The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports on the Daystar Television Network, the Christian broadcasting service that is expanding its reach by acquiring licenses to public TV stations. Reporter Darren Barbee charts the network’s rapid growth and examines the fundraising practices of its televangelists. This summer, Daystar bid on KOCE in Orange County, Calif., and purchased Dallas public TV outlet KDTN.

Benetton has hired Kurt Andersen, host of public radio’s Studio 360, as editorial director of Colors, its multi-culti magazine.

Officials at Miami’s WLRN-FM face charges of racism after axing two Caribbean-themed shows, reports The Miami Herald. WLRN’s station manager defends the move as a way of making the station more consistently appealing to listeners.

The FCC has eased DTV simulcasting requirements for three public TV stations: KEDT in Corpus Christi, Texas; KTWU in Topeka, Kan.; and Pittsburgh’s WQED. The commission requires all public stations to simulcast half of their analog programming on their digital channels (PDF).

American University President Benjamin Ladner decided to remove WAMU Executive Director Susan Clampitt after several private conversations with station employees, the Washington Post reports. Ladner said Clampitt’s problems ran much deeper than a few disgruntled staff members, which Clampitt said explained certain frustrations.

WAMU Executive Director Susan Clampitt was forced out of her job today by American University President Benjamin Ladner. Clampitt had been heavily criticized for her handling of the station’s finances since taking charge in 2000. Ladner named his chief of staff, David Taylor, to oversee the station during the search for Clampitt’s replacement. Earlier Current coverage of the charges against the ousted e.d.

The University of Connecticut’s winning women’s basketball team has renewed a contract for Connecticut PTV to handle local broadcats of its games for five more years. The annual fee paid by CPTV for 17 or more games will rise from $600,000 to $1 million by the 2007-08 season.

Monday, Nov. 3 is National Traffic Directors Day, organized (of course) by Traffic Directors Guild of America. The guild is suggesting that bosses treat each TD and a guest to dinner on a tradeout deal with a nice restaurant. The guild is also compiling a salary survey for release in January, adding TV stations. Last year, 1,500 radio stations participated in the survey, the guild said.

USA Today profiles StoryCorps, the new oral history project from Sound Portraits Productions. “It’s history, bottom-up,” says Studs Terkel. [Current article.]

On the Media‘s Bob Garfield calls Terry Gross’s talk with Bill O’Reilly “an uncharacteristically ham-fisted hatchet job.” But he concedes, “[I]f I were face to face with him, it would be hard for me to resist what Gross could not resist.” (Via Romenesko.)

A Washington Post reader decries WAMU’s decision to drop bluegrass, while another supports the changes General Manager Susan Clampitt has made.

Technology analysts predict that Tivo will soon be eclipsed by the DVR-ready set-top boxes offered by cable companies, reports the New York Times.

New Hampshire Public Radio and Iowa’s KUNI/KHKE have started a weblog devoted to 2004 election coverage.

“NPR ombudsman Jeffrey Dworkin [sic] definitely needs to look for a new line of work,” opines a Capital Times columnist, weighing in on, yes, the Gross/O’Reilly affair.

David Isay discussed StoryCorps, his new oral history project, on Morning Edition. Also, today’s Talk of the Nation takes up the future of public television.