In the midst of another in-car, all-by-myself tirade about the modern world, this one prompted by the collapse of a paper straw no longer providing amble suckage to a drink I was only half finished with (give me back my plastic straws and while you at it, plastic supermarket bags in NJ!) I luckily spun my radio to WDVR FM. This wasn’t the first time I had checked in to 89.7 on my FM radio dial to enjoy yet another program offering from the non-commercial radio station licensed to Penn-Jersey Educational Radio. Entertaining the Delaware and Lehigh Valley areas of Western and Central New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania, I realize this is not a station everyone in my great state can access, but you’d be damn glad if you could.
It’s not just the unique programming, which changes with themed shows it seems every few hours, the incredible array of music played—Rolling Stones, Strawbs, Deep Purple—to name just some of what I heard during the time I was in my car. What I was most impressed with was the deep dive of song facts each DJ has at their mindtips. I learned something about both Jethro Tull and the Steven Still classic “For What It’s Worth,” I did not know…and not to brag, but I know a lot about lots of old music.
It really is the only thing I have any knowledge about.
My biggest complaint about radio, beyond hearing the same songs over and over (and satellite radio, better than terrestrial as it is, can still bore me with samey same repeated choices, as I have been treated to quite a few times listening in on long trips), is how misinformed DJs are. I have not only heard them come up short on facts on this or that song or band, but I have also actually offered the wrong information. Again, I know I know a lot of minutia about rock music, especially 70s prog rock, but come on! Paraphrasing the immortal words of Donald Southerland’s “Dave Jennings” professor in Animal House, I want to say to these ‘record spinners’ (and yes, I know nobody is spinning records these days), “I’m not joking, this is your job! You should know this stuff!”
Anyway, my hat’s off to WDVR.FM (find them here); you kids give me hope.
