Yves here. I confess to not having been in a car enough to hear much radio. But I was an addict in college and grad school, waking up to WGBH’s Robert J. Lurtsema, who Wikipedia depicts as having had a non-mainstream delivery style. But I have from time to time encountered college radio stations, which despite often having a preference for worrisomely NPR-intonation-imitating hosts, often also had quirky programming. The need to project more personality in a world of more and more policy and AI flattening of edges, is at least for now giving a tailwind to independent programming, particularly stations that did not get Federal funding.
By Damon Orion, a writer, journalist, musician, artist, and teacher in Santa Cruz, California. His work has appeared in Revolver, Guitar World, Spirituality + Health, Classic Rock, and other publications. Read more of his work at DamonOrion.com. Produced by Local Peace Economy
Before 1996, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) restricted U.S. corporations from owning more than 40 radio stations. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 eliminated these curbs, enabling single corporate entities to own unlimited stations.
At that point, listeners “said goodbye to regionality and creativity and hello to bland, homogenized programming,” filmmaker Brendan Toller noted in his 2008 documentary I Need That Record!
Corporate networks continue to dominate the airwaves. BIA Advisory Services reports that iHeartMedia owned 870 stations in 2023, making it the nation’s top radio owner, followed by Audacy, Cumulus Media, Hubbard Radio, and Beasley Media Group.
“It’s monopoly after monopoly,” notes Toller, now the director of operations and new initiatives at the volunteer-run WPKN, one of about 100independent radio stations in the U.S., according to Wikipedia. “I think the call to independence and a free-form format is important as things become more homogenized, influenced by AI, and automated.”
Founded in 1963, WPKN is a 10,000-watt station in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Its terrestrial signal reaches a potential 1.5 million listeners in most of Connecticut and parts of Long Island, New York State, and southwestern Massachusetts. Millions of listeners worldwide have access to its broadcasts at WPKN.org.
Toller says WPKN hosts about 170 programs. The content of these broadcasts includes music, news, public affairs, arts and culture, environment and science, and lifestyle.
Besides talented local DJs, the station looks for “organizers and activists who want to highlight people making their communities better in the public affairs realm,” Toller states.
WPKN’s DJs, programmers, and hosts have full autonomy. “Our schedule is the ‘you never know what you’re going to get’ chocolate box of radio,” Toller says. “We don’t have the playlist requirements that an obnoxious corporate station has. We are where freedom and human-driven, anti-algorithm expression lives. That, to me, is more exciting than a curated playlist because you get the personality [of the DJ] drifting and guiding you toward all this music or information if it’s a public affairs program or podcast.”
He adds that independent stations like WPKN enable local musicians, artists, nonprofits, and organizers “to reach a wider audience [and] to get contextualized properly within their region, the times, and history.”
In April 2025, NPR stated that the Trump administration’s proposed cuts to federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting “would have a devastating impact on American communities across the nation that rely on public radio for trusted local and national news, culture, lifesaving emergency alerts, and public safety information.”
While Toller notes that such cuts will be “major and grave,” they do not pose a threat to WPKN, which does not receive any federal funding. “The station has remained largely listener-supported [since 1989], with a hint of underwriting from local nonprofits, organizations, and businesses,” Toller explains.
Unlike WPKN, which is unaffiliated, some local stations disburse their content through independent networks like the Pacifica Foundation, which owns and operates non-commercial stations KPFA, KPFK, KPFT, WBAI, and WPFW. It also oversees the Pacifica Network, which provides content to more than 200 stations, according to the network’s website. Britannica states that Pacifica “funds and promotes news and public affairs programs, most notably ‘Democracy Now!’ and ‘Free Speech Radio News.’”
Meanwhile, the nonprofit, volunteer-run indie radio network A-Infos Radio Project presents “an alternative to the corporate and government media, which do not serve struggles for liberty, justice and peace, nor enable the free expression of creativity,” according to its website.
The freedom of expression that terrestrial radio offers may help explain this medium’s enduring popularity despite competition from online outlets.
“Sparked by the advent of social media in the early 2000s, the landscape of communication underwent a monumental transformation,” the International News Media Association observed in 2024. “This was further accelerated by the global lockdowns of 2020, where the demand for instant, online news reached unprecedented heights, highlighting the growing preference for short-form content among audiences.”
Sound of Life, a platform designed “to foster a community of curious connoisseurs and share stories through the lens of sound,” states that indie radio stations have grown in popularity despite challenges like overhead costs and rising rents. “During the pandemic, the… [number] of radio and podcast listeners boomed, and habits stick. In the U.S., 92 percent of the population listen to [the] radio every week,” stated a 2024 article on its website.
This boom may have helped several independent radio stations in the U.S. survive challenges that wiped out many British stations, including soaring living expenses and energy bills.
Indie stations like WBHF, Aggie Radio, WFMU, KUCR, KEXP, the SoCal Sound, and Rinse FM have adapted to industry shifts by offering multiple streaming options. WPKN has also embraced the digital format. Besides posting content to its website, it maintains a podcast channel on all major platforms, an archiving system, and a video sessions format.
Toller says he has witnessed a surprising amount of interest in traditional radio among young people. “What’s amazing to me is that the youth are being raised with these digital devices that are so attention-commanding all the time, and I see people coming in here from other stations who are much younger than me and are interested in this as a tried-and-true platform that has existed far longer than social media. If youth is still interested, that tells me this is going to be around for another 60 years.”
He adds that a highlight of his work is hearing “a great demo tape that has something we don’t have on the air yet [such as] underground electronic music or a food justice podcast. These are all being submitted by my peers and people younger than me. That, to me, is inspiring and a salve to independent media. I’m still excited.”
A long time ago when I was in high school in NJ I listened to Vince Scelsa at WFMU at Upsala College where he had a free form radio program, which I guess he sort of invented. It was a great time for music and he became quite influential.
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/vin-scelsa-leaves-the-airwaves
Better link:
https://archive.ph/iFR2y
Since all of the FM stations where I live are a corporate sponsored drivel factory, I have switched to AM radio stations, It isn’t much to choose from, but there are a couple of “oldies” stations(which now means 60’s and 70’s and some 80’s. not perry cuomo or glenn miller) These stations don’t really have many commercials, just long periods of time of un-interrupted music. And I don’t like a lot of it, but you never know what you will hear. A lot is good music. And when they flip a script and play sports, or have a bible thing, or a “talk” portion where you can hear the propaganda…. you can go to the other station. But I do like the swap shop, and the horticultural shows.
The biggest reason I like it is there aren’t really “personalities” thrown in who brief the world on the daily propaganda. Corporate radio, and their “morning shows”( which are re-played multiple times during the day), are just reinforcers of group think for the central scrutinizers.
My family doesn’t get why I would choose a staticky random radio station over anything else on the radio…but that is how bad these corporate radio stations are.
This article on independent radio broadcasts brings back fond memories of my misspent youth in San Diego during the 60s, where we all listened to the Wolfman Jack radio show from the 50,000 watt border blaster station in Mexico.
The song I recall most is the sinister and seductive ‘Little Red Riding hood’, by Sam the Sham and the Pharos with the Wolfman’s periodic howling in the background.
Good times
In SLC, we have an amazing independent radio station–KRCL, 90.9 on the dial, that’s managed to thrive for 45 years by relying on contributions from listeners. Already looking forward to their 3 hour Reggae show this afternoon 4-7
Wisconsin Public Radio Ideas Network still has some excellent local programming, especially host Larry Mueller, who discusses everything from gardening and animal advice to state politics with subject matter experts. There’s also the seminal Chapter a Day, where I have heard so many books read in mellifluous voice of Jim Fleming. It’s available on the radio apps or you can get the feed on their website, outside broadcast range.
nb, it was Karl Schmidt who read Chapter a Day for many years. Jim Fleming is one of the current readers. The Wikipedia entry refreshed my memory.
I also highly recommend Milwaukee’s WMSE for a wide range of music, its station manager Tom Crawford is dedicated to supporting local music and keeping the station independent.
I have been involved with or searching for alternative music radio since becoming an adult. (I was a program director at the alt music college radio station in the 80s). WMSE in Milwaukee is easily the best I’ve ever heard. Sound Citizen here (recurring contributor). Some of the volunteer DJs are going on their third decade. Live hosted and procured by people. And most of those people have deep, institutional knowledge of their particular musical genres. Salute!
WBER 90.5FM. The only station that matters, playing alternative music 24 hours a day in Rochester and upstate New York.
Fond memories of my brief stint as a volunteer DJ back in the early 90s. It really served to broaden my musical interests.
Kind of a neat story, the station is run by the Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), a resource shared by several local school districts. So high school students are DJs during the day, then volunteers work things in the evenings and on weekends. They also have a television setup, but that was used far less often.
You can find their stream at https://wber.org/
WCPE in Raleigh is an independent classical station with no fed/state funding. Started in late 70’s with small reach, but now worldwide with the internet.
Another example is the Minnesota AMPERS association. 17 independent (not associated either with a chain or MPR) community radio stations. I mostly listen to KUOM and occasionally KFAI here in the Twin Cities. College rock forever!
One of my favorite things I learned about from moving to VT was being exposed to the local low power community radio station, WVEW-LP at 107.7 FM. An interesting and eclectic mix of local personalities have kept this tiny operation going for almost 30 years from it’s earliest days as Radio Free Brattleboro a pirate 1 W ratio station authorized by the city, not the FCC. In 2001 they applied for and received an FCC license for 100W of broadcast power which just reaches most of Brattleboro.
About a year ago the station moved into a vacant space next door to my pinball shop. I had been a regular listener for years but meeting some of the people involved inspired me to try my hand at producing a show which I have now been doing for over a year. Ad Hoc Radio is 2 hours of music produced from my archives every week, one of the best (unpaid) jobs I’ve ever had.
I think this work has been a great refuge for me during this trying year. I get to spend a couple hours a week choosing a playlist and recording and editing the show. It’s time that I’m not spending paying attention to anything else, and it has been cathartic most weeks. The people involved are some of the most delightful “harmless weirdos” in town and they have welcomed my contributions gratefully, I love meeting people in town who have heard my voice on the radio.
Always streamable at wvew.org you can also stream archives of recent shows.
Donated! And bookmarked. Keep ‘em’ flying.