Hey guys, so I am currently trying to make a map of the best rock/classic rock/alternative stations for interstates or popular roads. I have most of the East Coast done, because I have traveled most of it, but if anyone has any good stations for the west, or pacific coast, or any stations in general, please let me know. Thanks!
I am starting with doing I 95 because I have traveled almost all of it, but you guys can do some other interstates. Just put a textbox and put the station name and the call signal (example: KROQ,WFOX)
link to map: https://www.scribblemaps.com/create#/lat=40.9118964&lng=-73.99980359&z=8&t=custom_style
KSHE (https://www.kshe95.com/)in St Louis is still one of the best. 94.7
St Louis also has the Point, KPNT (https://www.1057thepoint.com/), for those into "Alternative." 105.7
I don't generally listen to regular radio as much since I have a SirusXM account. But I can give you some stations for I-75 in the northern part of the route.
Actually starting around the Mackinac Bridge and continuing quite a distance south you can pick up 98.5 WUPS which is more of a classic hits station than classic rock but it's a very powerful station with a 100,000 watt signal near Houghton Lake. You can listen to that station from the bridge to the Tri-Cities.
Saginaw/Bay City is 104.5 WILZ which is a classic rock station with it's signal based in Saginaw.
Flint is 103.9 "The Fox" WRSR which is another classic rock station. They are more local to the Flint area though and bill themselves as Flint's Classic Rock Authority.
Detroit is 94.7 WCSX also classic rock. Once you lose 103.9 you can pull this station in all the way to the other side of Detroit. If your bypassing Detroit on US-23 this station comes in pretty good along US-23 as well.
Toledo is 94.5 WXKR. Classic rock after you lose 94.7 in Detroit you just have to go backwards one station to get this station in. You can keep this station until you get to about Findlay.
After Findlay I-75 starts to run on a diagonal running NE and SW until Lima. In this area after you lose 94.5 in Toledo you can pick up 98.9 WBYR The Bear in Fort Wayne, Indiana for awhile.
Dayton you can run with 104.7 WTUE. You will pass their transmit tower on I-75 at Mile Marker 50 in the Dayton suburb of Moraine.
Cincinnati is 92.5 WOFX The Fox. This one will keep you from turning the station again until almost Lexington.
After you lose 92.5 go with 92.1 WBVX in Lexington.
Perhaps someone can finish off I-75 for me after this point.
Mine for traveling in southern New England used to be WAAF (107.3) in Worcester/Boston and WCCC (106.9) in Hartford. Both are dead now, I believe both subsumed by religious music.
Unfortunately this isn't 1983 when we had decent radio.
Quote from: Flint1979 on November 22, 2022, 05:36:08 PM
Perhaps someone can finish off I-75 for me after this point.
This is the other end of the route, but in the Sault Ste. Marie area, WNBY 93.9 is good.
Minneapolis/St. Paul has KQRS 92.5, which has a top-notch morning show. There's also KOOL 108 at 107.9, but it's also the Christmas music station and seems to change up the lineup every year, so it's unrecognizable from what it was before about 2019.
Duluth has KQDS 94.9, which also has a top-notch morning show and a great afternoon show on weekdays, too. If you're not into the shows, there's also Sasquatch WWPE at 92.1.
There's quite a gap in coverage from about Tettegouche State Park to Grand Portage, but the border areas will be able to pick up CJSD 94.3 from Thunder Bay, and coverage from there continues until around Sleeping Giant Provincial Park. Unfortunately, I don't think the topography is good for broadcasting a signal very far in that area.
Quote from: Molandfreak on November 22, 2022, 08:57:23 PM
There's quite a gap in coverage from about Tettegouche State Park to Grand Portage, but the border areas will be able to pick up CJSD 94.3 from Thunder Bay, and coverage from there continues until around Sleeping Giant Provincial Park. Unfortunately, I don't think the topography is good for broadcasting a signal very far in that area.
This gap came into existence when KQDS dropped their Grand Marais/Ashland translator a few years back.
To get you the rest of the way into Iowa going south, you can pick up Power 96 from Albert Lea.
103.3 out of Fergus Falls, MN usually has a pretty good selection.
Quote from: Molandfreak on November 22, 2022, 08:57:23 PM
Quote from: Flint1979 on November 22, 2022, 05:36:08 PM
Perhaps someone can finish off I-75 for me after this point.
This is the other end of the route, but in the Sault Ste. Marie area, WNBY 93.9 is good.
Minneapolis/St. Paul has KQRS 92.5, which has a top-notch morning show. There's also KOOL 108 at 107.9, but it's also the Christmas music station and seems to change up the lineup every year, so it's unrecognizable from what it was before about 2019.
Duluth has KQDS 94.9, which also has a top-notch morning show and a great afternoon show on weekdays, too. If you're not into the shows, there's also Sasquatch WWPE at 92.1.
There's quite a gap in coverage from about Tettegouche State Park to Grand Portage, but the border areas will be able to pick up CJSD 94.3 from Thunder Bay, and coverage from there continues until around Sleeping Giant Provincial Park. Unfortunately, I don't think the topography is good for broadcasting a signal very far in that area.
I stopped at Lexington because there is a lack of bigger cities until you get to Knoxville and I wasn't sure what station I would tune into after that. The thing with WNBY is they are one of those stations that play Christmas music for an entire month.
Quote from: Flint1979 on November 22, 2022, 09:32:36 PM
The thing with WNBY is they are one of those stations that play Christmas music for an entire month.
Off-theme but a NIMBY station?
Quote from: Big John on November 23, 2022, 09:03:08 AM
Quote from: Flint1979 on November 22, 2022, 09:32:36 PM
The thing with WNBY is they are one of those stations that play Christmas music for an entire month.
Off-theme but a NIMBY station?
It's called WNBY after Newberry, Michigan. It's transmit tower is on get ready for the name of this road (Stop Sign Road) which is off M-123 on the way to Paradise.
Classic rock is a dying genre in nearly all markets. If you want to be able to listen to it coast-to-coast, you're better off investing in a SiriusXM account.
Quote from: Flint1979 on November 22, 2022, 09:32:36 PM
Quote from: Molandfreak on November 22, 2022, 08:57:23 PM
Quote from: Flint1979 on November 22, 2022, 05:36:08 PM
Perhaps someone can finish off I-75 for me after this point.
This is the other end of the route, but in the Sault Ste. Marie area, WNBY 93.9 is good.
Minneapolis/St. Paul has KQRS 92.5, which has a top-notch morning show. There's also KOOL 108 at 107.9, but it's also the Christmas music station and seems to change up the lineup every year, so it's unrecognizable from what it was before about 2019.
Duluth has KQDS 94.9, which also has a top-notch morning show and a great afternoon show on weekdays, too. If you're not into the shows, there's also Sasquatch WWPE at 92.1.
There's quite a gap in coverage from about Tettegouche State Park to Grand Portage, but the border areas will be able to pick up CJSD 94.3 from Thunder Bay, and coverage from there continues until around Sleeping Giant Provincial Park. Unfortunately, I don't think the topography is good for broadcasting a signal very far in that area.
I stopped at Lexington because there is a lack of bigger cities until you get to Knoxville and I wasn't sure what station I would tune into after that. The thing with WNBY is they are one of those stations that play Christmas music for an entire month.
There's a radio group based in London that might have decent reception between Lexington and Knoxville, but I don't know if one of their stations is classic rock or AOR, as I don't listen to over-the-air radio very often.
The go-to in Lexington years ago was WKQQ (then 98.1, now 100.1) but I always liked being able to pick up WEBN from Cincinnati or WQMF from Louisville, as they played more hard rock than Double-Q did.
On my home stereo, when conditions were right, I could pick up rock stations from Oak Ridge and the Kingsport-Johnson City area that I enjoyed listening to. My bedroom window faced south and that's where I had my FM antenna hung up.
Quote from: abefroman329 on November 23, 2022, 12:24:00 PM
Classic rock is a dying genre in nearly all markets. If you want to be able to listen to it coast-to-coast, you're better off investing in a SiriusXM account.
I mentioned I have a SirusXM account up thread. Some stations I would suggest are Ozzy's Boneyard, Hair Nation, Classic Rewind and Classic Vinyl.
Quote from: abefroman329 on November 23, 2022, 12:24:00 PM
Classic rock is a dying genre in nearly all markets. If you want to be able to listen to it coast-to-coast, you're better off investing in a SiriusXM account.
Doesn't help that a lot of stations have just played the same 100 or so songs every day in a different order for the past 30 years, except when they started to add in an occasional Pearl Jam or Nirvana song about a decade ago.
Waky 103.5 FM if you're travelling close to Elizabethtown or Louisville
Quote from: abefroman329 on November 23, 2022, 12:24:00 PM
Classic rock is a dying genre in nearly all markets. If you want to be able to listen to it coast-to-coast, you're better off investing in a SiriusXM account.
Not denying, but in terms of getting across the largest swaths of rural America classic rock/classic hits are still going to be your best bets for terrestrial radio consistency beyond NPR and Christian talk radio. 30 yeas from now when the boomers and a large swath of older Gen X are gone will likely be different.
It's not my first choice of genre when seeking out radio stations, but there are a couple on my preset system - 96.9 WOUR from Utica, NY and Rock 102.1 (WAQY) from Springfield, MA.
Back in the '90s, I was a diehard fan of the M Street Radio Directory. It's a shame they don't still publish these.
Quote from: Flint1979 on November 23, 2022, 12:58:46 PM
Quote from: abefroman329 on November 23, 2022, 12:24:00 PM
Classic rock is a dying genre in nearly all markets. If you want to be able to listen to it coast-to-coast, you're better off investing in a SiriusXM account.
I mentioned I have a SirusXM account up thread. Some stations I would suggest are Ozzy's Boneyard, Hair Nation, Classic Rewind and Classic Vinyl.
Well, not everyone would be willing to blow hundreds of dollars in subscriptions to SiriusXM, so another way to go would be Pandora.
I'll do I-5, and I think these selections would be pretty much straightforward (with info pulled from Radio-Locator.com):
San Diego--KGB 101.5
Los Angeles--KLOS 95.5
Bakersfield (not on the actual route, but very close)--KDFO 98.5
Fresno (ditto)--KJFX 96.7, KKBZ 105.1
Visalia/Tulare--KIOO 99.7
Sacramento--KYRV 93.7, KSEG 96.9
Redding--KHRD 103.1
Mt. Shasta--KZRO 100.1
Medford--KBOY 95.7
Eugene--KZEL 96.1
Portland--KLOO 106.3
Seattle--KZOK 102.5
Bellingham--KISM 92.9
SirusXM costs less than a dollar a day.
Quote from: Rothman on November 24, 2022, 03:06:19 PM
Quote from: Flint1979 on November 24, 2022, 11:57:03 AM
SirusXM costs less than a dollar a day.
And...?
And in the post above mine Henry mentioned blowing hundreds of dollars on a SirusXM account. It's not that massively expensive, it costs $27.99 a month and for the first year I had it it cost $10 a month.
28x12 is well over $300 a year. That's not exactly pocket change for a good number of people.
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on November 24, 2022, 04:09:03 PM
28x12 is well over $300 a year. That's not exactly pocket change for a good number of people.
It's 93 cents a day.
It's almost as much as Photobucket tried to charge. Remember that fiasco?
Quote from: 1 on November 24, 2022, 04:17:28 PM
It's almost as much as Photobucket tried to charge. Remember that fiasco?
Yeah I remember. I think SirusXM is fine because you are paying a subscription and don't have to listen to any commercials.
Here are some of the ones can be heard around Illinois that are pop, rock, classic rock or alternative. I am more familiar with the Chicago area stations. This is from Wiki going through the stations up through WK** & KK**. I broke it down to the markets. Long list.
Bloomington/Normal (I-39, I-55 & I-74):
96.7 WIHN - Active rock
97.9 WBBE Bob FM - Adult hits
88.1 WESN - Alternative. College station.
Carbondale/Marion (I-57):
1580AM - Soft Oldies
101.5 WCIL - Adult contemporary
Champaign/Urbana/Danville (I-57, I-72 & I-74):
97.5 WHMS - Light Rock
99.5 & 980AM WITY - Adult hits
102.1 WDNL - Hot adult contemporary
Charleston/Mattoon (I-57):
88.9 WEIU - Hit mix. College station, short range.
Chicago:
88.9 WARG - Alternative radio station at Argo High School in Summit. Short range but good.
94.7 WLS - Classic Rock. Strong signal for all of Chicagoland.
95.5 WCHI - Mainstream rock. This is essentially 90s to today rock.
95.9 WERV The River - Classic Rock. Strongest signal is in the West Suburbs. It can be heard inside of I-294 but hardly at all in Downtown Chicago. Based in Aurora.
97.1 WDRV The Drive - Classic Rock. Strong signal for all of Chicagoland.
101.1 WKQX - Alternative. Strong signal.
103.5 WKSC Kiss FM - Top 40
Decatur (I-72):
89.5 WJMU The Quad - Alternative
107.3 WDKR - Oldies
105.1 WEJT Jack FM - Hits (Also reaches Mattoon area on I-57)
DeKalb (I-88):
94.9 WDKB - Adult contemporary
Dixon (I-88):
1460AM WIXN - Oldies
Effingham/Olney (I-57 & I-70):
103.1 WAKO The Lite - Light Hits
103.5 WIKK The Rockin Eagle - Classic rock
104.3 WCBH The Party - Top 40
105.5 & 100.5 WJKG Jack FM - Adult Hits
Fairfield (I-64):
104.9 WFIW - Adult Hits
Galena/Dubuque IA:
107.5 WDBQ - 70s, 80s & more
Galesburg (I-74):
105.3 WKAY - Adult contemporary & light rock
Harrisburg (I-57 & US 45):
98.9 WISH The Wish - Adult contemporary
102.3 WEBQ - Adult contemporary
Jacksonville {I-72):
107.1 WEAI The Eagle - Hot adult contemporary
Joliet/Morris/Dwight (I-55 & I-80):
88.7 WCSF - Indie rock. College station with a small range.
98.9 WJEZ - Classic hits
103.1 WCSJ - Classic hits
1550AM WAUR - Classic hits
Kankakee/Watseka (I-57):
94.1 WGFA - Adult contemporary
95.1 WFAV - Top 40
95.9 WIQI - Classic rock
LaSalle/Peru (I-39 & I-80):
99.3 WAJK - 90s to today Adult contemporary
100.9 WBZG Rocks! - Classic rock
103.3 & 97.7 WIVQ - Top 40
Macomb/Burlington IA/Keokuk IA area (US 34 & US 136):
93.9 WCEZ - Classic rock
101.1 WKAI - Top 40
102.7 WJEQ - Classic rock
Metropolis/Paducah KY (I-24):
98.3 WJLI River Region's Rocker - Classic rock
Mt Vernon/Centralia (I-57 & I-64):
106.9 WDML - Classic rock
1210AM & 98.7 WILY - Oldies
Peoria (I-74):
95.5 WGLO - Classic rock
98.5 WHPI - Top 40
105.7 WIXO - Active rock
Quad Cities (I-74, I-80, I-88):
93.9 KQCJ - Alternative.
Rockford/Beloit WI (I-39, I-43 & I-90):
92.3, 98.9, & 1380AM WBEL The Beat - 90s Hits
96.7 WKGL The Eagle - Classic rock
103.1 WGFB (B103) - 80s to today hits
Springfield (I-55 & I-72):
96.7 WCVS Bob FM - Adult hits
103.7 WDBR - Top 40
St Louis Metro:
96.7 WCXO Max - Adult Hits. Range is better east of St Louis.
97.5 WDLJ The Rock - Classic rock. Range is better east of St Louis.
105.3 WAOX The Ox - 90s to today Adult contemporary
105.7 KPNT The Point - Alternative.
106.5 WARH The Arch - Adult contemporary
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on November 24, 2022, 04:09:03 PM
28x12 is well over $300 a year. That's not exactly pocket change for a good number of people.
Exactly. Weird about how 93 cents a day can add up to hundreds of dollars...
Quote from: Rothman on November 24, 2022, 07:33:21 PM
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on November 24, 2022, 04:09:03 PM
28x12 is well over $300 a year. That's not exactly pocket change for a good number of people.
Exactly. Weird about how 93 cents a day can add up to hundreds of dollars...
It's worked fine for me. I like how I can listen to any sports game I want on the radio and don't have to be anywhere close to the station in order to do it. But I get that it can be costly if you are trying to save money 93 cents a day adds up in a hurry but it doesn't bother me too much.
I dropped my SXM subscription for financial reasons. There's not really anything on there that I think is worth paying for.
I get XM for what is effectively $2 a month because my American Express card reimburses $20 a month for it. Well worth it for me, although I listen to local FM radio for traffic reports.
As far as an FM classic rock station in the DC area goes, 100.3 has sort of taken over the niche that used to be occupied by 94.7. Only thing about 100.3 is that they also air the Commanders games, so you don't get music every day.
(Edited a few days later to fix a typo.)
Hartford: WDRC (102-9 The Whale)
New Haven: WPLR (99.1)
Danbury, CT WRKI (I-95, 95.1)
Springfield, MA: WAQY (Rock 102; previously mentioned)
Boston: WZLX (100.7)
NYC: WAXQ (Q 104.3)
Philly: WMGK (102.9)
Quote from: Henry on November 24, 2022, 10:30:26 AMWell, not everyone would be willing to blow hundreds of dollars in subscriptions to SiriusXM, so another way to go would be Pandora.
If your car is SiriusXM ready, and you don't have an unlimited data package on your phone, then Pandora isn't going to be more cost-effective.
Tampa is 107.3 WXGL
Orlando is 98.9 WMMO
Quote from: abefroman329 on November 28, 2022, 12:18:02 PM
Quote from: Henry on November 24, 2022, 10:30:26 AMWell, not everyone would be willing to blow hundreds of dollars in subscriptions to SiriusXM, so another way to go would be Pandora.
If your car is SiriusXM ready, and you don't have an unlimited data package on your phone, then Pandora isn't going to be more cost-effective.
Only 75% of new cars come SiriusXM ready and the percent goes down with age. My 2015 Camry doesn't have it and I wouldn't get SiriusXM even if it did despite my living in the desert and enjoying long drives away from any radio station. I usually download (at home) and listen to podcasts while driving (75% of my drive time) or listen to a number of playlists (anything from classical to classic rock to jazz to early hip-hop) stored on my phone.
Quote from: SectorZ on November 22, 2022, 06:59:01 PM
Mine for traveling in southern New England used to be WAAF (107.3) in Worcester/Boston and WCCC (106.9) in Hartford. Both are dead now, I believe both subsumed by religious music.
Used to be a huge fan of AAF, I was sad to see it leave. I had so many memories listening to it. Seems like all of the good stations are getting consumed by the religious format.
Quote from: abefroman329 on November 23, 2022, 12:24:00 PM
Classic rock is a dying genre in nearly all markets. If you want to be able to listen to it coast-to-coast, you're better off investing in a SiriusXM account.
Not in my market (Albany, NY) , and your mad goofy if you got a sxm account, free radio is just as good, and the music played on xm isnt as good as on fm/am radio.
Quote from: hbelkins on November 24, 2022, 09:19:33 PM
I dropped my SXM subscription for financial reasons. There's not really anything on there that I think is worth paying for.
Exactly. XM is garbage.
Quote from: roadman65 on November 28, 2022, 12:25:39 PM
Tampa is 107.3 WXGL
Orlando is 98.9 WMMO
Both are classic hits stations.
Real rock stations:
Orlando: 101.1 WJRR
Tampa: 98.7 The Shark
Put a new receiver in my truck to replace the 1990 factory model that the amp had gone bad on. I'm amazed at the number of FM stations it picks up, even in my rural area. There's a classic rock station in, of all places, Hyden, Ky. When I was running through stations to program into presets the other day, it was playing the syndicated hair metal show that Dee Snider puts out.
I don't really listen to rock radio stations, but I think 97.5FM is the best one for CVA.
The Eagle in Augusta, GA I found to be good.
I live in California, but often stream WXYG (540) out of St. Cloud Minnesota:
http://thegoatwxyg.com/index.htm
Its deep, wide playlist sounds exactly like the old Progressive, Free-Form rock stations I grew up listening to in Sacramento. Like KSFM (102.5), a.k.a.Earthradio 102 and the original KZAP (98.5).
I was a Sirius XM subscriber for twenty years. The quality of the programming went down the tubes big time. I now use the Bluetooth and my mobile phone to listen to over 2,600 CDs with over 41,000 tracks in my car.
Quote from: Hunty2022 on December 12, 2022, 10:04:33 PM
I don't really listen to rock radio stations, but I think 97.5FM is the best one for CVA.
96.5 is my go-to in Richmond.
Quote from: WillWeaverRVA on December 13, 2022, 10:09:10 AM
Quote from: Hunty2022 on December 12, 2022, 10:04:33 PM
I don't really listen to rock radio stations, but I think 97.5FM is the best one for CVA.
96.5 is my go-to in Richmond.
WAFX (106.9) out of Hampton Roads has a bigger playlist, if you can get it.
Stations in smaller towns usually have broader playlists. I'm sure it's true with classic rock stations as it was with stations that played current pop. I noticed that when we went on trips in the late '80s/early '90s, contemporary hit stations in smaller towns usually had wider playlists. It was noticeable even when you listened only briefly.
Quote from: Takumi on December 13, 2022, 12:13:58 PM
Quote from: WillWeaverRVA on December 13, 2022, 10:09:10 AM
Quote from: Hunty2022 on December 12, 2022, 10:04:33 PM
I don't really listen to rock radio stations, but I think 97.5FM is the best one for CVA.
96.5 is my go-to in Richmond.
WAFX (106.9) out of Hampton Roads has a bigger playlist, if you can get it.
That is the station I used to listen to when it started around 1990 when living in the Hampton Roads area. Especially listening to "The Electric Lunch" with Mike Arlo. I remember when he was on FM99 WNOR. During the early- to mid-1980's, FM99 was the station in Hampton Roads.
I have picked up WAFX west of Petersburg and in the Richmond area.
I am also inclined to agree with "˜bandit957'–terrestrial radio has not been good since the 1980's.
And, in the words of Mike Arlo when he signs off: "Bicycle! Make it a great day!"
Quote from: bandit957 on December 13, 2022, 12:17:23 PM
Stations in smaller towns usually have broader playlists. I'm sure it's true with classic rock stations as it was with stations that played current pop. I noticed that when we went on trips in the late '80s/early '90s, contemporary hit stations in smaller towns usually had wider playlists. It was noticeable even when you listened only briefly.
It's probably gotten worse, since bigger market stations are going to likely be owned by the usual suspects who demand cookie cutter excellence. Smaller stations don't have stockholders to respond to.
Quote from: TMETSJETSYT on December 12, 2022, 07:29:34 PM
Quote from: roadman65 on November 28, 2022, 12:25:39 PM
Tampa is 107.3 WXGL
Orlando is 98.9 WMMO
Both are classic hits stations.
Real rock stations:
Orlando: 101.1 WJRR
Tampa: 98.7 The Shark
Classic Rock Hits are Classic Rock per OP.
WJRR in Orlando is not Classic Rock.
For the Rochester, NY region:
96.5 WCMF Classic Rock (My go to station.) NOTE: WCMF also broadcasts Buffalo Bills and Sabres games.
WZNE 94.1 (The Zone) is the commercial alternative station.
Both are owned by Audacy