The Most Intriguing Radio Stations Of 2009
by Sean Ross

THIS SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN AN EASY ARTICLE TO WRITE. We began 2009 with format change activity slowed to a crawl by the economic gales of Sept. 15. Every now and then, broadcasters stirred just long enough to install another national format or syndicated personality, or further tighten their existing stations' presentation in response to the perceived demands of PPM. There should not have been any intriguing new radio stations to write about.

And yet, our list of the Most Intriguing Stations of 2009 was the easiest to come up with in several years. One says that cautiously, knowing how some of the trade press has seized on anything it could report as good news: ("Study: 13% of teens would still listen to radio if placed in group home with no other alternative"). But broadcasters continued to deploy themselves on new platforms in a way that went beyond merely making their terrestrial stations available. And even if PPM wasn’t always the right reason to launch a second CHR, those changes still created a certain amount of excitement.

WGVU-AM Grand Rapids
CKWW (AM 580) Detroit

A traditionally strong Oldies market loses two textbook FMs and gains an NPR AM that sounds like a specialty show all week long. Most collectors would consider that more than a fair trade. AM580 has a very successful FM competitor and the ultimate core-not-cume format, but lives to play its deep library in a PPM market.