Distant Constructs

This page contains some radio stations and shows that I like enjoy(ed).

They are mainly commercial free/listener supported. There are multiple reasons for this. There tends to be much more variety on such stations, which leads to more moments of musical discovery. There are many different shows and hosts, which makes it interesting to listen to these stations at different times of the day. Hosts themselves have more flexibility and can play a wider range of genres and deeper cuts from albums. This adds diversity and also cuts down on repetition, unlike most advertising supported stations, which do a disservice to their listeners in this regard. For example, in the years that I listened to "Classic Rock" radio, I do not recall once listening to any song from Electric Ladyland except "Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)" and "All Along the Watchtower", which were played somewhat frequently. A casual listener listening to these stations would miss out on the expanse of Hendrix's vision, having never heard "The Burning of the Midnight Lamp" or "Still Raining, Still Dreaming." What a loss! DJ's on these stations also seem more interested in talking about their sets than promoting sponsored concerts unlike their commercially supported counterparts. Additionally, advertising, if there is any, takes the form of "sponsored by" messages, which are infrequent, short, and not disruptive. This is unlike most radio advertising, where ads are louder than the regular programming, part of long advertising blocks, and generally irritating.

In the US, public radio stations are generally found on the lower end of the spectrum. I think the spectrum under 92.1 FM or so is reserved for public broadcasting. This is useful to know when trying to find public radio stations while on a road trip. Most of these can be received in the Central New Jersey Area. If you are not in range, you can try online streaming from the links provided.

Station List

• WPRB (103.3 FM) - Listener supported (but not public). Based in Princeton.
  • PICKITUP¹ - Reggae/Ska. Chill with Don Tonik before diving into the madness of ...
  • TOTALLY WIRED¹ - PUNK. Totally awesome. Chester, the DJ screams through 2 hours of punk music while hopped up on energy drinks. His banter alone is worth listening to. I've been an avid fan since the legendary Hugo Chavez/Venezuela tribute set (recorded soon after the death of Chavez), which introduced me to the Ramones, Gang of Four, and Sandanista!. Totally glorious.
• WKCR (89.9 FM) - Columbia University's radio station. Plays lots of jazz. Has a long history.
  • Daybreak Express - Daily jazz program. Excellent variety and cohesive sets.
  • Bird Flight - Weekday program discussing and playing the music of Charlie Parker. Phil Schaap is very knowledgeable and talks at length about the different aspects of Parker's life and his recordings.
• WRSU (88.7 FM) - the official Rutgers radio station. In addition to music, occasionally has interviews of members of the community
• WVPH (90.3 FM) - student run station at Rutgers.