Manhattan Drone: Radio, Radio

I feel like I may be the only adult under the age of 30 who listens to the radio in New York City. One of the problems is that most New Yorkers don’t utilize the one mode of transportation that practically necessitates using the radio: a car. I wake up to the radio in the morning, listen to it at work, and even have a radio in the shower. I live and die by the news and weather on 1010 WINS, while other New York transplants don’t even know what 1010 WINS is.

One complaint about radio as a medium is that corporate giants have destroyed it. That may be true when you compare today’s radio to that of 25 years ago, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have any bright spots. Thanks to the addition of high-definition radio subchannels, terrestrial radio is becoming increasingly diverse.

So, for those unfamiliar with radio in New York or its latest developments (perhaps you haven’t turned on a radio since you listened to Z100 when you were 16), here’s a rundown of what’s happening on the radio dial, after the jump.

When I first moved to New York, I pretty much listened to 92.3 K-Rock 24/7. That was back in the heyday of alternative rock, and it was the flagship station of Howard Stern. Upon Stern’s move to Satellite Radio in 2006, K-Rock flipped formats to all-talk. In May of 2007, after 16 months of dumbed-down talk, the station returned to its rock roots. Unfortunately, what it serves up now is a shell of its former self - a smattering of alternative with a lot of “cock-rock.” Half its playlist is derived from the classic rock genre. This is an odd move, considering there’s already the classic rock station in town - Q104 - has been a major player in New York for more then a decade.

Enter the competition. In February, New York’s Smooth Jazz station flipped formats to a unique rock format that blends new alternative, classic rock, and classic alternative known as 101.9 RXP - the Rock Experience. The station is divergent and surprising - I’ve woken up on recent mornings to Radiohead, The Black Crowes, and The Beatles (yes, they play music in the mornings). They also play local bands regularly, and bands can submit their music directly to the station. Depending on how well it does in the ratings, this station could be a taste of how local radio will compete with satellite radio’s offerings.

Another station that made a huge error in judgement was WCBS-FM, at 101.1. For more than three decades, CBS-FM had been a cornerstone of oldies music in New York City. In 2005, it jumped on the trainwreck radio bandwagon by adopting a new format: Jack FM. The flip was met by protest that after two years of hemorraging in the ratings was finally heard: Oldies came back to WCBS in July of last year. The station pays homage to the good old days of radio with classic air talent that have spent more than a generation on the New York airwaves. My only concern is that songs that I remember from my childhood are becoming oldies music. Pat Benetar, Peter Gabriel, and Born In The USA-era Bruce Springsteen are oldies now? Lord help us.

Maybe you just long for the old days of radio. Plenty of other people do, too, and that’s why there’s an entire repository of New York radio recordings from the 1960s up to the 1990s available on Airchexx.com. Crank it up, close your eyes, and you can almost feel like you’re wearing those Zubaz again.

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