(Cross-posted at
Lusty Bit of Nourishment)
Sorry to veer from the usual topic of Daily Kos. But this is fairly important, to me at least, and I suspect to some regular Kossacks who, understandably, may have been preoccupied with other things recently.
You see, this Friday afternoon, one of the first -- and still one of the best -- radio stations ever for progressive music, WOXY, will cease broadcasting.
After more than 20 years as Cincinnati's best station (and several years simulcasting on the Web), WOXY left the terrestrial airwaves a few years ago and has been an Internet-only site ever since.
The "station" struggled with its initial advertising-driven, Web-only business model, went dark for a bit, returned after an infusion of big-time cash from some long-time and dedicated listeners, and eventually migrated to a (partial) subscription model (I forked over the $10/month without a thought). Sadly, it's failed to generate enough revenue to cover their costs.
You can read the sad announcement about closing up shop on the WOXY front page. It's terribly depressing.
There are some options for good* music on the Web, and that's part of the problem that WOXY ran into, I would guess, because a lot of that music is free, or at least doesn't require a set amount of money each month. In other cases, you may have to pay for songs on iTunes or other music services, but then at least, I guess, it's yours, on your hard drive and mp3 player.
But, I'm sorry, that's not the same as a station with DJs who know their stuff, who choose their own songs (instead of getting it from their corporate overlords), who just flat-out love music and search out different bands that they think their listeners will enjoy. That doesn't really exist any more on terrestial radio, and Sirius and XM certainly don't have those sorts of qualifications.
The times they continue to change, and I hate it!
So for just a few more days, if you want to hear some great music and some dedicated and excellent DJs, go to www.woxy.com. Broadcast is scheduled to cease on Friday around 5:00 p.m. EST.
Thanks, WOXY. You guys are the best.
* "Good" music is tough to define. But I can say that it's music that can make your foot tap; that doesn't involve the same tired lyrics about love or "bling" or relationships or men or women or cars or the other tripe that much modern music is overly concerned with; that has a unique or otherwise intriguing use of common or unusual instruments or sampled beats or rhythms; that has lead singers who may not necessarily have pitch-pretty voices, but who command your attention nonetheless; that makes you think, sometimes, or makes you laugh, at others, or has the ability to change your mood or your entire train of thought. This definition, generally speaking, excludes most of the music played on MTV-related networks, most terrestrial radio stations, or featured at music award shows. It also excludes 99% of country music. Sorry.