The State of Local Radio

[Giant Communist Robot]

Here in Honolulu, we have no classical music station. Unless you think that means "Rod Stewart." Using a table of random numbers from my CRC manual I listened to random stations at random times, etc., etc.

Here's the results:

24% of the time you will hear the station tout itself

37% of the time you will hear a commercial

39% of the time you will hear ZZ Top

[Shapley]

Most stations spend lots of time touting themselves. To be fair, however, you have to keep in mind that the FCC requires them to identify themselves at regular intervals and, if you're going to identify yourself, you may was well through in a plug. If you're going to have to say "This WXYZ in Cleveland", it's takes little more to say "This is fabulous WXYZ, Cleveland's premier radio station", especially since all they do nowadays is turn on the tape, they don't even say it live anymore.

They also spend a lot of time advertising for advertisers, explaining to them how effective their advertisements are, but, what they hey, it's the business they're in. If it keeps the music free, so be it.

We have one station here that frequently interrupts its 'commercial free song sets' to let us know that they are playing a 'commercial free song set'.

I'm not sure how much ZZ Top gets played, however, since I don't listen to 'pop' or 'classic rock' stations any more.

[barfle]

I thought classical music in Honolulu meant Don Ho.

Here in the deecee vicinity, we lost our commercial classical music station about six months ago, so now it's all NPR, which means it's interspersed with things like three hour news programs and comedies I don't bother with.

Long live beethoven radio!

[jamiebk]

I was just back in the dee cee area last week and was saddened not to hear my old favorite WGMS.

[Schmeelkie]

We still have 24-classical station - WXXI-FM 91.5. WXXI also runs an AM all talk/mostly NPR programming, TV plus I think 3 'digital cable' channels. Don't know what's on digital cable exactly - don't get it. Watch too little TV to begin with to subscribe to digital cable. The FM (and maybe AM)station also streams, but I listen to Beethoven so I don't get membership drives and I like the content better. Occasionally will flip over if I'm here late and want a traffic report before I get to the car. During their membership drives they will say that they are one of the few all classical stations left - you better support us!