October 31, 2007

Super Huge Pop Star Censored By Government

Hey, everybody, Will Bunch has our newest thing to boycott: It's Star 104.5! Or, rather, Alice 104.5. Wait. Maybe it's the station that simulcast WJJZ 106.1. Oh, wait, Rumba 104.5?

Wait, that's right, I actually wrote about this before. (In the previous paragraph, I forgot Sunny 104.5, but that was in my article.) Anyway, Bunch says the station, now on an alt-rock format, was told by its owner not to play the new Bruce Springsteen song!

Yay! The new one that sounds just like "867-5309/Jenny"? Are they maybe worried about being sued by Tommy Tutone? Oh, no, wait, it's his new track "Magic" which the always-reliable Fox News says Clear Channel has ordered its stations not to play.

Like Springsteen, these "older" artists have been relegated to something called Triple A format stations — i.e. either college radio or small artsy stations such as WFUV in the Bronx, N.Y., which are immune from the Clear Channel virus of pre-programming and where the number of plays per song is a fraction of what it is on commercial radio.

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May 16, 2007

Alt-Rock And Big Audio Dynamite Return To FM Band

Hey, remember when people, like, cried when Y-100 went off the air? Well now "alternative rock" -- a label that can apparently encompass everything from Linkin Park to Bob Marley -- is back on the FM, as Star 104.5 has changed to the alt-rock Radio 104.5.

(Actually, apparently it hasn't been Star 104.5 for a while now. It was currently operating as "Rumba 104.5," but was also known as "Alice 104.5" and "Sunny 104.5." I charge anyone to find proof of this. Okay, I kind of remember billboards for Sunny.)

The station's slogan is "Your alternative to radio status-quo: Radio 104.5." The alternative to radio status-quo is, from the band memorabilia on Radio 104.5's webpage: Foo Fighters, The Police, Sex Pistols, Nirvana, U2, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Billy Idol, The Cure, Big Audio Dynamite, The Ramones, Ziggy Marley, Bob Marley, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dave Matthews Band, Pearl Jam, Supersuckers, Sublime, Beastie Boys and The Hooters.¹ It is, naturally, owned by Clear Channel.

Incidentally, I was wondering if U2 would ever get on the radio again. That Bono, he's been struggling, I think it's good they finally have an outlet.

¹ I didn't make any of these up.

Radio 104.5
104.5 flips to alt. rock [Open All Night]

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