More and more New Yorkers aren't listening to music radio anymore; instead they tune into the literally thousands of songs that their IPods can hold. Everywhere you go, you see New Yorkers with little white buds coming out of their ears and white cords running down their necks as they ride the subways and buses, work out at the gym, stroll through the parks, or walk along the streets. Living in NYC today is like living amongst several million Secret Service agents.
But what's really wrecked havoc on music radio today is media consolidation. Here in NYC, Clear Channel owns Z100, Q104.3, WKTU, Power 105, and Lite FM. CBS Radio owns WCBS FM and AM, WFAN, 92.3 K-ROCK, 1010 WINS, and Fresh 102.7. Think about it: only two radio conglomerates own a huge swath of the airwaves in the country's biggest radio market. And most of what they play is either Top 40 or old hits, the same songs being repeated and overplayed, ad nauseam, ad infinitum. There's very little really good, interesting music to be found on the city's major airwaves today.
Except for one station: WRXP 101.9 FM "The NY Rock Experience" (yes, it used to be CD 101.9, the "smooth jazz" station that is mercifully no longer). WRXP easily plays the best music on commercial radio in this town today. It's the same station where you can hear a great old Beatles tune followed Linkin Park. They play Radiohead right after Janis Joplin and right before Bob Marley. You can hear tracks off the new Killers album and then a great Van Halen classic. It even plays good Stuff White People Like music such as R.E.M., Coldplay, and Tom Petty. It also plays some songs you won't hear on other radio stations, like Lou Reed's classic "Dirty Boulevard" or ZZ Top's "Tube Steak Boogie." It's just great music, period (heck, that could even be the station's slogan).
What really impresses me about this station is that you get the feeling the programmers respect their audience. They know that people who appreciate good music want to hear stuff they might not have heard before. WRXP also doesn't have "wacky" DJs or stupid jingles -- just straight to the point announcements and very little talk. Oh, and it doesn't have a lot of commercials either, so it's almost all music all of the time.
WRXP isn't getting very good ratings right now but hopefully that will change. But if you're feeling bummed about listening to music on the radio in NYC, give this station a listen, you might like it.
P.S. This has been a public service announcement. WRXP has in no way paid me for this plug. Wouldn't it be nice if they did though?
The Infinite Dial
But what's really wrecked havoc on music radio today is media consolidation. Here in NYC, Clear Channel owns Z100, Q104.3, WKTU, Power 105, and Lite FM. CBS Radio owns WCBS FM and AM, WFAN, 92.3 K-ROCK, 1010 WINS, and Fresh 102.7. Think about it: only two radio conglomerates own a huge swath of the airwaves in the country's biggest radio market. And most of what they play is either Top 40 or old hits, the same songs being repeated and overplayed, ad nauseam, ad infinitum. There's very little really good, interesting music to be found on the city's major airwaves today.
Except for one station: WRXP 101.9 FM "The NY Rock Experience" (yes, it used to be CD 101.9, the "smooth jazz" station that is mercifully no longer). WRXP easily plays the best music on commercial radio in this town today. It's the same station where you can hear a great old Beatles tune followed Linkin Park. They play Radiohead right after Janis Joplin and right before Bob Marley. You can hear tracks off the new Killers album and then a great Van Halen classic. It even plays good Stuff White People Like music such as R.E.M., Coldplay, and Tom Petty. It also plays some songs you won't hear on other radio stations, like Lou Reed's classic "Dirty Boulevard" or ZZ Top's "Tube Steak Boogie." It's just great music, period (heck, that could even be the station's slogan).
What really impresses me about this station is that you get the feeling the programmers respect their audience. They know that people who appreciate good music want to hear stuff they might not have heard before. WRXP also doesn't have "wacky" DJs or stupid jingles -- just straight to the point announcements and very little talk. Oh, and it doesn't have a lot of commercials either, so it's almost all music all of the time.
WRXP isn't getting very good ratings right now but hopefully that will change. But if you're feeling bummed about listening to music on the radio in NYC, give this station a listen, you might like it.
P.S. This has been a public service announcement. WRXP has in no way paid me for this plug. Wouldn't it be nice if they did though?
The Infinite Dial
Despite your disdain for CD101.9, at least that station was making money. Not enough, but some. WRXP is a huge money loser, which means it won't last. At a time when radio ad revenue is slipping off the radar, WRXP can't even crack an Arbitron one-share and ranks #31 in the market. Trust me, that's worse than bad, it's pitiful. So yeah, listen while you can.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy that station, too. Sometimes they even play some old 92.? (remember that Long Island station?) tunes from The Cure or Depeche Mode.
ReplyDeleteRadio Knowledge - I'm sure you're right about WRXP's future but it's still a good station. The fact that it even exists today is a minor miracle. And why did CD 101.9 vanish?
ReplyDeleteZen - I think I know the Long Island Station you're talking about but I don't think I ever heard it. For me, WRXP is like the old WNEW, which was another great station no one listened to.