Published August 31, 2010

That's what we call a "good get." (Boston University Photography)

In this, WBUR’s 60th year, Aug. 31 marks the 90th anniversary of what is believed to be the first radio newscast, Wired reports:

The exact headlines of that day are of no historical significance, but with this local newscast a nascent medium finally conveys a message so compelling that it would soon capture the world’s imagination as only television and the internet would, many, many years later.

It’s an interesting read about the slow ascendancy of the medium. Newspapers were terrified of broadcast news at that time; many decades later, the killer medium would turn out to be the Internet.

Meanwhile, large public radio stations like WBUR are thriving in the United States today.

Some people declare radio dead or dying. Northeastern media blogger Dan Kennedy recently argued:

The only reason radio is still hanging on is that the ubiquitous, wireless Internet hasn’t come to your car yet.

Terrestrial (AM/FM) radio might have its physical limits, but the medium of radio is going nowhere. Listening data show us that satellite radio and podcasts have barely cut into overall FM listening. And on the Web, online streaming remains WBUR’s single most valuable asset.

Radio is the ultimate multitasking medium. What else can you take cooking, running, driving? What medium is more intimate, more immediate?

Published August 31, 2010

Bruce Berman, spokesman for Save The Harbor/Save The Bay, uses live seaworms to fish for striped bass on board his boat, The Shamrock, in Boston Harbor. (Lisa Tobin/WBUR)

All summer long, WBUR brought you stories of Boston Harbor, once the commercial and cultural center of the city.

We walked along the Greenway, trapped lobsters before sunrise, sailed with pre-teen girls, camped in an artist’s colony, followed a record-breaking swim and unearthed Nazis in the harbor. We tried to explain where the Harbor has been and where it’s going, to tell stories that illustrate our special connection to the waterfront.

As a look back, we’ve put together an audio slideshow of the most memorable images and sounds from the summer. And we’ve compiled a list of all stories in the series, if you need to catch up.

What was your favorite story? What is your connection to Boston Harbor? Tell us in the comments.

• WBUR Series: Looking Out: A New View Of Boston Harbor

Published August 31, 2010

Strike. (AP)

Dan Shaugnessey is sure of it:

We can all stop now. We can stop scoreboard watching, and doing math tricks, and harboring silly hope that there’s a big surge ahead that will thrust the Red Sox into the 2010 playoffs.

Better to cease with the torment now and accept the obvious. The Sox are not going to be in the hunt in October. The Boston baseball season is going to end Sunday, Oct. 3, at Fenway Park.

The Sox, decimated by injuries, are seven games back from the tied-for-first New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East.

The Herald, too, makes this slightly less dire assessment:

There is, however, an acceptance of this reality: The Red Sox are a longshot to make the playoffs.

The first Patriots game of the regular season is just two Sundays away. It’s practically winter already. Just sayin’…

Are you keeping the faith in Red Sox Nation? Or is football on your brain? Shout out in the comments. And if you’ve got our nifty iPhone app, you can respond in the “Assignments” section.