I've found myself asking this question as I scan across the Seattle radio dial. Maybe I'm just an overly nostalgic person who prefers the music of the past, but it is getting harder to fill out all of my car radio presents (which wasn't much of a problem say 10 years ago). I do have 3-4 music stations left and that's probably enough to meet my needs now (but what about the future?). Maybe I'm alone on a island compared to others on this board or even the Puget Sound listening audience.
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Did I Outgrow Seattle Radio or did Seattle Radio Outgrow Me?
- Thread starter DMK
- Start date
880 KIXI probably has the music you're looking for, if not already one of your presets. Now that baseball season is over, you'll hear more music being played. It's a mix of the 50's up to the 90's.
If you like older Classic Country, there's 1520 KXA, if you're in the coverage area.
But I'm sure you already know about Retro Radio K-I-X-I and KXA.
It's disappointing to realize your taste in music is no longer represented on most radio stations. But that's been true of other generations before us.
Hopefully, KIRO-FM, KNWN-AM-FM, KUOW and KING-FM all are among your presets. Seattle is lucky to have such good news and talk stations, along with a full power, full time classical station. Most smaller markets don't, except for an NPR outlet.
For music, most of us and our cars can stream music services. We are no longer dependent on local radio stations to hear what we want.
Hopefully, KIRO-FM, KNWN-AM-FM, KUOW and KING-FM all are among your presets. Seattle is lucky to have such good news and talk stations, along with a full power, full time classical station. Most smaller markets don't, except for an NPR outlet.
For music, most of us and our cars can stream music services. We are no longer dependent on local radio stations to hear what we want.
I suspect this thread is going to get a lot of discussion. As for music, I am young enough that a lot of the stuff I like is still on the radio, but even I am having a hard time getting into many stations. Perhaps it's because I am 30 now and not 15, but if teenagers are even listening to radio today, I don't hear anything special. My friend always references Arty the One Man Party, which she listened to on WPXY in the mid to late 90s. For me, it's the way CHR used to sound at night with lots of phone calls and listener interaction. Today, if there's any listener interaction on air at all, it's usually just a contest winner, and even those are rare with so many contests being of the text this keyword to a national number variety. The only station I could see my 16-year-old self having any nostalgia for if I were that age today is WJZQ in Traverse City, Michigan.
I think it's about accepting 'the march of time'. The reality that everything changes over time (except for KIXI! 😆). But seriously, as radio stations update their playlists to stay relevant and not age out to advertisers, you could soon be down to one or none for your presets. I think Gregg said it best, just accept it, and switch to SiriusXM, which has a free subscription now, get a carplay system for your vehicle, record your own to listen to. Sadly, for a lot of us, radio no longer has what we're looking for.
It’s hard to say. It’s all a matter of personal taste (at least to some extent). I’m 29 years old now, and I still listen to the radio every day. However, my habits have definitely changed.
If you asked me 10 years ago about what I liked on the radio in Seattle, I’d tell you that I listen to 102.5 KZOK, 99.9 KISW, and 94.1 KMPS, and 107.7 KNDD most often.
Today, my perspective is different. The stations I listen to most often are 95.7 The Jet and 92.9 KISM (probably 80% of my listening habits). KZOK became somewhat unappealing to me after most of their playlist became 90’s focused. I still listen to KISW, but I find myself listening to 97.3 and 710 for talk programming and sports talk programming a lot more. I think I’m more interested in local and world events now (compared to 10 years ago), so talk radio is more appealing.
Other than that, I keep a button set for true country on 101.5 since it reminds me of the old days of KMPS. Also, I’ll check out what’s new on 98.9.
Other than that, I don’t bother with much else.
If you asked me 10 years ago about what I liked on the radio in Seattle, I’d tell you that I listen to 102.5 KZOK, 99.9 KISW, and 94.1 KMPS, and 107.7 KNDD most often.
Today, my perspective is different. The stations I listen to most often are 95.7 The Jet and 92.9 KISM (probably 80% of my listening habits). KZOK became somewhat unappealing to me after most of their playlist became 90’s focused. I still listen to KISW, but I find myself listening to 97.3 and 710 for talk programming and sports talk programming a lot more. I think I’m more interested in local and world events now (compared to 10 years ago), so talk radio is more appealing.
Other than that, I keep a button set for true country on 101.5 since it reminds me of the old days of KMPS. Also, I’ll check out what’s new on 98.9.
Other than that, I don’t bother with much else.
I still find a lot to like on the Seattle dial, but my tastes have always been.... atypical. It's still a great market for non-commercial choices. KEXP is of course, singular, I enjoy the jazz on KNKX, some of the KBCS offerings, and of course KUOW is quality, although my news fatigue has set in. One LPFM, "Space 101.1" out of Magnuson Park puts in the effort and is actually not a waste of spectrum, unlike some of those licenses.
But a lot of what I like isn't on the air anymore. I enjoy both standards and oldies despite being way younger than the demographic, but find KIXI's music to be somewhat unfocused. There's better places to get it when I'm in that mood. What little interest I had in KZOK ended when Shea left, and KISW is basically a talk station that fills with music and rarely plays a current. They do, however keep "Loud and Local" which I appreciate and the Men's Room has its moments.
Not generally an iHeart enthusiast, but I do enjoy the Jet and hear it on various places when I'm in the area. Like ford, I think KISM's a better classic rocker and has a monster signal. Plus, I'm partial to Saga as a company, considering them pretty good operators. I used to be addicted to KIRO, for their diverse lineup of smart talent and resisting the one-sided ideology most talkers fell into, but in recent years they've changed the lineup so often and it just doesn't feel as vibrant to me. Dave Ross is a legend, but given he's taking every Friday off now, I suspect retirement is near for him. Dave, Colleen and Sully have good chemistry. I enjoy hearing Spike O'Neill (from the Bob Rivers show) from time to time. Curley still has his moments when he leans into the humor and storytelling as opposed to the politics. Gee & Ursula do a solid show with a different tone than most issue-driven shows. But I'm pretty burnt on political and news chatter these days. KIRO just seemed to have a different energy back in the day, but my nostalgia probably colors that.
710 is a truly solid sports station though. Very smart talent. Stacy Jo Rost is a standout, could host on KIRO FM and do general talk and be a compelling listen, they should have her fill in over there if she's interested. Not a country P1 but I've enjoyed 101.5 more than expected, brings back good memories of my country radio days.
Had high hopes for 98.9 KPNW, but Hubbard didn't seem to know quite what to do with that format, even with John Fisher & Marco Collins. Still was nice to hear them again. Also used to love 107.7 The End, but like alternative radio (mostly, apart from WEQX and a few others) in general and pretty much any Audacy station doing that format, it's just..lacking vibrancy. Credit for bringing back Locals Only though, the host is very passionate about local music and plays some good stuff that wouldn't otherwise be heard there.
I'm realizing that while there's still "good" radio out there, the marketplace has shifted and the truly great things I remember are either my own nostalgia bias, or perhaps not feasible in the business as it stands today. Even my beloved KEXP was more aligned with my tastes in the heyday of "indie" and music blogs. But I'm glad they do what they do even if less of the music "hits" for me like it did then. Still, if you do some digging, there's a few treasures left on the dial in Seattle.
But a lot of what I like isn't on the air anymore. I enjoy both standards and oldies despite being way younger than the demographic, but find KIXI's music to be somewhat unfocused. There's better places to get it when I'm in that mood. What little interest I had in KZOK ended when Shea left, and KISW is basically a talk station that fills with music and rarely plays a current. They do, however keep "Loud and Local" which I appreciate and the Men's Room has its moments.
Not generally an iHeart enthusiast, but I do enjoy the Jet and hear it on various places when I'm in the area. Like ford, I think KISM's a better classic rocker and has a monster signal. Plus, I'm partial to Saga as a company, considering them pretty good operators. I used to be addicted to KIRO, for their diverse lineup of smart talent and resisting the one-sided ideology most talkers fell into, but in recent years they've changed the lineup so often and it just doesn't feel as vibrant to me. Dave Ross is a legend, but given he's taking every Friday off now, I suspect retirement is near for him. Dave, Colleen and Sully have good chemistry. I enjoy hearing Spike O'Neill (from the Bob Rivers show) from time to time. Curley still has his moments when he leans into the humor and storytelling as opposed to the politics. Gee & Ursula do a solid show with a different tone than most issue-driven shows. But I'm pretty burnt on political and news chatter these days. KIRO just seemed to have a different energy back in the day, but my nostalgia probably colors that.
710 is a truly solid sports station though. Very smart talent. Stacy Jo Rost is a standout, could host on KIRO FM and do general talk and be a compelling listen, they should have her fill in over there if she's interested. Not a country P1 but I've enjoyed 101.5 more than expected, brings back good memories of my country radio days.
Had high hopes for 98.9 KPNW, but Hubbard didn't seem to know quite what to do with that format, even with John Fisher & Marco Collins. Still was nice to hear them again. Also used to love 107.7 The End, but like alternative radio (mostly, apart from WEQX and a few others) in general and pretty much any Audacy station doing that format, it's just..lacking vibrancy. Credit for bringing back Locals Only though, the host is very passionate about local music and plays some good stuff that wouldn't otherwise be heard there.
I'm realizing that while there's still "good" radio out there, the marketplace has shifted and the truly great things I remember are either my own nostalgia bias, or perhaps not feasible in the business as it stands today. Even my beloved KEXP was more aligned with my tastes in the heyday of "indie" and music blogs. But I'm glad they do what they do even if less of the music "hits" for me like it did then. Still, if you do some digging, there's a few treasures left on the dial in Seattle.
I tend to listen to a lot of the indie stations if they're still around. KEXP is always a good start, KXSU-LP since they have a solid stream. Even check back with the old KGRG and KAOS.
As already mentioned, KIXI is a good nostalgia station, I've noticed they're really playing a lot more of what is coined "Yacht Rock" lately so it sounds like they're doing a mild shift while still playing the old standards and sprinkling brokered programming here and there. They're good folks over on that side, I think there's some staff crossover with KKNW as well since I hear some similar voices there.
I still feel there's a small hole in the market for a second rock station to take on KISW, they are pretty vulnerable. Wish someone would buy the 104.9 frequency the iHeart dumped, or buy up KXXO and reformat it. Speaking of, KXXO still has a massive library, KRXY as well, hell, I didn';t know Ty Flint from Charlie (RIP) and Ty was down there until I heard him, but it's interesting hearing Rocket Man, to Jimmy Buffet, to Dua Lipa, to Human League.
As already mentioned, KIXI is a good nostalgia station, I've noticed they're really playing a lot more of what is coined "Yacht Rock" lately so it sounds like they're doing a mild shift while still playing the old standards and sprinkling brokered programming here and there. They're good folks over on that side, I think there's some staff crossover with KKNW as well since I hear some similar voices there.
I still feel there's a small hole in the market for a second rock station to take on KISW, they are pretty vulnerable. Wish someone would buy the 104.9 frequency the iHeart dumped, or buy up KXXO and reformat it. Speaking of, KXXO still has a massive library, KRXY as well, hell, I didn';t know Ty Flint from Charlie (RIP) and Ty was down there until I heard him, but it's interesting hearing Rocket Man, to Jimmy Buffet, to Dua Lipa, to Human League.
This is very true. The reason boomers enjoyed the radio as much as they did when they were young was because advertisers wanted to reach them. As a result, formats that targeted previous generations were replaced. It happened in the 60s and 70s, and it's happening now, for the exact same reason.
There are a few more choices for 'older' music if you're in Pierce or Thurston county.
95.3 KGY for Oldies, and for real OLD Oldies, there is the infamous K-BIRD (KBRD), that will take you all the way back to the 1920's.
95.3 KGY for Oldies, and for real OLD Oldies, there is the infamous K-BIRD (KBRD), that will take you all the way back to the 1920's.
KIXI evening host Seth Thompson now does a 'Yacht Rock' program on Saturdays 5-7pm. Seth has mentioned on air that he's the one responsible for putting together the KIXI playlist.
That's awesome. I've seen a trend where Yacht Rock is kind of making a comeback.
Interesting reading through all the perspectives to my question/dilemma. I live Everett and on the FM dial my presets are 92.9, 92.9 (HD 3 which plays classic hits), 95.3 (KRKO's FM translator which plays classic hits), 95.7, 101.1 (KKXA's FM translator which plays classic country), 101.5, 102.5 (though it's playing more and more stuff from the 90s), 104.1 (decent amount of 80s and early 90s), 106.9 (in anticipation of XMAS). On the AM dial it's 530, 710, 950, 1000, 1380, 1520 and 1610. I'm might have to add the KIXI HD channel if there is a Yacht Rock program (maybe it replaces 102.5). I don't spend a huge amount of time driving around so Sirius XM isn't an expense worth adding. When all else fails I just put in a CD (remember those) or connect my phone and stream IHEART's Casey Casem's American Top 40 the 70s or 80s.
I agree that KGY and KRKO are great classic hits radio stations. I’m not really in a location where I can hear either one that well, but the programming is very good. Both are a bit more focused on 70’s classic hits, which is something I like and want to seek out (since you don’t get to hear it that often).
On the topic of older music on the radio, we’re lucky to have 95.7 in the market. It seems like iHeart really puts a lot of TLC into this station. Their playlist is extremely well executed and curated. I can easily listen for hours and not get sick of it. Iheart does a great job with all of their classic hits stations though. KISM is very much the same. Fun to listen to, and it doesn’t really get stale.
As for rock music, I’m not sure that I see an opening for anyone else to try a rock oriented format in the market. At this point, KZOK and KISW sound virtually the same to me in terms of the music they play, but KISW gets me to listen with their morning and afternoon show.
On the topic of older music on the radio, we’re lucky to have 95.7 in the market. It seems like iHeart really puts a lot of TLC into this station. Their playlist is extremely well executed and curated. I can easily listen for hours and not get sick of it. Iheart does a great job with all of their classic hits stations though. KISM is very much the same. Fun to listen to, and it doesn’t really get stale.
As for rock music, I’m not sure that I see an opening for anyone else to try a rock oriented format in the market. At this point, KZOK and KISW sound virtually the same to me in terms of the music they play, but KISW gets me to listen with their morning and afternoon show.
I'm a rock guy, basically, and neither KZOK or KISW do anything for me. KISW's Metal Militia HD2 channel was really good. Then they pulled the plug on it.
Any time I tune into KZOK I hear the same Pearl Jam tracks I heard a million times before and if I tune into KISW often it's the talk and the Men's Room just sounds like dumb jocks trying to be cool. Locally, I've tuned into KPNW when it was still alt, and I also listened to Emma a couple times. They have an interesting mix of Hot AC and pop, including some pop from the 2010's. It's not bad.
To me, it's not older music I want to hear. I just want to hear some good new rock. It's not being played much on local radio, at least when I tune in.
Any time I tune into KZOK I hear the same Pearl Jam tracks I heard a million times before and if I tune into KISW often it's the talk and the Men's Room just sounds like dumb jocks trying to be cool. Locally, I've tuned into KPNW when it was still alt, and I also listened to Emma a couple times. They have an interesting mix of Hot AC and pop, including some pop from the 2010's. It's not bad.
To me, it's not older music I want to hear. I just want to hear some good new rock. It's not being played much on local radio, at least when I tune in.
Perhaps the problem is with the music, not the radio.
KISW is still fine by me, since I find the local talent to be their X factor. The music doesn’t matter as much to me, since I find that I usually tune in specifically for the talent.
Unfortunately, KZOK has an issue with both talent and music. The playlist seems incredibly tight. You can almost guarantee that you’ll switch over and hear The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana, or Pearl Jam. Talent is also an issue, since they’ve just lost a major chuck of their morning talent. I believe they still have Sarah, but I can only imagine this is a situation she would prefer not to be in either. As I mentioned in my previous post, the rest of the talent is tracked from other markets.
The part that amazes me is that their sister station (KJEB) seems to fire on all cylinders. I’m a classic rock fan as well, but I would much rather listen to 95.7 than KZOK. They have a great playlist that isn’t too narrow. And while they have a midday show that originates from another market (Martha Quinn), her show is genuinely fun to listen to. It sounds like she actually wants to be there (as opposed to someone with a million other things to do who just wants to get the voice track over with).
Nailed it.
Point taken, and it may have some validity, but other rock stations I've listened to (including KBRE The Bear in California) have new rock in their playlists and it sound allright.
It is better to hear a new rock artist on the airwaves than replays of the Men's Room, along with the same mainstay tracks I heard on KISW in 1994.
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