Allright, who can boast the best FM radio in the nation?

Is it the North East/New England, the Mid-Atlantic, the deep South, the South-West, The Wild West/West Coast, the "heartland of America" Mid-west, the Great North- Alaska, or the South Pacific islands of Hawaii?

:scratch2:

Call me biased, but...

New England radio is amazing- at least in the Boston/New Jersey/New York area.

New York/Neew Jersey offers one of the best college radio stations- I say it IS the best- WFMU 91.9 (you can stream their live radio program from their website on your computer)...

http://www.wfmu.org/


Boston's no slouch either- with the amazing classic radio station WCRB 99.5 (you can stream their live radio program from their website on your computer)...

http://www.wcrb.com/

And Public Radio's amazing classical and jazz programs on WGBH 89.7 and WBUR 90.9 (you can stream their live radio program from their website on your computer)...

http://main.wgbh.org/wgbh/

and

http://www.wbur.org/

College radio is incredible here too, with MIT's WMBR 88.1 (you can stream their live radio program from their website on your computer), a mix of eclectic art-rock, alt-rock, experimental, punk, ect...

http://wmbr.mit.edu/

And Boston College's WZBC 90.3 (you can stream their live radio program from their website on your computer), also a mix of eclectic art-rock, alt-rock, experimental, punk, ect...

http://www.wzbc.org/

Also Emerson Radio's WERS 88.9 (you can stream their live radio program from their website on your computer), featuring jazz, world, folk and hip-hop rap programming-

http://www.wers.org/

If folk is your thing, try out WUMB 91.7 Newburyport/91.9 Boston/worcester/Falmouth (you can stream their live radio program from their website on your computer)...

http://www.wumb.org/home/index.php







If mainstream rock is your thing, there's still more to choose from- even though WBCN it's still kinda decent (104.1 FM), it truly is a former shadow of itself. It once boasted a stellar lineup- with DJs Peter Wolf (later to be part of the J. Geils band), Big Mattress star Charles Laquidara, Jim Shorts on sports, Oedipus, Albert O, Bradley Jay, Billy West (the voice of Ren & Stimpy), Karlos (the computer) The King Biscuit Flower Hour, and fall-from-grace radio personality Mark Parenteau (busted for having sex with a 14-year-old boy). DJ Shred is still there, however.

http://www.wbcn.com/

There's also the Boston Phoenix newspaper's station, WFNX. Once an incredible alternative rock station (steady diet of the Pixies, Mission of Burma, X, Morphine, ect), it too, has met a corporate chokehold and is also pale in comparison to it's once great self, but it still is better than many others I've heard.

http://www.fnxradio.com/1/home.asp

WAAF 97.7/107.3, original home of shock-jock team Opie and anthony offers rock and roll still... Carmalita is one of the more preferred DJs there now...

http://www.waaf.com/

The only New England station I get up here is BZ 1030 Am over night show with Steve Lavelle(Spelling?) He's a funny guy

The radio here in Austin is so good that I hardly even turn on my Sirius satellite anymore!

We've got a great mainstream NPR Music Station: 90.5 KUT

A great "alternative" public station: 91.7 KOOP

A really good independent-oriented country station: 98.1 KVET

and a WBOS/KFOG type rock station: 92.1 KGSR

All in all, it's a great place for radio...my L-02T and I couldn't be happier :)

What is FM like on the Hawaiian islands, anyway?

What is FM like on the Hawaiian islands, anyway?

It's actually excellent. Besides the regular genres of music. There is a lot of variety with a local flair.
Hawaiian reggae & surf
Hawaiian slack key guitar (twangy)
With a number of cattle ranches there is even some pretty damn good Hawaiian Country.

:D

I'll add to thedelihaus's list...

WHRB: Harvard's student radio station. I hate Hahvahd, but their weekday programming (jazz in the AM, classical in the PM...usually) is excellent.

WMVY: Broadcasting from Martha's Vineyard and Newport, RI. Alternative, but not too loud. Good old stuff but lots of good new stuff too.

all I can say is the DC area pretty much sux.. we do have a new station though that seems to be taking some of the suck away... they play so much odd ball stuff you never typically hear on radio.. a lot of 80's, and non mainstream stuff..

They have streaming if you wanna check it out...

http://www.947theglobe.com/

thanks guys! i got nothin' 60 miles out of dallas...pm summer where are you... but streaming is dandy!

My radio listening has only been East Coast based, from Maine to Florida, as I moved around in my pre-marriage days, so that's all I have to base my poll choice on.

Boston, being a big time college town, has an excellent variety of programming available, so you can find pretty much any kind of music that floats your boat. The down side to the college stations, if you consider it a down side, is that the programming changes with the DJ's.

You can go from 4 hours of hardcore alternative rock, segue way right into some serious back woods Banjo/gut bass Americana music, or dance hall Reggae.

It can get confusing trying to find the programming you enjoy without making up an on-air schedule of the college stations, as well as the mainstream stations that does the occasional segment of your favorite genre.

We have some cool weekend programming on the weekends, from the larger commercial stations. Some nice jazzy/bluesy "Sunday Brunch" show on one station, as well as a very cool Beatles show on another.

Dude, thanks for the links. I'm afraid fm in se fla isn't too hot at all. No classical, Several oldies. 1 college. A couple rock. Some hiphop and r&b. No jazz, lots of salsa and meringue, though, if that suits your appetite.

In Charm City WBJC 91.5

Here in NE Tennessee, we're blessed by 2 good classic rock stations-WQUT 101.5 in Johnson City, & 103.5 WIMZ in Knoxville.

Me in STL, I LOVE:
KSHE 95 (The longest currently running rock station in the world!!!
99.1 KFUO (Classical) Voted best in the country in 2003!!! Voer 60 years on the air!!
88.1 WSIE (Jazz)
90.3 KWUR (College Radio)
SAINT LOUIS RADIO ROCKS ALL THE FORMATS!!!

Chicago has the absolute worst stations! 93.1WXRT (deep cuts, sorta)is still okay but nothing like they used to be. 98.7 WFMT (classical) is still good when I am in the mood for classical. All of the other staions on the Chicago radio dial just plays the same 200 or so songs over and over. The NPR station quit playing music all together so no more Jazz! I bought XM and am considering selling my FM tuners!

In seattle my radio almost never left 99.1 "The Rock" Great music, great DJ's. Now here in Okinawa we have one FM station its the "Armed Forces Network" Top 40 all the time, ugh! :thumbsdn:

It sure as hell ain't out here in Phoenix. Radio here just flat out sucks!!!

British Rock station but not bad. Ric Wakemans prog is good on a Saturday morning our time, but you can listen again.

http://www.planetrock.co.uk/default.asp

All I've needed for the last 30+ years has been KGON 92.3 FM Classic rock since before it was classic! Iris Harrison and Marty Party have been DJing the tunes for over 30 years there It's on right now in my office the tuner in the living room is set to it the crappy POS stereo in my dump truck is set to it. I'd bet $50.00 the tuner in the wives car is on it.

As for the other crap WHO CARES.

...and NYC's very best classic rock station, Q104.3

and you can listen to it from anywhere...

http://www.q1043.com/main.html

I won't even vote the pole. Orlando radio bites the big one. :thumbsdn:

Sucks around here where Clear Channel prevails. But we have a great NPR station that sponsors live music events every week (jazz, classical, bluegrass) and has a great variety of programming including classical, jazz, Car Talk, Fresh Air and live music. KASU 91.9 in Jonesboro, AR http://www.kasu.org

There can be no doubt about it - this is the one and only.

http://www.kuvo.org/images/banner.gif

Hear it on the web at http://www.kuvo.org/index.php?s=89

DH

The mighty KSHE-95 the PIG,best in the universe:banana:

For the Boston area lets not forget WICN in Worcester. Jazz, Jazz, and more Jazz, plus a little bit of bluegrass and blues.
Nobody does Public Radio better than Boston.

thedelihaus, thank you so much for reminding me of WUMB. Best folk station anywhere and I used to love it when I lived in Stow, then I moved further west and lost it. Time to get it back.

fcc

Lately for me here in the Toronto market, it's 88.5FM, The Jewel.

Used to be 99.1, CBC Radio One, but not since the last format change. All talk get boring for me.

Hi,

I am in a 3 NPR reception area. I have WUTC-FM 88.1 Eclectic, WSMC 90.5 Classical, and WUOT-FM 91.9 Classical. We also have WDVX 89.7 FM when I am close to Knoxville (Bluegrass, Folk, Americana). I also have 93.9 WAYA (Oldies and locally programmed.), WSKZ 106.5 (Classic Rock) and quite a few more.

The mighty KSHE-95 the PIG,best in the universe:banana:

Sorry to say, but nowadays, KSHE mostly sucks...except 3 am nights and sunday mornings.....and sunday nights....

Also, the sound is HORRIBLE. :tears:

I have to second Mark's pick, growing up in Portland KGON was best of the lot.I listened every day great music and great DJ's.

hey deli, jim shorts on sports? is now on a R.I. radio station

94.1 whjy the home of rock an roll.

hes part of the morning show with paul and al

The Portland area still has some pretty solid FM. 89.1 KMHD for jazz and blues (Fridays) and 106.3 KLOO (rock, 60s to current) out of Corvallis are superb and my two favorites.

KGSR out of Austin is terrific and I stream that one while on the computer. I have learned about a ton of new music from that station.

Some years back when I was working with DISA (consulting, not an employee) I used to drive from MD to Ft. Monmouth as it was simpler than flying. WGMS was still alive then 103.5 so I would start with them, switch to WBJC 91.5 after I left the tunnel. I would lose their signal leaving Delaware and switch to a classical station from Philly, and finally pick up another classical station from NYC about the time I lost the Philly station. Had them all programmed into the Probe's radio. No idea what the situation is today nor do I remember their call letters or frequencies.

Here in Phoenix the radio stations are disgusting to say the least!! one of the best around is KBCO in Boulder,CO. Cool mix and no C rap.

Wish I could contribute something useful, but Clear Channel owns Houston. 'nuff said.

Wish I could contribute something useful, but Clear Channel owns Houston. 'nuff said.

New York too.

Portland, Oregon has the great alternative 90.7 KBOO-FM. Check it out on the web!

Nothing beat the old KSAN out of San Francisco. She's long gone but she set the standard for alternative radio that has yet to be approached although KBOO sometimes comes really close.

I lived in Oklahoma City for a couple years. I truly love the place but it is a good radio desert unless your tastes run to country or pop music. There is a good station in Norman, however.

Sorry to say, but nowadays, KSHE mostly sucks...except 3 am nights and sunday mornings.....and sunday nights....

Also, the sound is HORRIBLE. :tears:

How times have changed. I grew up with that station. It's where I first heard Frank Zappa. They used to play entire albums of Zappa.

KTCL 97.3 out of Boulder/Denver Colorado. Their Studio C recordings are great. They have groups that are in Denver/Boulder come in and do a few in studio songs. Live, usually unplugged and very rare. Below is the link.

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

Wish I could contribute something useful, but Clear Channel owns Houston. 'nuff said.\

i feel your pain.

Wish I could contribute something useful, but Clear Channel owns Houston. 'nuff said.

20 years ago Houston had good stations. Then I moved to Los Angeles. Absolutely the WORST of any market I've lived in. Yap, yap, yap.......just play a song - PLEASE??????

KCRW is the only lasting great station out here (and 95.5 KLOS). And over the years, 103.1 has had some interesting, quirky formats. Anyone remember MARS FM? Miss that one.

Rob

KDFC - Classical - SF Bay Area

KKSF - Smooth Jazz - SF Bay Area

KCSM - Jazz - SF Bay Area

Gotta say, Deli, I live in Central NY ~35 miles South of Rochester, and the best station I receive well is WXXI 91.5 (Classical, PBS). I like all forms of Rock better, but virtually ALL of the Rock stations I can receive SUCK. Music has been replaced by loud talkers with a chip on their shoulder...:grumpy:

The best station I can get in the Rock Genre is "Classic Rock" at WLKK 107.7, but reception is poor this far from its' home of Buffalo. But, programming is what I generally like. :thmbsp:

The Best in the Nation? I doubt it. Aren't all the mainstream stations owned by 2 people? :scratch2:

The local college station at RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology,) WITR 89.7, is pretty good, they play some pretty obscure stuff, and they're independent, which is always good IMO, but I don't listen enough to know the programming schedule.

Sorry, I can't vote positively for this area. :thumbsdn:

KBCO in Boulder is one of the best and the one that started it all in the Denver/Boulder area was KFML this was an awesmone station, they would play entire albums not just one side and they did live overdub to old movies every other Friday night at the Gothic theater in Englewood. This is the only station I listened to and one night Buffalo (nickname of course) was playing the B side to Led Zepplin 3 and the TT died, on air he said F**K**G piece of S**T I`m gonna kill this B***H and a loooong pause and then OOPS, the FCC isn`t going to like me tomorrow!! :D Ya Think??

Detroit 90.0 after 7 pm great Jazz and a good signal

In the DFW area...KNTU 88.1 is a great jazz station (college owned) and WRR 101.1 is all classical (actually owned by the city of Dallas I recall)
Also, the radio market in general in this area is better than most I believe, there's been moments of ups and downs but for a major market area a lot of varity is available. Maybe a little overload on country and hispanic stations (duh) but that's just me!

I can't speak accurately about the Detroit area but it sure rocked hard in the seventies...and WRIF/riff rocks is still a survivor after all these years too!

WBMX 10.27 in Chicago in the 80s some of the best house mix's ever



ever since clear channel took over and there is no dj's anymore radio isnt as good as it was back in the day :(

The Bayou City, a.k.a. H-Town is one of the few cities which produced some Jazz and The Blues, not just reproduced it. Along the Mississippi of course New Orleans, St Louis and Chicago boast actual artists creating the genre there, and the twist to the southwest along I-10 from N.O. added its own flavor.

Used to have separate Jazz and Classical stations. The alternative station (featuring gay programming and communists and about anything else) got bombed off the air 4 times at least--yet kept getting enough contributions to go back on-air.

The jewel, however, was KTRU, Rice U. Run by actual students, often music majors... they stream now. If they are even a glimmering of past quality that's my vote for best ever.

Okay, Portland area...

Low-end of the dial rules quality; NPR and Classical and college KMHD Jazz are the lower processed/mangled signals.

I have headaches getting KLOO, it goes into second reflections at about 80 mi from Eugene. At least I can use it to see how good my tuners are! And gives me an incentive/excuse to try better antennae, a win-win. The Kenwood got it best. Technics/Pioneer do okay to mediocre.

There seems to be an extra classical station added recently but sound quality is yucchy.

I changed my mind.

KBTL. :D

Most rediculous, in a good way. But like the Nexus series in Blade Runner, had a limited lifespan.