Mine's WNKU, 89.7 FM, out of Highland Heights, KY, serving Cincinnati.  Tons of folk music from all across the board, and NPR news - what else could one need?

97.7 out of oxford.  Only thing is reception is spotty and sometimes they are just off the air all together.

Easy question.

WWCD (101.1 FM) - Columbus

KBRH (1260 AM) - Baton Rouge

WIP (610 AM) - Philadelphia

 

Honorable mentions

WCBE (90.5) - Columbus

WLVQ (96.3) - Columbus

WKNR (850 AM) - Cleveland

KYW (1060 AM) - Philadelphia

107.9 the end (if this was 1994)

^I was going to say I used to dig on 107.9 in Cleveland back in the day - when they switched formats to play alternative music, they didn't announce it - they just started playing "It's the end of the world as we know it" over and over and over, for 24 hours...got lots of buzz, at least on campus.  That was probably 1991 or 1992...

Remember when both 107.9 and 100.7 played local music?  Ahhh......those were the days!

 

I listen to college radio and NPR now- 87.9, 89.3, 90.3, 91.1

700, 550    WEBN 102.7  :banger: JK I listen to WGUC classical music/NPR

Dayton has become Clear Channel hell. Between the avalanche of commercials it's nothing but ghetto thump, low-rent Korn wannabes and Free Bird. The local talk station (WHIO) is an all day assault by the right-wing nut jobs, so I've resorted to the NPR station out of Oxford. It's ok, but sometimes I wonder if I'm actually listening to a SNL skit of public radio. For instance, a few days ago there was an hour long interview with the author of a book about earthworms(!)

 

They even had callers!

 

Caller:"When I'm walking my dog in the park after it rains, worms are all over the sidewalk - I push them back into the grass with a stick - Is that good?

 

 

Guest: "Oh, you're a good friend to earthworms" :|

 

 

^^^ Haha... yeah sometimes NPR tends to digress pretty far, but you have to admit that you learn a lot of stuff you probably wouldn't otherwise...

 

When I'm in the car, I usually listen to WGUC (classical & All Things Considered) or WVXU.

 

At home, I listen to indie rock on WOXY using iTunes. The station used to be broadcast from Oxford as 97X, but they sold their frequency or whatever last year. Now it's online-only in iTunes or woxy.com

Man, I like pretty-much all of them. My absolute favorites, however, would be:

 

WWCD (101.1FM) "CD101" alternative rock (similar to WOXY, but on the radio dial), locally owned

WBZX (99.7FM) "The Blitz" hard/current rock, locally owned

WLVQ (96.3FM) "QFM 96" mostly classic rock plus some current

WAZU (107.1FM) "The Big Wazoo" hard/current rock

 

Honorable mentions to:

 

WTDA (103.9FM) "TED FM" no format; plays everything

WXOL (1550AM) "Radio Sol" spanish language programming

 

(Just as an aside, Columbus' FM spanish language station, "La Equis 103.1" is terrible. All they play is Tex-Mex music. I can stand that for all of .03 seconds. Also, none of the above mentioned stations have anything to do with Clear Channel! Though TED FM does like to poke fun at them in their station promos... :-D)

 

^that mention of TED FM is similar to a station down here in Jackson, JACK FM.  No DJ's, they advertise that they don't take requests, but they play everything.  This morining on the way to work they played  Metalica then Joni Mitchell then Fugees and Debbie Gibson.  It is actually really good, for corporate radio.

I was wondering if it was the next format of choice for Clear Channel or whoever

These new stations ("JACK" "TED" "BOB" etc.) are somewhat of a new trend sweeping mainstream radio. I don't think there are any Clear Channel stations that have adopted a "no-format" format, as most of these stations are either local or are owned by radio companies MUCH smaller than CC. On TED FM, it's not uncommon to hear Quiet Riot followed by Michelle Branch and on to Sheryl Crow. It's definitely interesting to listen to.

Honorable mentions

WCBE (90.5) - Columbus

 

Good call on WCBE also. I like how the play NPR and BBC as well as a mix of local programming. Plus their intro page has a pretty cool view of downtown.

 

I suppose for the other spectrum of tastes:

 

100.9 The Wiz (Cincinnati)

Mojo 94.9 (Cincinnati)

Hot 102.9 (Dayton)

U-92 (Dayton)

Power 107.5 (Columbus)

Magic 98.9 (Columbus)

Z-107.9 (Cleveland)

Juice 107.3 (Toledo)

I almost never listen to the radio.

U-92 is actually pretty good. Sort of a laid-back, mellow side to their evening mix.

 

..& I do find myself tuning in to MOJO down in Cincy.

 

This area has some really offbeat public radio, actually, if you look for it.  In Cincy there is WAIF, which is reminds me of a shoestring version of the Pacifica flagship station KPFA in Berkley due to its political content and sort of fringy programming, and WOBO, out of Batavia, which plays bluegrass, polkas, and even German schlager, amoung other things.

 

Unfortunatly WAIF and WOBO dont reach Dayton.

 

WDPS in Dayton, when its not Christian, plays some odd stuff.  They have a German schlager show on Saturday morning, a Hungarian music show on Sunday, I think, and the British Isles folk/folk rock show "A Right Song and Dance" on Friday afternoon (hosted by the guys who used to do WYSOs "Lunch in the Pub".  Also on Friday afternoon they have as sort of world music show from "Hippy & Scuz", and other days in the afternoon they'll play jazz and blues.

 

WYSO has really went mainstream public radio (NPR, lots of talk, lots of canned shows), but you can also heare some good local music programming still, like the "Around the Fringe" show on Friday night (world beat, dance,local rock), and there are still some local DJs on doing their own thing (like the blues /R&B show on Sunday afternoon). And Fred Bartensteins "Banks of the Ohio" looks like its aspiring to be the "Thistle and Shamrock" of bluegrass...potentially a good syndicated "educational" show for the genre.

 

I used to listen to WOXY alot before they changed ownership and format, now theres really not much out there in Dayton for alternative rock fans.  Maybe the Wright State stundent station, but they are such low power their signal doesn't carry much beyond their campus.

100.9 The Wiz (Cincinnati)

Q102 (Cincinnati)

Z 97.3 New Rock (Cincinnati)

Kiss 107.1 (Cincinnati)

Hot 102.9 (Dayton)

Kiss 94.5 (Dayton)

97X (Oxford)

 

WLW AM 700 (Cincinnati)

1360 Homer the Sports Animal (Cincinnati)

1410 ESPN (Dayton)

 

 

I recently discovered WCBE and it's now a favorite

 

I also love WOXY (the old 97x) but it's not exactly local anymore

 

and I admit to listening to a lot of WNCI despite it being utter crap... it's... convenient.  I will listen for hours in the hope of hearing the one or two songs I actually like.

Grew up listening to WEBN (102.7 FM Cincinnati) but I can't bring myself to do so whenever I go back, its too depressing...

this is easy

 

91.1 wruw-fm in cleveland broadcasting from case

 

i used to do a 2-hour weekly show there, for 4 years

 

2nd place is 89.3 wcsb from cleveland state

WCKY 1530 am (Cincinnati) for political talk

When I visit home and I don't have my iPod handy in the Sandusky / Norwalk area:

 

105.3 WYHT Mansfield (Top 40)

102.7 WCPZ Sandusky (Hot AC)

104.9 WCLV Cleveland (classical music now, also liked this station when it was KISS-FM)

88.7 CIMX Windsor (rock and alternative)

90.7 WNRK Norwalk (Kent State University NPR affiliate)

100.9 The Wiz (Cincinnati)

Q102 (Cincinnati)

Z 97.3 New Rock (Cincinnati)

Kiss 107.1 (Cincinnati)

Hot 102.9 (Dayton)

Kiss 94.5 (Dayton)

97X (Oxford)

 

Exactly the same but w/o Q102 and the addition of Mojo 94.1 (Cincinnati), WHSS 89.5(Hamilton), and The Point 95.3/7 (80's from somewhere?)

You can now add 1530 AM to my list. :)

 

http://www.wcky.com/main.html

It's all better at the left end of the dial, kids:

 

1. 88.3 (WBWC) Baldwin Wallace College - best radio in town - Sufjan, Death Cab, Acoustic Cafe

2. 91.5 (WKHR) - all-volunteer radio station featuring jazz, big band and other classy stuff

3. 91.1 (WRUW) Case Western Reserve University - indie, alt-country, etc.

4. 89.3 (WCSB) Cleveland State University - reggae, indie, ethnic shows

 

And one at the other end:

 

5. 104.9 (WCLV) - All classical, all the time

 

(all Cleveland stations; I'm not familiar with other markets)

Easy question.

WWCD (101.1 FM) - Columbus

KBRH (1260 AM) - Baton Rouge

WIP (610 AM) - Philadelphia

 

Honorable mentions

WCBE (90.5) - Columbus

WLVQ (96.3) - Columbus

WKNR (850 AM) - Cleveland

KYW (1060 AM) - Philadelphia

 

I need add another station to my list;

WWOZ (90.7 FM) New Orleans (They go under honorable mention, in post-katrina world)

 

Cleveland 90.3

The Big One, 700 WLW, Cincinnati

I also like Q102, and the lunatic fringe of American FM - WEBN

I do have WEBN as a preset on my second set of presets in my car.  It seems to cater to an older demographic.  You know...  The guy that graduated from high school in 1985.  Ever notice the guys that have the WEBN frog sticker on their pickups?  Take a look inside the vehicle next time you see the sticker.  These people also tend to still wear "stone washed" jeans with the tappered pant leg that usually lays inside the tongue of their shoes ;)

WLHS (can't remember the signal) . . . those rich brats can sure play some good music.

WNKU has been sold and will officially disappear. Replaced by some religious station. Sad.

 

The last of the radio stations I listened to. Radio is dead. I'll stick with my (massive; not trying to gloat, honest) iTunes library and some internet stations. Still haven't jump into any of the music streaming services.

^That's hugely disappointing. I only had two stations in Dayton that I listen to (one of them is a surprisingly diverse Oldies station that still plays a bunch of random esoteric forgotten music truer to original oldies formats, unlike the garbage stations in the mold of WGRR)... I guess I'll have to start downloading more podcasts to listen to on the way to work.

Losing your favorite station to Jesus is always depressing. The FCC doesn't want to authorize any more licenses since it feels that too many frequencies are in use. What will they do when it's all Jesus?

I don't drive as much as I used to with the new job... but if I'm in the car for short distances (less than 20-30 minutes); I'll switch between 91.1 (WRUW - CWRU's station), 88.7 - WJCU (john carroll), 89.3 WCSB (CSU), 90.3 (cleveland's NPR affil), and 99.1 rarely.

 

If the trip is any longer (or if it's a saturday or sunday during the day, because the college stations usually play foreign language or showtunes generally), I'll play my mp3s loaded from my phone via cassette adapter.

 

99.1 (dubbed 'WMMS HD2', 99x, owned by clear channel) plays the same damn 150-200 alt-rock songs from the 90s and 2000s (RHCP, foo fighters, green day, nirvana, pearl jam, black keys) songs OVER AND OVER, and rotate in/out 10-20 recently released songs every 3-4 months... I've heard every song that they've played on it. The truck at my former job only had FM/AM, so I ended up listening to 99x sometimes, and there were plenty songs that they played more than once a day.

 

When I'm driving during the weekday rush hour once in a great while, i'll tune on alan cox on wmms: at least sane and somewhat humorous without being sophomoric.

 

99.1 (dubbed 'WMMS HD2', 99x, owned by clear channel) plays the same damn 150-200 alt-rock songs from the 90s and 2000s (RHCP, foo fighters, green day, nirvana, pearl jam, black keys) songs OVER AND OVER, and rotate in/out 10-20 recently released songs every 3-4 months... I've heard every song that they've played on it.

 

Ah yes, the new scourge of radio formats.....Alternative Gold.

 

Radio is like that ex-girlfriend that you still care for, but every time you see her she looks worse, and just gets more and more terrible in every conceivable way.

 

 

Radio is like that ex-girlfriend that you still care for, but every time you see her she looks worse, and just gets more and more terrible in every conceivable way.

 

And has also gotten really into Jesus

 

 

Radio is like that ex-girlfriend that you still care for, but every time you see her she looks worse, and just gets more and more terrible in every conceivable way.

 

And has also gotten really into Jesus

 

Stopped smoking but looks worse thanks to her obnoxious "healthy" diet. 

 

When I drive to work it's only about a 5 minute trip, so I can't be bothered to use my phone or even a CD because just getting it turned on and choosing a song would increase my commute time by about 20%. I don't think my radio has been set to anything but WNKU in years. I guess I'll just have to listen to WLW now.

The WNKU shows aren't all great but for whatever reason I tolerate them.  They beat the hell out of Echoes and Prairie Home Companion.  I do hate that bluegrass lady that is on Sunday nights.  Saying "mash the buttons" was never funny and saying it five times per hour isn't about to make it funny. 

 

My favorite show is the Mr. Rhythm Man show on Saturday nights, but for whatever reason the show always starts out strong in hours 1 & 2 but then fades into junk during hour 3.  After that is the Road House Blues Show and the Grateful Dead Hour.  I find the Grateful Dead show to be absolutely hilarious because somehow 50 years on there is still a huge and active scene surrounding a band that has only played five shows since 1995. 

Jmeck, I picture you as more of a KISS107 kinda guy ...

Losing your favorite station to Jesus is always depressing. The FCC doesn't want to authorize any more licenses since it feels that too many frequencies are in use. What will they do when it's all Jesus?

Thank goodness that WWCD is hanging on still (though there is a religious broadcaster at 'CD's original frequency)

^101.1 is Classical 101 which is part of the WOSU network. WWCD sold the frequency to them. CD 102.5 leases their frequency off of the Jesus gang.

Jmeck, I picture you as more of a KISS107 kinda guy ...

 

In the early 90s 107.1FM was The Power Pig.  I listened to The Pig solidly for about 18 months until one night it suddenly changed formats to proto-EDM dance music.  The rumor was that it was cutting too deeply into WEBN so the parent company zapped it in an effort to consolidate all angry white guys at just one point on the dial.  It didn't work, at least in my case.  That's when I discovered WAIF 88.3FM and never looked back. 

 

The Power Pig LOVED Helmet...this song was played hourly:

 

I recorded this off The Power Pig and played it on my walkman in my backpack during Algebra class.  I would turn it up during the falsetto "chiny-chin-chin".  Mr. Cappell couldn't figure out where the sound was coming from.  I remember the one time he was convinced it was coming from out in the hall so I turned it off right when he shut the door.  But then a few minutes later...it was back. 

 

Jmeck, I picture you as more of a KISS107 kinda guy ...

 

In the early 90s 107.1FM was The Power Pig.  I listened to The Pig solidly for about 18 months until one night it suddenly changed formats to proto-EDM dance music.  The rumor was that it was cutting too deeply into WEBN so the parent company zapped it in an effort to consolidate all angry white guys at just one point on the dial.  It didn't work, at least in my case.  That's when I discovered WAIF 88.3FM and never looked back. 

 

The Power Pig LOVED Helmet...this song was played hourly:

 

I recorded this off The Power Pig and played it on my walkman in my backpack during Algebra class.  I would turn it up during the falsetto "chiny-chin-chin".  Mr. Cappell couldn't figure out where the sound was coming from.  I remember the one time he was convinced it was coming from out in the hall so I turned it off right when he shut the door.  But then a few minutes later...it was back. 

 

Hah! Green Jelly. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

One of my old drummers plays percussion for Green Jelly when they are in the Great Lakes region. Over 100 people have been "in" that band over the years.

WBGU in Bowling Green, a fine college radio station. They play oodles of college rock, and have outstanding shows that feature jazz (and lots of local talent), bluegrass, world music, local morning news and BGSU sports. Too bad the signal fades 8 miles out of town.

 

http://tunein.com/radio/WBGU-881-s27441/

WNKU has been sold and will officially disappear. Replaced by some religious station. Sad.

 

The last of the radio stations I listened to. Radio is dead. I'll stick with my (massive; not trying to gloat, honest) iTunes library and some internet stations. Still haven't jump into any of the music streaming services.

 

NKU claims they were forced to sell the station because of state budget cuts for education and the fact that they were subsidizing it at a rate of about $1 million per year. Never mind the fact that they subsidize their athletic program to the tune of $11 million per year. (Add this to the long list of reasons why sports haters like myself hate sports.)

I am a graduate of the Electronic Media program at UC/CCM. That program was started decades ago as the radio broadcasting program and expanded over the years to include television broadcasting and eventually web design/development. Back in the day, UC used to own an FM frequency (WGUC 90.9), but they sold it in 1994 to Cincinnati Public Radio and it is now a classical station. Electronic Media launched an internet radio station where students could continue to learn about radio broadcasting but it was always a bit demoralizing to us that UC gave up their on-air signal and we were only had the ability to broadcast online where, quite frankly, no one was listening unless they were specifically tuning in to hear you on the air. It seems like NKU did something similar where they started an online radio station for their broadcasting program, and treated WNKU as a professional station. Students could intern for WNKU but it was definitely not a "student radio station."

 

A few years ago I was doing some research on all of the student radio stations in Ohio, to find places where my band could send our album to get played on the air. Much to my surprise, there are a ton of college and even high school radio stations on the air in Ohio, mostly in smaller towns. I just find it odd that all of these rural colleges and high schools can keep a student radio station on the air, but all of the urban universities end up selling off their frequencies.

WNKU was the only reason anyone in Cincinnati knew Northern Kentucky University existed.  UC and XU never had college radio stations of any influence.  A big reason why alternative music sprung primarily out of Boston in the 80s was because they had many college radio stations where new bands could get airtime. 

 

When I was in school in Tennessee, WUTK got a hard drive with the capacity for about 17 songs.  So over winter break in 1998 or 1999 those same 17 songs kept playing over and over and over again. 

 

 

Kent State is one of the leading student-run stations in the state -- of course it's in a small town. Culturally, I'm sure Ohio would be a different place with strong signal student-run stations in the 3Cs.