WZBC at Boston College. Love that station!!
I keep meaning to do a master list of amazing independent radio stations, so I was really happy to see today that Paste Magazine devoted their List of the Day to “The 40 Best Little Radio Stations in the U.S.” The emphasis of the list is on terrestrial stations that are 5000 watts or less that air mostly independently-produced programming. College radio gets lots of praise, as well as a few high school radio stations, and even some stations on the AM dial.
First of all, I’m just happy to see a list of this kind celebrating not only independent radio, but also terrestrial radio; so kudos to Paste for showcasing the range of amazing sounds to be found on the airwaves. But as with any list it’s easy to get fixated on the omissions (I’m partial to WZBC, KDVS and the station where I DJ-KFJC), so for that reason, readers are invited to add their favorites in the comments section.
Although I shy away from doing my own “Best College Radio Stations” list because I find there to be so many worthy stations, I do think it’s important to showcases the multitude of radio options all over the United States. Often there’s a fixation of radio stations in big cities and on the coasts, so one of my goals on Spinning Indie has been to profile college radio stations in each of the 50 states. That project has helped introduce me to many stations that weren’t on my radar before and that are worthy of attention.
How do you learn about independent terrestrial radio stations and which stations would be on your list of small, but mighty stations?
