I want to suggest an alternative. Community radio stations. I know what you're thinking, don't tell me to listen to NPR, and I won't. There are community radio stations out there that are not associated with NPR, don't accept grants from the state or the feds and are totally supported by their listeners. The local station I listen to, WYCE, is one of these type of stations. WYCE is 100% listener supported; the programmers are all volunteers and have no play lists to regurgitate upon your ears. WYCE does not report the news and may report the weather by looking out the window. It plays music 24 hours a day, 7 days a week of such a wide variety you probably will not know what you'll hear next. Many times listeners, including myself, have called in when a particularly good tune is heard to find out exactly what has been played. This not only increases listener's knowledge of different music genres, it also increases sales for artists who are generally not known because they are not slaves to the conglomerates.

There are drawbacks to this type of radio, the largest being their lack of power. My local community radio station is only 7,000 watts and when I get 20 miles from home, I'm at the mercy of the conglomerates or hope that I have a good supply of CD's with me. Another drawback can be the programmers' choice of tunes. This problem is not that bad though because the next tune played can be the one that you've never heard but that turns you on to an artist who is so good you're wondering why you've never heard of them before. Another small problem, at least for some community stations, is their formatting. Some play jazz for a few hours, then rock or alternative or blues, which is fine, but if you want a good mix, it leaves something to be desired. It's still better than a play list slave conglomerate station.

How do you find one of these stations? I can recommend two. First, search the lower reaches of your FM dial, there could be something good hiding down there. Second, locate a copy of Community Radio News. This publication provides a listing of community radio stations throughout the country. The stations listed may not have far of a reach, but if you're in a community or area that has a community radio station, you may strike gold.