Damn, what a joy to have good College FM stations.
Just was inspired by my local college station playing great Jazz off an album... When living in the Madison, Wi, Iowa City, Ia area and a few others...Chicago, Milwaukee, L.A. etc. college FM stations have been a joy.
Not my music that I own or would, but my local station just played a great song by the Mills Bros... Ed Sullivan gave them new life in the 50s. If you have a local college FM station that plays good music, support their fund drive and let your friends know that there are still reasons to own a great tuner. For what it's worth (no not the Buffalo Springfield song) the "wood look" Sony table radios. like the ICF-9550W are worth your time. ...can be had on ebay for near nothing and if nothing else, some music for the garage while you are changing the oil on the Ferrari California Spyder 250GT SWB......or the minivan.
If you don't own an FM tuner and/or live out of FM range from a good college radio, there's always an internet tuner and free standing internet radios. I listen to several college stations in this manner.
My favorite is WDCB, which broadcasts from College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, IL. In fact, right now I'm listening to John "Radio" Russell's *Midwest Ballroom* on that station.
@rshak Agreed. The internet radio stations have changed the game. Though I would like to compare sound quality between an internet feed of a local station vs over the air via an old school tuner.
David, you are correct. From the biggest Maggies to ARC and more, I have gotten the most time and pleasure out of some college FM stations. I am always reminded of the movie "Radio Days" . Although Woody has had his problems, that film always makes me smile and be thankful for my life of listening to the radio. I started with WLS out of Chicago with the top 3 phone requests of the night at 10 PM. For many of the early years it was the Del Shannon, Gene Pitney and many, many girl groups...then the British Invasion struck..and although I like much of it, many American Rockers were brushed aside. At SummerFest in Milwaukee I was able to see Mr. Pitney and others on the "Oldies Stage".....a warm Summer night with all the Micro Beers from the Milwaukee area and all of those things that can make for a great/warm Summer night.
Tampa has WUSF 89.7 All Night Jazz. Sunday - Thursday 9 PM - 5 AM. On Friday and Saturday 9 PM - 6 AM. Mostly Jazz from the Fifties to the Present. On the 'Net: wusfjazz.org
@whatjd, we must be about the same age ;-) . Though the pre-British Invasion Pop music was dismissed as disposable fluff by the mid-late-60’s counterculture and critics---who insisted on bands being primarily Blues-based---they were mistaken. Your two examples are proof: Gene Pitney was an incredible singer and songwriter, and Del Shannon’s 1982 comeback album was produced by Tom Petty, who was a big Shannon fan.
Early 60’s Pop music was written by some of the best songwriters of all time: Carole King & Gerry Goffin, Cynthia Weil & Barry Mann, Ellie Greenwich & Jeff Barry, Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller, Burt Bacharach and Hal David, Otis Blackwell, Bert Berns, Bobby Darin, Doc Pomus & Mort Shuman, and Phil Spector. The first UK Beatles album was simply covers of early-60’s Pop hits, fer cryin’ out loud!
There was also Chuck Berry, The Everly Brothers, Roy Orbison (now THERE’S a singer!), Surf music, and what Rock ’n’ Roll historians call Garage Rock: Paul Revere & The Raiders ("Just Like Me" ROCKS!), The Sonics ("The Witch" sounds like The Ramones, but much more primitive and brutal), The Wailers (the classic "Louie Louie", which every band in America played), lots more. A great time in Pop music, imo far better than most from the 80’s, for example. The "New Romantics", anyone? ;-)
Oops. While The Wailers WERE an early-60’s Garage band (the U.S. Wailers, not the Reggae band of course), it was The Kingsmen (both The Wailers and The Kingsmen were from the Northwest) who had the hit with "Louie Louie", written and recorded in 1955 by Richard Berry (no relation to Chuck ;-). Richard's version was banned by the "decency squads" in the U.S.A., who found it to be too sexually suggestive. Can’t have our white kids corrupted by that nasty "Race" music (it was actually called that at the time). I heard the song first on the debut Paul Revere & The Raiders album, and later by The Kinks. I must have played that song live hundreds of times.
david_ten - Internet tuners can sound quite fine, depending in part on kbps - but not as good as a strong analog FM signal played on a good FM tuner. The best quality FM sound I've experienced was on KPFT in the late 90's/early 2000's - -like the full, rich warm sound heard of the *Milestones* jazz program every Saturday evening from 6 to 9 pm. I'm glad I recorded many of those programs to cassette - still have, and play, them from time to time.
@rshak Thanks. Your findings are what I would expect. My point was that I had not conducted a head to head comparison (myself) and I would like to, once I get a vintage tuner in.
I also love listening to music from the FM station. But it is quite sad that my university does not have FM stations like other universities. I feel jealous of them. Last year, I decided to buy a radio to listen to at home
I don't have a good college type station around but I love searching for them when I'm on a long road trip. It is such a pleasure to find a good one......but in an hour they're gone. Will have to check out some of the internet stations listed above. I'm assuming most of them can be played through Sonos or Amazon Music?
Agree. I listen to WUOT (UofT, Knoxville) is a really good station. Mostly classical, some jazz. Back in the day though, WGUC (U of Cincinnati) was the best I've ever heard. Alas, they are no longer affiliated with the University. Still a nice station, but they are not what they used to be.
We have a few good college stations in the Boston area. One my favorites is Power 88.3 Dean College radio in Franklin. Its only about 6 miles from me but I can only get it in a car when closer or with my Magnum Dynalab MD102. I was surprised to discover that their transmitter is only 175 watts
In Philadelphia, I've listened to WXPN (Penn) and WRTI (Temple U) for years. I'm now living an hour to the west of the city, so car reception is spotty. I do stream them at home.
Davis, CA; KDVS 90.3 FM streaming online. Currently running previously recorded shows. Saturday morning folk show with Robin or Bill; good show. But the show that amazes me is Saturday noon -2PM, Prog Rock Palace. I'm not at all a prog rock fan, but the guys that do this show are incredible. They might talk too much for some, but they have so much knowledge to go with the songs they play. cheers,
I studied at MIT almost a decade ago. then it was incredibly difficult to get a scholarship, or even just stay on the course so as not to get kicked out.
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