PEOPLE, PEOPLE, PEOPLE. Let’s not overreact. Granted, seeing WFNX-FM swallowed by The Man (aka media behemoth Clear Channel) is a raw deal. Doesn’t The Man already control enough insipid corporate radio stations across the country? But despair not, I say. Yes, let’s honor ’FNX’s independent spirit, its dedicated staff, its indelible place in Boston music history. Let’s also acknowledge that we don’t need it. Really.
Why? Because Boston has the most vibrant radio culture of any city in America, and not because of those commercial stations. I couldn’t have told you, before looking it up, where to find ’FNX on the tuner. I never felt the need. Yeah, ’FNX played better music than its schlocky kin. But commercial radio is still commercial. Which means annoying ads. And keeping ratings up. And playing it safe. No, thanks.
Comments
Can you get any of these stations 10 miles outside of the city?
These stations reach about 20 miles out from Boston - mostly to about rt 495 in a car. At home you might need some kind of antenna. And they all stream as well and have apps for mobile devices.
Anyone writing in the Boston Globe Magazine complaining about the affect of commercialism in radio is living in the glassiest of glass houses. Nothing in all of Boston media has fallen in on itself quite like the Sunday magazine. With it's quest for white space, trendy graphics, and canape-sized blurb writing it has become unreadable.
As I read this, I had the same question as JoshuaMilner. This is great for those few that can get these stations, but not really helpful for the rest of us, the vast majority who cannot.
Why is someone who never listened to WFNX explaining to me why I don't need it?