Best Radio Stations

I'm a big fan of KZTQ here in Reno because there's very little DJ chatter and lots of music that brings me back to highschool and college days, but with some newer music thrown in.

For computer listening, you have to try Pandora. I'm fairly clueless when it comes to finding new music and that's where Pandora helps out. You tell them who you like and they will play them, and new music based on those choices. I found a lot of new music that I love from this station, and the best thing is it's free.

KCRW out of Santa Monica has an amazing show on weekday mornings from 9-12 called Morning Becomes Eclectic hosted by Nick Harcourt. They're trying to do an On Demand option -- it's not working great at the moment.

Check it out online, or when you're stuck on the freeways in So CA at 89.9. Weekends have great programming too -- Chris Douridas is an awesome programmer. He hosts a show called New Ground.

I'm a recent (and grateful) transplant to the Bay area and like the programming on KFOG okay -- but the incessant commercial breaks drive me mad.

I downloaded your KFOG, and then looked up the radio station I listen to most from my computer: http://www.wrvo.fm/ WRVO has NPR, PRI, BBC, and American Public Media. I usually listen to music in my i-tunes library especially Mozart, Vivaldi, Joanne Shenandoah, Lisa Girrard, and Nawang Khechog for writing reports. As I was writing this, KFOG suddenly started streaming with the Rolling Stones and about bounced me out of my chair. Fun. Nice mix! Thanks for the recommendation.

If you like public radio (in any form), Current.org is a great resource. You can search by music genre or show across a ton of channels.

Addressing the satellite radio question, the first question is... how much do you drive? When you're at home, you can access stations online that offer better sound and increased flexibility compared to what's on satellite radio. The other big question is about your listening habits. Do you like to pick out what you listen to, or do you prefer someone to handle the programming? If you drive a lot and want to flip between channels rather than acquiring/updating a digital audio collection, satellite radio is for you. As for the difference between Sirius and XM, some people say XM has better music programming, whereas Sirius has Howard Stern and his merry band of cohorts as the main draw.

Hey ColbyZ, there is a station in New Orleans--WWOZ, the New Orleans Jazz and heritage station--that plays blues, jazz, Cajun, zydeco, gospel, Latin, Brazilian, Caribbean and a whole lot more. Don't know if this is your cup of gumbo (kinda like a low-rent KFOG served up with crawfish, beignets, and DIxie beer), but WWOZ is one of countless great New Orleans musical traditions, and has been broadcasting since 1980 from, among other places, the second floor of the world-reknown Tipitina's night club and Louis Armstrong Park, more or less the center of the New Orleans heritage and musical universe. If you do like the New Orleans sound and want to help the cause down there, check them out at http://www.wwoz.org/about.php

Well, Colby, like Derek said, if you like choosing an era or genre and listening to a mix of that specific music type, satellite like XM or Sirius is for you. It's a "set it and forget it" way of hearing just the music you like. You actually sound like you appreciate a more eclectic blend..an aggregate of sorts that plays to your wider mindset and general taste for quality rather than a genre delineation. Did I peg ya? To that end, stations like KFOG and my personal favorite, KBCO from Boulder, Colorado, provide you with a nice blend of adult/intelligent music.

KBCO actually streams three signals...one is their actual air signal, which is terrific. Another is nothing but new music...a great way to find out about what's just released but you might want some familiarity. And the third is just made up of live performances recorded in their studios over the years.

icebergradio.com also lets you pick from their channels and some of those might appeal to you, as well.

Happy listening!