Letters to the Editor

Radio Ga Ga

This past July I went out of town for nine days, and everything was fine. Upon my return, I realized that my favorite radio station, 96 Wave, had been turned inside out. “Why are you playing disco?” I screamed at my stereo.

The Wave introduced some of Charleston’s best DJs, such as Uncle Miles and the Critic. It was a unique station that played mostly rock and alternative. Bands like the Smashing Pumpkins, Silversun Pickups, Stone Temple Pilots, and Nine Inch Nails found a cozy Charleston home on 96 Wave. It stood out, a relief from other stations that play pop and call themselves rock stations. My beloved station had sought and found a happy medium and a large, grateful fan base.

Aside from its refreshing music selection, listeners could tune in weekday mornings to The Storm & Kenny Radio Show and enjoy hearing about the shenanigans of Stupid Mike, who once locked himself in a car on a hot summer day for so long that he had to be rushed to the emergency room.

However, this summer 96 Wave changed its tune, becoming “96.1 Chuck FM”.

Now Chuck FM is just like any other station. It is lost among the “Drive” and “Bridge” stations that constipate my dial with artists such as Duran Duran and Natasha Bedingfield. And I mean no offense to these stations or artists; you just all sound the same.

Its transformation has left listeners like me displaced. There is no comparable station to 96 Wave. And I know I’m not the only one still mourning this loss; 96 Wave, if you’re somehow alive and can hear us, we’re all still here, holding our vigil and eagerly awaiting your return. Until then, I’m not listening. I’ll be in my car, rehashing my old mixes, and Nine Inch Nails albums, remembering better days. But I do keep a station programmed to 96.1 in the hope that I’ll turn it on one day and all will be right.

Ashli Swanson

Goose Creek

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