Was it just this morning that I was listening to Indie 103.1 on the radio in the car while driving to work? I could have sworn it was. I heard music, I heard the news, I heard the AM DJ and the morning news chick talking about the song that was on just before her report.
Then, four hours later, I got in the car and punk rock blasted out of the radio. It was time for Jonesy’s Jukebox, and he plays whatever he feels like, including his own guitar. I don’t get to drive and hear Steve Jones much, so I was excited. But …. no. The song ended and this roboannouncement began:
Indie 103.1 will cease broadcasting over this frequency effective immediately. Because of changes in the radio industry and the way radio audiences are measured, stations in this market are being forced to play too much Britney, Puffy and alternative music that is neither new nor cutting edge.…
What will be playing over 103.1 FM in Los Angeles won’t be pop but Mexican rythmic and Cumbia music — that’s the word from Franklin Avenue, which outlines Indie’s recent history.
Back when Clearchannel owned Indie, I was mighty skeptical. There was my bitchy post at LAist, which I can’t pull up right now because their search is fubar, about just how un-indie Clearchannel was. But the corporate parent changed, and over the years I’ve been won over — particularly by Steve Jones — and when I moved back to LA, having a really fucking awesome music station to listen to on the radio was one of the things that made me truly happy.
Oh, I’ll still listen to my NPR news, to my Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, to my Marketplace. But as for music? I’m abandoning LA radio. KCRW is no fucking consolation.
The last five things I heard on Indie, between repeats of the announcement of RoboDoom:
Black Flag – “Gimme Gimme Gimme”
Sex Pistols – “Anarchy in the UK”
Buzzcocks – “Harmony in My Head”
X – “The New World”
The Clash – “Guns of Brixton”
Michael at Franklin Avenue heard Johnny Clash and Sinatra. Put that all together and what you get is me listening to them online (“Valley Girl” by Moon Unit Zappa, currently). But it’s not the same.
