WOXY

I was driving in downtown Dayton yesterday when I pulled up behind a sport utility vehicle made by Saab. My eyes (as they always do) immediately focused on the car's bumper sticker which was a black and white, Euro-style oval that simply said "OI" for Oak Island, North Carolina. Then I noticed the model name of the Saab was "97X" which also happens to have been one of the greatest little radio stations of all time.

WOXY was an Alternative/Modern Rock station from Oxford, Ohio. They existed from 1983 until 2004 at which point they switched to an online-only radio station. 97X never had a great signal and could be a difficult catch in Dayton--even parts of their main market in Cincinnati had a tough time getting clear reception. Along with their weak signal, WOXY's playlist was huge which is probably why they continually suffered weak ratings. Back when I had access to radio trade magazines, I was always amazed at the size of their playlist which was easily 3 or 4 times larger than a traditional, commercial alternative station. Even though they broadcast from the home of Miami University, 97X wasn't a college station although their song choices mirrored what many university radio stations played. The first (and last, terrestrially) song they ever spun was "Sunday Bloody Sunday" by U2.