It happened a few days ago...

The day started like any other day; my alarm clock went off and after smashing the snooze bar several times I finally peeled myself out of bed. I have a radio next to the shower. It's been set to REV 105 for *years*. There was simply no reason to listen to any other station.

On this particular morning, I turned the radio on and began the usual tooth-brushing, shaving, showering thing. Some rock song was playing: not very REV-ish, but you never know what they'll occasionally slip in. Maybe it had some tie-in to a news story? But then another rock song, and another, and still no Brian and Steve! Then finally some voice said "X-105." I was in the shower at this point and a suspicion crossed my mind. I was taken back to a day some years ago when there was only one alternative station in town. It was 104 at that time and they changed to a country music format.

But why worry, REV just recently added a third transmitter. Everything will be OK. I dismissed the idea that REV might be gone, choosing to think that maybe REV 105 was having temporary technical difficulty and was momentarily off the air allowing some more distant 105 station to come through and be picked up by my radio. Or maybe I had bumped the frequency dial and a new station was on the air using the previously vacant 105.5 or 105.9 frequencies.

But then I heard it: X105 -- 105.1, 105.3, and 105.7... A feeling of dread came over me. It happened again. My favorite station was just erased from existence.

I'd been really busy the last couple weeks at work and at home. I hadn't paid too much attention to the news. Did everyone know this was going to happen. Was I just in the dark about this?

This was blasphemy. Static would be much more pleasing than what is played on X-105. If you're going to kill a station, just let it die a simple death. This "rock" format is just salt in the wound. Insult added to injury.

I talked to some coworkers. They too had discovered that REV 105 disappeared. But no one knew the details. Later that day I thought "there must be an explanation on the REV home page" (at http://www.rev105.com/), but the link I had on my Twin Cities page was dead. There was no REV105.com. Even that was gone. They had done a thorough job, whoever they were. Then I tried the REVline at 603-5738. It was still working. And still is, as of 12:40 AM, Sunday, March 16. If you choose option 5, you can leave your comments about REV 105...

Read on to see what I think now.
The issue is much bigger than just alternative music or hard rock....

Steadfast listeners of REV 105 are morose. Hard rock fans are glad to have a new station that plays music they like (X-105). Wouldn't it be nice if everyone could find a radio station that they really liked.... No type of music is "bad." People have individual tastes and each individual likes certain musical genera and dislikes others. The musical spectrum is pretty broad: Pop, rap, rock, metal, soul, jazz, techno, disco, R&B, alternative, country, local-bands, classical, folk, etc.. Having many diverse radio stations would be good. It would encourage a broad range of musical style, many unique DJ personalities, and various spins on news stories.

With that in mind, think about this:

According to the March 19 edition of the CITY PAGES, ABC paid more than $11 million dollars to acquire REV 105. I don't know how much it would have cost for ABC to build a new FM transmitter, but I suspect that $11 million dollars would have been a very good start on a powerful, centrally-located transmitter that would broadcast on a single frequency, rather than on a hodgepodge of three frequencies.

I have been told that there was some type of "non-compete" agreement clause in the REV purchase. This prevents Cargill Communications from using the money to start a new radio station. It seems that in addition to gaining a hard rock station, the purchase of REV 105 was a strategic move to eliminate the competition. ABC now controls The EDGE, KQ, and X-105. If you listen to one of these stations and you like the music, that's great. It's good that you have found a station you are happy with. But understand that your favorite station is controlled by a media giant, and someday in the future if your favorite style of music, or DJ, becomes unfashionable, ABC will not hesitate to move their format wherever the almighty dollar leads.

If ABC had built a new station that played hard rock, it would not have concerned me a bit. The twin cities would have one more station - more diversity and more choices - that would have been a good thing. I am very concerned that the deregulation of the radio industry means that small broadcasters will be forced out: there will be fewer players in the radio market, and we will all have fewer choices - no matter what our preferences; the free flow of unconventional ideas and information will be hindered.