Sunday, October 4, 2026

placeholder

KALX













90.7 FM KALX is a community and student-run station broadcasting from the University of California-Berkeley.  Radio on campus began in 1962 with carrier current station KAL.  An FCC license was secured a few years later along with new call letters KALX and official FM broadcasts began in October 1967.

Here's a crazy story:  After failing to secure the broadcast rights with a commercial radio station, Oakland A's owner Charles Finley agreed to make KALX the flagship station of his teams baseball games at the start of the 1978 season.  At that time KALX only broadcast with 10 watts and the majority of their fans could not hear the weak signal.  The arrangement lasted 16 games before Finley awarded the rights to KNEW.  

Friday, October 2, 2026

KTAH



Stickers and a pin from 101.9 FM KTAH in Tacoma, Washington.  "Radio Tacoma" is an all-volunteer, low-power radio station that went on the air in October 2017.  KTAH's antenna is not on a traditional tower but instead attached to a tall fir tree!
 

Thursday, October 1, 2026

KZUM


89.3 KZUM is a non-profit, community radio station in Lincoln, Nebraska.  The 1,500-watt station went on the air in 1978.
 

Wednesday, September 30, 2026

WUML

A guitar pick from 91.5 FM WUML which broadcasts from the University of Massachusetts Lowell.  The student-managed and operated station went on the air in 1952.  I never managed to get a button from this station despite many of them being made (according to the video below.)  If anyone from WUML ever sees this, please send me one.

Tuesday, September 29, 2026

CHEF

A pin from 99.9 FM CHEF, a French-language, community radio station licensed to Matagami, Quebec.
 

Monday, September 28, 2026

KXYQ

"Q105" KXYQ was a CHR station in Portland, Oregon starting in 1986 and lasting until 1991 when they switched to Adult Contemporary.  Todd Allen was a DJ during their Top-40 days and he also sent me this pin.  Thanks Todd!
 

Sunday, September 27, 2026

Mystery keychain


Anybody know what station this beat up "Country 105.3" keychain is from?  All I know is that it's not from Canada (favorites/favourites.)

Leave a comment if you know!
 

KRBV

"V100" KRBV was an Urban Adult Contemporary station in Dallas, Texas from 1995 to around 1999 when they flipped to a Rhythmic-leaning Top-40 station.
 

WWCB

1370 AM WWCB has been on the air in Corry, Pennsylvania since 1972.  They are currently a full-service station airing an Oldies/Classic Hits format.
 

Thursday, September 24, 2026

KLUV

98.7 KLUV was a longtime Oldies/Classic Hits station in Dallas, Texas.  They were on the air from 1984 to 2023 when they rebranded to "The Spot" and changed their call letters to KSPF.

On December 31st, 1985, Ricky Nelson and his band were flying to a KLUV New Year's Eve sock hop.  His plane crashed near DeKalb, Texas, killing Nelson and six others.
 

Wednesday, September 23, 2026

WPRE

980 AM WPRE has been on the air in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin since 1952.  They currently carry a Classic Hits format that is also heard on two FM translators.  Their sister station WPRE 94.3 FM now has the call letters WQPC.

Tuesday, September 22, 2026

WEAS


900 AM WEAS was a Sports station in Savannah, Georgia.  They carried those call letters from 1987 to 1998 when they became WJLG.  A 2020 lightning storm damaged the transmitter and the owners decided to take WJLG and sister station WBMQ off the air instead of making repairs.
 

Monday, September 21, 2026

KXAM

1310 AM KXAM was on the air from 1990 to 2009 in Mesa, Arizona.  They initially carried an Adult Standards format but eventually became a Talk station.  The frequency is currently home to KIHP and is part of the Relevant Radio network of Catholic/Religious stations.
 

Sunday, September 20, 2026

WHTX

"Gold 96" WHTX was a gold-based Adult Contemporary station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania circa the late 1980s/early 90s.

Saturday, September 19, 2026

WMJX


"Magic 106.7" WMJX has been an Adult Contemporary station in Boston, Massachsetts since 1982.

Friday, September 18, 2026

KMPH




107.5 FM KMPH was a News/Talk station in Fresno, California from 1993 to 2005.

Sunshine 101

Pirate station "Radio Sunshine" launched in September 1980 from studios at the Sands Hotel located in Portmarnock, Ireland just north of Dublin.  They originally broadcast on 531 AM but later added frequencies 100.5 and 101.5 FM.  In 1986 they hired Bill Cunningham, an American radio consultant, who rebranded the station as "Sunshine 101."  Cunningham also streamlined programming, dropped weekend specialty shows and gave the station a tighter commercial format.  "Sunshine 101" was on the air until the late 1980s when Ireland started allowing privately owned stations.  I'm too lazy to do a deep dive on this but what did the Irish government do to try to stop illegal pirate broadcasters?  I read one account of RTE (Ireland's national public service broadcaster) trying to jam Sunshine's signal but beyond that it seems like the enforcement of their own broadcast laws were lacking.  

Wednesday, September 16, 2026

BBC Radio Jersey

BBC Radio Jersey broadcasts from St. Helier on the English Channel island of Jersey.  They went on the air in 1982.  Listening live while making this post I heard songs by Michael Jackson, Stella Lefty, Cutting Crew, The Cranberries and a news report at the top of the hour.
 

WXCD



"CD94.7" WXCD was a short-lived Classic Rock station in Chicago, Illinois.  They existed from 1997 to 2000 and then changed to "The Zone" WZZN with a 1980s Hits format.