks like a good one, and at $350, they just might catch the eyes of their style-conscious target market.