In last Wednesday's column ("Decent Music On the Radio? Hard to Find"), Travis Raines bemoaned the homogeneity of the music on today's radio stations. Most top 40, country, urban and rock stations aren't really about music -- they're about money. But if you're willing to turn your dial a little to the left, you'll find that you have a lot more options. That's where they hide the college, community and public stations that are still trying to make radio meaningful in the age of media conglomerates.
The Triangle offers numerous stations where you won't hear Pink, Toby Keith, Creed or P. Diddy if that's not what you're looking for. From Chapel Hill, you can pick up UNC's own WXYC (89.3 FM) and WUNC (91.5 FM), as well as Duke University's WXDU (88.7 FM), N.C. Central's WNCU (90.7 FM) and N.C. State's WKNC (88.1 FM). Each station has its own niche, and each provides programming unlike anything you'll hear on commercial radio.
WXYC (UNC's student-run station) brings you a truly diverse array of past and present music in an eclectic non-block format, while WUNC (UNC's NPR station) provides news and talk shows as well as folk music. WNCU focuses on jazz and gospel with blues, hip hop, reggae and world music mixed in; WKNC and WXDU have shows featuring rock, traditional music, electronic music, reggae, hip hop, world music, local music, jazz and blues.
Although you may not like everything you hear, you're sure to hear something you like -- and you won't hear it 24 times a day. There's no need to suffer through the repetitive, lowest-common-denominator formats of commercial radio in an area like the Triangle that offers real music programmed and played by real people. Tune in and find out what you're missing.
Ainsley Morse
Freshman
Undecided
This letter was written on behalf of the management staff of WXYC.
