This year of aught-eight somehow rekindled my interest in radio. It’s truly an anachronism, a rather silly notion when I have two fully working computers that can reach into any country in the world and pull out live radio and television. But the bug bit hard and I set out to find a radio that would make me happy.
My day starts with NPR’s Morning Edition. Okay, that’s quite likely a lie; that would require waking before 9am. But when I return home from work, I’ll sit at my desk and gently navigate the dial through a sea of AM stations that flood the airwaves after the sun goes dark. This little radio is a hotrod, a divining rod of AM/FM, filling my room with a warm and full sound. Most of the AM stations blast conservative talk radio, but I’ve found a few gems: AM 740 out of Toronto is easily received and plays a great mix of classic pop standards that seems to channel a day when radio was king.
Most stations utilized identification jingles from the same two production houses; each had (and still have) that thick chorus straight out of a big Broadway closing number. It’s rather fantastic, really. Imagine rolling out of bed to this one from WOHO in Toledo. Don’t even think about messing with KHJ in Los Angeles. And if you still haven’t had enough, knock yourself out with a jingle montage. (even more here!)
In this day of iPods and YouTubes, I’m standing up for my right NOT to chose exactly what song to listen to. Three cheers for randomness!
i love it! three more cheers for randomness!
I love AM radio – we can usually get WSM out of Nashville, and one of the New Orleans stations, from our house south of Wichita. 🙂 We lived in Indiana when Katrina hit, and we had to sit out in my car in the driveway to listen to the New Orleans station the day after the hurricane had passed, (Ray Nagin was throwing a fit).