alt Hacker News>I signed off the air for the last time in 1994 [...] radio has changed drastically, and it just wouldn’t be any fun for me today.
I don't agree with this premise. FM Radio is definitely more corporate today, but I grew up in the 90s and my memories of FM radio are not fond.
For my whole life it has always been materially the same, shitty, experience: occasional good songs interleaved with mediocre ones and a hefty dose of annoying unskippable ads.
The difference is that when I was a kid we didn't have streaming or even mp3 players so we just had to put up with the ads. Today I can just play songs locally off my phone via Bluetooth. No ads, no DJs, just the music I enjoy.
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> FM Radio is definitely more corporate today,
Opposite here in Blighty.
There has been an explosion in the number of local community FM stations, frequently playing music from local bands and chat with local figures. Factor in the national BBC radio stations (who's charter is to “inform, educate, and entertain”, not to retain attention) and we are onto a winner.
Yes there are still some 'corporate' commercial stations, but we also have plenty of quality to choose from.
Most stations sucked, but there were some more fun counter culture stations.
I remember KGLE (KEGL?) Out of DFW pulling shit on their radio shows like saying the city banned smoking in cars and people flooded city government phone lines with complaints and rants, which had a lulz component that we wouldnt see again till the 4chan days.
Unskippable? I turned the station at the first sign of commercial, and still do. If one of those "radio-wide commercial minutes" per hour, I'd try the public station, or made a selection from the ten-disc changer. ;-)
Nowadays I have a USB drive, though I understand that's rare. Can hardly find a (car) radio that supports modern sizes these days, probably by design.