Hot Buttons

The cd player in the Honda plays about half the time, so I am at the mercy of terrestrial radio on my commute, and in ATL that can be some thin gruel in between the adverts.  If you are in town and so challenged here are the button pre-sets you need:

WABE 90.1 – Never for the news or classical programming.  But on Saturday nights from 9p-2a, H. Johnson's Jazz Show is a classic.  Johnson is, hands down, my favorite DJ in ATL.

WCLK 91.9 - Great jazz programming throughout the day, leaning more traditional at night.  Lots of Latin, Reggae and Black Gospel blocks throughout the week.  Signal can be sketchy north and east of town, but well worth your button.

WZGC 92.9 - Dave FM is the closest ATL will get to what wretched corporate program directors call the "Jack" format; essentially an attempt to generate someones iPod as a radio station.  They drive me crazy but they have some great moments when you don't have a choice;  "Around Here" by Counting Crows followed by the new John Mayer Trio.  Tasty.   They carry Michael Vick on Sundays and various Monday nights.

WSTR 94.1 - This is the station my wife and six-year-old listen to, and is one of the only remaining vestiges of my pop chart sensibility, once finely honed but now doddering.  If not for Star I would know nothing of Black Eyed Peas.

WKLS 96.1 – Regular Guys, Southside Steve and Rhodes with the dumbest ride home, Braves baseball.  Plus the only station in town that will play the Allman Brothers these days.

WJZZ 107.5 – Light AC and R&B, “Smooth Jazz 107.5 WJZZ.”  To be a jock at this station you have to pronounce that W-JAY-ZAY-ZAY.  Bill Withers, Earth Wind and Fire, Earl Klugh, that sort of thing.  You can always punch out if some Kenny G comes on.  Everyone has a pain threshold and mine is a soprano sax.  When I fly out of Jackson-Hartsfield my off-premises parking bus plays this station so it always sounds like coming home.

So there it is.  My daily soundtrack on the road until I can get the digital audio player up and running and transmitting on my car box.  Now, Jack Straw can continue to debate Art about Race.  Sorry to interrupt.

Comments

[James Hooker, Link Whore!]

One thing about scooting through Atlanta, I can always find something on the box,though I find myself breaking out in hives at the mere mention of "smooth Jazz". I like my TENOR players slouched on a stool with drops of blood pooling on the floor from the fix they whipped up between sets.

On my way to my Mom's, I cut through the Smokies. Spotty Radio at best. The only thing that would come in was WCKY. I was treated for the first time to Radio America. It was like watching a car wreck. I din't want to hear it but I couldn't turn the dial. And Libs complain that Limbaugh and Savage are "mean". These people would, if they could, build camps and gas conservatives. Thank God for the CD player. I finally tore myself away and cruised into South Cackalicky humming riffs from "Sketches Of Spain"....that's better!

[bitterman]

Whatsa 'bout 99X? Given, it is your basic alternoflop playlist (let's pretend its not the deep album cuts format from the late 70s, early 80s and modern/alternative rock doesn't really have market value and playlists) but I tune in occasionally to the webcast and have heard some decent in-studio material. Hell, once I even heard a few tracks from Guadalcanal Diary. Kinda conjured up distant memories from 688.

[rankin' rob]

99X, 688, Guadalcanal Diary. Three touchstones there. I quit listening to 99x a while back. The sound of Pearl Jam is a lot like the sound of Kenny G--hear it, hit the button. Different strokes for different folks but Eddy Vedder grates. In more recent times I find out about bands in non-traditional ways. For example, I learned about Drive-By Truckers from a friend in the trucking business. We won't even get into who turned me on to Insane Clown Posse...

[Art]

I can't tell if the radio changed or if my perception of it did. I only listen for traffic reports now. Sometimes I tune in 96 Rock in the afternoon to catch up with Tim Rhodes but it's a ball game. Then I switch over to DAVE to hear some adult alternative song I may be able to stomach, but now they're ball games, too. If I tune anywhere else I get a Bush infommercial, as though Jack Straw was made program director of every station in town (I kid because I love!) I'm very happy to own a car with a CD player.

[sugarmama]

May God bless anyone's soul who tries to listen to commercial radio, particularly Atlanta. 99X sucks so bad, just the mere thought of it gives me the heebie jeebies.

[Velociman]

I think there are three stations here in Jax that play all Skynyrd, all the time.

[rankin' rob]

Woah. A shout out from Sugarmama. It doesn't get sweeter than that. I agree, 99X has been tired for a while.

[Kelly]

There's a new one...105.3 ..plays mostly new stuff but I like it and it's music...

[saade]

We've got nothing approximating decent radio in Savannah (I suppose it's a reflection of the non-existent music scene here).

I'm with you, though, Rob. With a couple of exceptions (I can still listen to Soundgarden without cringing), most of the 90's grunge shit has aged like an open coca-cola - flat and downright rank.

[Vermont Neighbor]

I actually scan the commercial breaks. It shows how a community station is doing. The bigger stations too but on a lesser scale.

The TV show 'Lost' had a funny ad on this week. It may have run in your area since the show is all over. They had 3 people chattering back & forth, describing the episode & plotline. Like a morning zoo sound. It was kind of imitating what radio is trying to solve, the tuneout factor.

I love Michael Savage but he's on late in the day. He's such a showman, even on topics that have nothing to do with politics. That show is my guilty pleasure.