Life In A. Minor: I Still Believe In Radio

By Broadside Columnist Andy Minor

Until recently, I had pretty much lost all faith in FM radio. Being a general rock fan in the D.C. area, I had slim pickings of music coming over the airwaves. Most of the radio stations I listened to while I was growing up had turned into something else. Classic Rock 94.7 turned into a generic rock station, spanning a greater variety, but also playing a lot more drivel. Big 100.3, a great oldies station, had pretty much morphed into what the classic rock station used to be. My radio dreams were further crushed in perhaps the greatest local tragedy of all time. 99.1 WHFS, a great alternative station, went under and became “El Zol,” a strictly Spanish speaking station. Only DC 101.1 remained untouched, but they only played decent music about 50 percent of the time. If I was lucky, I'd be able to pick up a Baltimore station or two, giving me another mediocre radio option in a world where FM radio is beginning to die.

This death is becoming increasingly obvious. I'm not saying I'm the world's biggest advocate for free, frequency modulated radio. I usually don't even listen to the radio that often since I've got my iPod to keep me entertained for long spans. Sometimes, I get lazy and it's nice to let some station scheduler pick what I'm going to hear. This is where my despair would begin: a simple trip to the store, so close that taking my iPod wouldn't be necessary. On the way, I'm either going to listen to the radio or the rumble of my 1992 Ford Taurus. When the radio isn't playing anything decent, I see my drive as a waste of time. Why ride silently in my car when I could have been listening to awesome music? Am I really supposed to choose between Rod Stewart on 100.3 and “Hey There Delilah” on 101.1? That's like picking between having oral surgery and cleaning a bathroom with your tongue.

My ugly options opened up recently, however, at the death of another long time D.C. radio station. Smooth Jazz 105.9 folded, leaving a vacancy for the return of something wonderful: a true oldies station. I'm not just talking classic rock here or even just rock in general. With 105.9, I get my fair share of R&B, Motown, Rock, Doo-Wop and more. Throw some great rock ‘n’ roll in there, and you've got yourself one fine radio station. Even though I may hear the occasional Rod Stewart or America tune, I know that Smokey Robinson or the Zombies may be up next. Yes, you have to deal with a few commercials. No, the station isn't perfect; but it is a step in the right direction. It has a classic playlist, minimal disc jockey filler and I usually find myself hearing something I like.

With this new radio option, the other stations that I had recently abandoned began to improve chiefly because I was only forced to listen to them if 105.9 was playing commercials. I now have a home base on the radio presets in my car, with the rest of my listening options at my fingertips. All of a sudden, with the addition of one consistently good station, FM radio in the D.C. metro area has worked its way back to decency.

This is the point where those satellite radio fans have begun to tear their hair out. For years, they have been living in radio bliss, filling their cars and home stereos with only the finest in commercial-free programming for a nominal fee. I have no problem with satellite radio, but I do have a problem with that nasty little subscription fee. I can pick up 105.9 for free in my car or in my apartment, free being the optimum word there. I already bought an iPod, why pay for other ways to listen to music? Satellite radio may have more choices and more refined categories, but you're still paying for someone else to pick your music for you.

I don't mean to bring down any of my satellite-friendly readers. I'm just trying to bring focus back to a really good music resource. It just seems that listeners today are forced at every turn to buy their music. There just isn't anything out there anymore for free aside from illegal downloads. Why should we ignore all this great music that requires nothing more than dated technology you can get at a dollar store? This obsolete technology still has a lot of life left in it.