GTBKA - Public Radio

It has taken a while for me to come around to the idea. Not because I didn't like public radio but because I wasn't aware of it. Well, I was kind of aware of it. I knew it was primarily talk radio and that it was something a good liberal was supposed to listen to. Anyways, now I love it and even have some radio programs that I will try to tune in for. It it almost like the olden days before TV and America had yet to be "discovered."

So, on to brass tacks. There are two public radio stations in Albuquerque, KANW and KUNM. The former is the official NPR station of Albuquerque and the l latter is run out of the university. At this point I should note, all of the following is based on my observations and no actual research was conducted to arrive at these opinions, which, is also kind of a good general note for my blog as well.

KANW was the first station I found that streamed... or... broadcasted... national programming, mainly, Morning Edition, which is what I want to listen to on the way to work. The trouble was that I would be back in the car at the end of the day and it had seemingly had switched to a Spanish radio station with a predilection for mariachi. When I first moved to Albuquerque I didn't even mind it. I felt like I was really living in the southwest. That was how I discovered the truth behind the transformation. At five o clock KANW becomes an all-request music station. Listeners can call in and literally request any song of any genre they want. It just so happens that the only people who call in are fans of Spanish music. 

As much as I appreciated this, I would occasionally want some All Things Considered on my drive and that is how I found KUNM, a few ticks up the dial. They had the advantage of playing NPR programming both in the morning and evening. Furthermore, KUNM has some unique programming that you can only get away with in close proximity to a university. At noon there is a breathy radio hosts who likes to get high and share her favorites pieces from the latest jazz albums. She is always inviting us to an experience, which I like. Also, I have a feeling that at midnight I might tune in to hear Madame Psychosis on the radio. Which, I also like. 

On a final note, yesterday Kari and I took my car out for Sushi. The radio was tuned to KUNM and it was a little after 8:00 PM at which point, apparently, KUNM switches to a primarily Spanish Music radio station.