Saturday, September 20, 2008

What I miss in Ann Arbor #2: Decent Radio

I don't know why, but Albuquerque radio stations are terrible.  I like "alternative rock", and the only station playing this leans toward thrashing, metal rock with double kick drums.  (I now instinctively turn the station with I hear that signature "thu-thump thu-thump.")  

I also enjoy some mindless pop music once in awhile, if only to dull my senses after work.  The best pop music station in Albuquerque, by far, is a Christian station.  I'm all about Christian outreach being excellent and am happy that the station is so good.  But it says something that a station restricting itself to such a small part of the available music easily trounces its competition.  And what it says is bad.  Perhaps if I spoke Spanish I would feel differently.  There are at least half a dozen Spanish language stations, playing mariachi to latin pop.  Still not quite my style, but I imagine Spanish speakers are quite pleased.  

Finally (and this is the kicker) I have yet to find NPR.  No Car Talk (at least over the airwaves), no Prairie Home Companion, no All Things Considered, no BBC news service at night.  A city without a decent NPR station isn't really a city in my book.  Albuquerque my be five times the size of Ann Arbor, but its radio has a long way to go before it measures up.

4 comments:

  1. sounds like you need satellite radio... I don't have it myself, but I wonder if that might have what you're looking for!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hmm, thrashing metal rock sounds perfect to me.. not sure what you're complaining about. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Well now, you might be comparing apples to oranges. You are in a very different place, which will be missing much that you appreciate, but has different things to offer. Such as the upcoming Dia de los Muertos Marigold Parade, and Burning of El Kookooee.

    http://muertosymarigolds.org/

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/pidderbear/1804024436/in/photostream/

    Radio in Albuquerque does suck, but you can find NPR programing on 89.9, KUNM.

    My name is Josh. I'm a friend of James Parsons. I moved here from IL in '93. Drop me a line at jgentry@swcp.com if you'd like some inside scoop on the area.

    Josh

    ReplyDelete