I believe many of us are creatures of habit. Most of us grew up listening to our favorite radio stations and DJs.
Moving through time, we have the capability to program "our" own radio stations. Non-stop music with no commercials, no DJs, no newscasts, etc.
A couple of nights ago, my Bluetooth radio in my car stopped working. "Red Rain" by Peter Gabriel came to a deadstop. When I arrived home, a check of all settings on both the radio and my iPhone proved everything should keep working.
The next day, I resorted to listening to Chicago FM radio. It was a mixed bag. I did hear some great music, and the fidelity was amazing! The flip side of the coin was the fact nearly ten-minute commercial breaks were tolerated. It's how radio companies pay the bills. I get it. I have a couple of favorite Chicago FM stations and yes, they're heard while I'm working on different tasks.
I admit it; I've been spoiled. I miss "my" personalized playlists which fire up instantly when I start my car. Countless songs which segue from one to another. Themes, artists, years, etc. The options are nearly without limit. Radio used to be this way. There are exceptions to this rule.
My car radio has been updated, and my life has meaning once again. The true test is when others listen to your personalized playlist and signal how much they like it. It's a big world and I will never criticize anyone for what type of music they listen to. To each his/her own.
I know of a number of business establishments who play a Chicago FM station. It's usually the one everyone can agree on. Not for nothing, Christmas music will be heard no matter who likes or dislikes it soon enough on WLIT-FM/93.9.
Thank you for reading and have a great weekend!
Re: I Love Radio...But...
Posted by detectivetom on October 17, 2025, 3:45 pm, in reply to "I Love Radio...But..."
Nice post.
I, on the other hand, am at the opposite side of the spectrum. I listen only to terrestrial radio. Several years ago, my sons wanted to pay for Sirius after the free trial ran out on the new car I purchased. I enjoy skipping around and finding an unknown station when on a journey.
I still get the print edition of the newspaper, so I may be living in the past. Radio ain’t the same any more, but then, what is?
I also find myself listening to a lot of streaming music these days. I used to love Chicago radio—we were definitely spoiled compared to other markets. My first new car, an '88 Chevy Cavalier Z24, didn’t come with a tape deck, but it had an AM/FM radio. That was a significant upgrade from the car I had before, but I didn’t care—I had Steve and Garry, Johnny & Buzz, and Kevin Matthews to make me laugh. The Loop, WCKG, and later The Blaze and Q101 handled all my Rock 'n' Roll needs. The DJs were live, gave me weather updates on the hour, and even took my requests. There was a guy named Major Tom who gave me traffic reports from a helicopter—or at least used some pretty convincing helicopter sound effects. The commercials were about beer, fast food, local bars, and Starbeat would tell me what was happening. They reminded me that I was young and had the world ahead of me. Now, when I turn on the radio, WCKG, The Blaze, and The Loop are gone. There’s no more funny—the DJs are automated. The music is still great, but it’s interrupted by commercials for cancer treatment centers, heart doctors, walk-in bathtubs, prostate health, and retirement communities. Things that remind me I’m getting old, and that sickness and death are around every corner. Not exactly how I want to spend my commute to and from work. Luckily, there are options. Both Steve and Garry have podcasts that are still entertaining, and I’ve got a few playlists that give me all my favorite music without the depressing commercials. I still tune in occasionally, hoping things have gotten better—but they never do.
I think it all starts to paraphrase J.J. Cale & Eric Clapton, "After Midnight".
Many radio stations are now jockless from 12-5A-ish every night now because of corporate cutbacks & budget cuts. It doesn't matter if you listen to 97.1 The Drive, 93XRT, ROCK 95.5 or any other FM station in the overnight hours. On the AM side, before he passed away in 2022, Les Grobstein used to be on 670 The SCORE for 5 hours and sometimes even longer than that depending on whether there was a Cubs or Bulls' game on their air. I think since Grobstein passed away, they've tried to stay live & local, but most times, WSCR has gone to syndicated sports talk from Infinity Sports Radio (Formerly CBS Sports Radio) after hours.
As for the commercials...It doesn't matter if it's a message for law firms, insurance companies, car dealerships, prostate health, cancer treatment centers, retirement communities, etc. are everywhere. There are some commercials that are clearly over the top. There's nothing these stations can do about it.
Re: I Love Radio...But...
Posted by WYTZZ95FM on October 22, 2025, 4:44 pm, in reply to "I Love Radio...But..."
There's nothing these stations can do about it.
Wrong. They can reject the ads. They can ask for alternative produced ads. They can offer to do the ads in house or have the announcers do a live spot (if they are not on the edge of being perceived as raunchy)
You are right about midnights, as it is the lowest rated daypart and they do not consider the people that are awake those hours relevant enough to invest in them. Hence jockless. If they could legally turn off the transmitters at night and save money, they would, but legally they can't and they don't. The days of Eddie Schwartz overnights, are long gone. Sadly.
It's a moot point now, but 2026 is a midterm election year. Radio stations as well as TV stations & cable networks will be bombarded with commercials for men & women running for political office.
I bring this up because if you listen to WBBM Newsradio 780 AM/WCFS 105.9 FM for example, you'll hear the following disclaimer ahead of time:
"The following is a paid political announcement."
I guarantee you when we start hearing one political commercial after another, there's absolutely nothing the stations can do about it.
I guarantee you when we start hearing one political commercial after another, there's absolutely nothing the stations can do about it.
ABRockNJock, I guarantee you that you are absolutely incorrect. They can do something about it. Radio stations are NOT obligated to sell airtime for political commercials.
They are required to not edit them, if they air them. They are required to not deny any an opposing candidates ads, if they run them for one candidate, they have to sell time and air all of them. They are required to sell ads at the lowest rates. They are required to air only ads that state who paid for the ad.
on October 17, 2025, 3:01 pm