In most urban environments a quick scan of the streets or public transit is more likely to reveal throngs of iPod-clad denizens than anyone listening to the radio. In our "mp3streamcasting" world, radio seems to be more and more of an anachronism and less socially relevant than ever before. But not in LA. Sure, LA has it’s share of pod people, but because of it’s overwhelming geographical size and dominant car culture, radio has the potential to be the glue that holds the social fabric in place. Why then does radio in LA suck so badly? In the eighties, before corporate control KROQ was a shining light of independent modern rock. Nowadays, KXLU and KCRW both have their moments, but there is no station dedicated to maintaining a discourse dedicated to music culture.
Enter Dave Conway and Little Radio. Broadcasting from a warehouse here in Downtown LA, Little Radio plays diverse music hosted by authorities from around the world, and the Little Radio warehouse serves as an adhoc gathering space where art and music coincide. Lucinda Michele Knapp just published a great piece on Little Radio in the LA Alternative, and we’d like to extend Dave and his collaborators a warm iRobotnik welcome and the best of luck with Little Radio. I’m sure you’ll be reading about Little Radio quite a bit here in the future. In the meantime, bookmark littleradio.com and look forward to their big website launch on March 1st.
