I made a similar WTF thread back when Q101 (Chicago) changed overnight from a rock station to a peddler of generic inoffensive bullshit. The station honestly wasn’t *that *great in the first place, but what the christ?
Meh. I have a cd player in my car. While driving is the only time I ever listened to the radio anyway, so I don’t care anymore.
Spotify. For the same price as satellite radio, I have pretty much any song I can think of at my fingertips whenever I want.
Sadly, she’s been overseas too.
Loved your work in Neighbours!
Wait, I’m confused. The OP’s station changed to Top 40, and the last song they played is “Freebird”?
Yes, the last song they played in the old format was “Freebird.”
Because they’re free to be like every other station now. A certain Reel Big Fish song might’ve been more topical, and fit the demographic better (I still consider them new, off of my lawn!)
I replaced my car radio a couple of years ago with one that has a USB jack on it. Now I mostly listen to my 120Gb ipod, and occasionally stream audio on my phone (yay unlimited data). I control what I listen to, not some jack-booted baby-raping corporate thugs.
Clear Channel can go fuck themselves with a rusty screwdriver.
Fuck Clear Channel.
For anyone who is interested in finding better radio, I am a big fan of WNCW. Completely independent, listener-supported, streaming radio for music lovers, by music lovers. The format runs the gamut - bluegrass/classic country on Saturdays, celtic stuff on Sundays afternoons, reggae sunday night, indie rock, jazz, blues, world music dotted around the clock. They do NPR updates at the top of the hour during the day. The DJs obviously have real passion for what they choose to play. Everything about the station just screams “we actually give a shit about music”, as opposed to almost every other station I can pick up which tend to be just the opposite. Unfortunately I can’t pick it up through the air where I live (Raleigh NC, the station broadcasts out of Charlotte), but they simulcast on the web which works great for me. Check 'em out late night if you can - ARC Overnight with Rob Daves is usually amazing.
Over-the-air in my area is grim. I usually go to WCPE The Classical Station. Occasionally NC State radio or Duke University radio is OK, but not that often. I’m not even that big of a fan of classical (I respect it enormously, but it’s not my go-to genre), but they don’t play fucking ads.
I’ve had satalite radio. I stopped paying for it after I discovered that the stations there repeat songs more then terestrial radio does.
Clear Channel is owned by Bain Capital. I would blame Romney.
Absolutely.
96 Rock is now top-40? WTF?!?
I haven’t lived in the ATL for over a decade and that pisses me off.
Just wanted to mention that we have a classic rock station in Tucson, 96.1 KLPX, that will be reaching its 34th anniversary in a few days. Same format since Sept. 25, 1978. Aren’t you envious?
Was it called “classic rock” in 1978?
My grandpa lives in Tucson! I knew I should have gone to live with him after high school like my parents wanted. But no, I had to stay here with the deadbeat boyfriend. Dammit! :smack:
Interesting question. I believe in 1978 they probably were more like AOR. I remember a lot of then-current stuff they played in the 80s would now be considered classic rock. They still play the same tunes, only mixing in new tunes from artists that fit the classic rock format such as Aerosmith or Joe Walsh. The first song they played in their current format was Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll” and Zep was still an active band in '78.
The best rock stations I’ve heard were in New Hampshire. I was hanging out there and my goodness, that was some good radio with very discerning, well-chosen 70s and 80s hard rock selections. That must be a good side effect of being stuck in the 1980s (you still see a lot of mullets and jean jackets on the street in NH)
In most other places I fully agree that radio is utter crap. I get the impression that talk radio (mostly sports and politics… bleurgh… or poor man’s Howard Stern clones) has chased out a lot of the musical interest that used to be on the radio.