Change the Milwaukee radio market please

[FightingIrish]

What are your thoughts on the other stations not mentioned? I strongly disagree with you about the smooth jazz. I will always love smooth jazz and the way it makes me feel. B93.3 doesn't compare to 102.7 WBOW in Terre Haute, IN or KCMX Lite 102 (101.9) in Medford, OR.

Smooth Jazz always sounded phony to me. It's muzak with a funky beat. To each their own. Give me the real thing (i.e. Miles, Coltrane, Brubeck, etc.) anyday, and that stuff can't be found at all on the broadcast dial. Plus, WJZX always sounded terrible. Broadcast Architecture's playlist was lame, and the amount of echo Saga was pumping out was ridiculous.

I kept it to the stations you mentioned, but moving on...

WYMS 88.9 - This is a real hidden gem in the Milwaukee market. Lots of cutting edge music. They do play too much hip-hop, though, but I assume it's to appease Milwaukee schools. Some of the jocks are decent (the midday guy Marcus has a certain quirky charm, and Kat has a fun personality, though the night guy sounds like he's constipated), but they could all use a little polish and energy.

WUWM 89.7 - Local pubcaster. The usual NPR stuff. They do program music at night, but it's real sappy singer-songwriter fluff (i.e. the reason they dumped the somewhat stuffy "World Cafe", which obviously wasn't stuffy enough). And do we really need two stations playing BBC World News (which is great, BTW) in the overnight hours? They should do music overnight, and pep it up a bit.

WHAD 90.7 - Wisconsin Public Radio. What else is there to say? Sure beats the right-wing propaganda polluting the AM dial.

WMSE 91.7 - I should listen more. Much more 'out there' than WYMS, which is pretty structured.

WEZY 92.1 - Don't listen much. But isn't one station playing Tesh more than enough?

WBWI 92.5 - Country outlet from West Bend. Haven't listened in a long time.

WJMR 98.3 - Don't listen much, though their old-school R&B and hip-hop shows are interesting. WYMS does a more interesting job in that respect, however (with their occasional 70s funk mix shows).

WKKV 100.7 - Don't listen at all. Not a fan of newer rap (i.e. the grunting Lil Wayne swearing-over-lousy-beats stuff).

WLUM 102.1 - Most glaring omission on your list. A fairly decent modern rocker. Sounds like Q101 did a few years ago (a compliment) before they devolved into a crap metal station. Loved their recent shuffle weekend. They should switch to that full-time and ease back on burning out the hits. The format used to be way, way better, but seeing as once-legendary stations like KROQ and Live 105 have turned to crap, WLUM actually became one of the better ones. Perhaps it's due to being locally owned.

WNOV 102.5 - Sounds like an amateur version of WJMR

WMIL 106.1 - Typical CC country outlet. What else is there to say? Though the local CC group has very good processing on all their stations (especially WRIT). The sound quality is excellent.

 

[jeffrey palmroy]

I live in waukesha but I haven't been complaining about listeng to the milwaukee radio station but the one thats say changel all milwaukee radio station has a serious because music is changing in the world get a screw in your head or listen to a eye pod and I'll say music is changing in the usa or differant countrys

 

[cyberdad]

I haven't had a chance to listen to Milwaukee radio in a few years, but when I was in Milwaukee a few years back, I thought Milwaukee radio sounded better than Chicago radio. [/color]

I thought this was also true back in the golden era of top 40 on AM. As good as WLS and WCFL were, on balance I thought WOKY and WRIT were both better. I was within range of both in the far northwest Chicago suburbs.

But in the case of WRIT, I had to listen to the simulcast of 1340 on 102.9 FM.
WOKY's 5kw directional daytime signal on 920 was weak, but listenable on a good radio. At night, WOKY went to 1kw, but one lobe of that was aimed right at me, so the nighttime signal was pretty good. The signal would pop when they went to the nighttime pattern....despite the lower power.

 

[jeffrey palmroy]

102.9 was a country station way before lazer 103 and I did not like 102.9 more when it was a country western

 

[stereolane]

I shudder to think what our friend icycool would say about the short-lived 95.7 WBGK. : Now THAT was a unique radio station...

 

[jeffrey palmroy]

what would if hot 102.1 z95.7 and b97 were still on the air 100.7 wrkr out of Milwaukee

 

[JohnnyOhJohnny]

Which Milwaukee Radio stations have live local personalities most of the day?

 

[Atoz]

WTKM (AM/oldies & FM/classic country/polkas) is primarily programmed for Washington and Dodge county and doesn't really have anything to do with the Milwaukee market. Their rimshot signals reach into it somewhat so they show up in the ratings but thats all.