KFTK

KFTK is a conservative-leaning Talk station licensed to Florissant, Missouri near St. Louis.

CKDK

Woodstock, Ontario's CKDK first went on the air at 1340 AM in 1947 as CKOX. They switched to 102.3 FM in 1986 then moved to 103.9 seven years later. They were a Classic Rock outlet as "The Hawk" for most of the last decade but are now an Oldies/Classic Hits station.

Bat Appreciation Day

Bat Appreciation Day is celebrated annually on April 17th which is around the time that bats come out of hibernation. The more than 1,200 kinds of bats make up almost a fifth of all mammal species. Many eat insects, agricultural pests and mosquitos while asking for nothing but a dark cave to hang in. An enzyme in their saliva makes an excellent blood-clot dissolver and is used to treat stroke victims. Unfortunately, a disease called White-nose Syndrome has been devastating bat populations since its 2006 discovery in a New York cave.

KBAT is an Active Rock station licensed to Monahans, Texas. They moved from 99.3 FM to 99.9 FM in 2005.

My favorite bat...Bacardi.

Record Store Day

Today is the 4th annual Record Store Day which is celebrated on the third Saturday in April. Over 1,200 record and CD stores will participate along with in-store musical guest performances and exclusive RSD-only releases. Whenever possible I make a trip down to the fantastic Shake It Records to add to the collection. "Clásica 92.3 FM" WCMQ was a Spanish Oldies station licensed to Hialeah, Florida near Miami. They mostly played classic hits from the 1970s through the 1990s....surely not from vinyl though.  In what cannot be a coincidence, CMQ were the call letters of a radio station in pre-revolutionary Cuba.

Radio Liechtenstein

Broadcasting from Triesen, Radio Liechtenstein is the lone radio station in the tiny Principality of Liechtenstein. Listening live I heard a mix of contemporary and classic hits but no live DJ.

Hurts - "Stay"
Steppenwolf - "Born To Be Wild"
Usher - "More"
Phil Collins - "You Can't Hurry Love"
Jovanotti - "Tutto L'amore Che Ho"
Eros Ramazzotti - "Piu Bella Cosa"
Rihanna - "Te Amo"

Natalie Imbruglia - "Torn"

I recently read that the whole country of Liechtenstein is for rent. Seriously. For a mere $70,000 per night (two-night minimum) you can have the run of the entire 62 square-mile, landlocked Alpine country. Renters will have use of the country's police force and may be treated to a tasting from the personal wine cellar of the Prince of Liechtenstein. Accommodations can be made for up to 150 people but unfortunately the 35,000 or so people who reside in Liechtenstein will be allowed to stay during your time there. Book now!

Frankenradio

Frankenradio is the regional programming from SWR4 for the city of Heilbronn in the state of Baden--Württemberg, Germany.

WRBL

According to Wikipedia, Columbus, Georgia's WRBL played "a mixture of MOR music, personality, sports and local/network news." 1420 AM is now a Rock station that simulcasts with their translator at 106.9 FM.

WSOE

WSOE is a student-run station broadcasting from Elon University in Elon, North Carolina. They mainly air Alternative Rock and Jazz along with specialty shows and Elon Phoenix sports.

WMOO

WMOO was a Gospel station licensed to Mobile, Alabama. Around 1990 they moved from 1550 AM to 660 AM which is now WXQW.

WHIL

WHIL broadcasts NPR programming and Classical music from Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama. They first went on the air in September, 1979.

Sabres vs Blue Jackets

Tonight we took a short drive to Ohio's capital to see the Buffalo Sabres play the Columbus Blue Jackets. It was the last contest of the regular season and comes one night after Buffalo beat Philly to clinch a playoff spot.



Sabres win 5-4! Buffalo faces Philadelphia in the first round of the playoffs starting this Thursday. GO BUFFALO!!

Me and my buddy Jeff (a long-suffering Jackets fan) on the Nationwide Arena plaza before the game. Behind us is an inflatable billboard from "Qfm 96" WLVQ.

WLVQ has been a Rock station in Columbus, Ohio since 1977.

WBLM

102.9 WBLM (W BLiMp) is a Classic Rock station from Portland, Maine.  The top sticker dates to when they were located at 107.5 FM (1973-1989)  Their nickname "The Blimp" is taken from the Captain Beefheart song of the same name.

National Beer Day

On this date in 1933, the Cullman-Harrison act was signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt ending 13 years of alcohol prohibition in the United States. Every April 7th is National Beer Day (aka New Beer's Eve) so crack a cold one and hoist it to celebrate the best legislative signing in US history.


A postcard and sticker from SWR1 based in Baden-Baden, Germany (a country that would never be so stupid as to ban their beloved brew.) Südwestrundfunk ("Southwest Broadcasting") is a public broadcasting company including 6 radio networks. SWR1 plays Rock and Pop from the 1960s through 1990s as well as a few contemporary hits.

KSTM

KSTM "The Storm" was a Freeform Rock station licensed to Apache Junction, Arizona. The weak-signaled station was on the air from 1981 to 1987 and maintained a small but fiercely loyal audience. The freeform spirit of "The Storm" lives on, in a way, at Radio Free Phoenix which went live in 2004 and features some DJs from KSTM. 107.1 FM is currently a Spanish Top-40 station "Radio José" KVVA.

KMGX

"X104" KMGX was a Top-40 station licensed to Hanford, California from about 1984 to 1989. They then flipped to Rock as KRZR and are currently Rhythmic AC "103.7 The Beat" KFBT.

KDGL

"Eagle 106.9 FM" KDGL is a Classic Hits station licensed to Yucca Valley, California.

CHVO

560 AM CHVO was part of the VOCM Network until 2008 when they moved to 103.9 FM as "KIXX Country." CHVO-AM was licensed to Carbonear, Newfoundland. Part of Newfoundland's flag can be seen in the O of the top sticker.

National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day

April 2nd is National Peanut Butter & Jelly Day.


Radio Paneburromarmellata is a station on six different frequencies based around Bologna, Italy. Their name translates to Radio Bread, Butter and Jam and seems to have a Hot AC/CHR format (although the Top-10 on their website hasn't been updated since 2009.)

Radio Lucrece

My records show that Radio Lucrece is/was from France. Beyond that, I know nothing about them and Googling hasn't helped.

UPDATE:  See comments.

Opening Day!

It's opening day of the 2011 Major League Baseball season. The Reds will begin to defend their National League Central title against the Milwaukee Brewers at 2:10 this afternoon. It's odd to start the season on a Thursday instead of the traditional Monday but least MLB stopped the Sunday "opening night" nonsense.

WLW is a News/Talk station from Cincinnati, Ohio. They've carried Reds games since just after World War II.

WTMJ (W The Milwaukee Journal) is a News/Talk outlet from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and the flagship station of the Brewers. The sticker sports the team logo in use from 1978 until 1993. The ball and mitt which also form the letters M(ilwaukee) and B(rewers) is much better than their current logo but not nearly as cool as their original 1970s-era swinging beer barrel man. Coincidentally, at the Dayton International Airport earlier this week I saw this cool Brewers-themed airplane:

UPDATE: HOLY CRAP! The Reds win on a home run in the bottom of the ninth after trailing since the first batter of the first inning. GO REDS!! Woo Hoo!!