Tuesday, May 16, 2006

why I love am radio

When I was a little kid this old lady had a minivan and she would take us to school. She always had am radio on, news and all that. I used to think that am news radio was for old people. When I was a teenager, am radio was for listening to Radio Rock. News am radio was for really old people.

I've been listening to news am lately. Maybe because I'm older. But the reasons are quite diverse. No radio station plays music I like. Radio Universidad plays jazz and classical, but I rather listen to that at home, not while I'm driving.
But mostly I listen to am news radio because it's an amazing world. A world that is ignored by the elite bullshit print media such as EL Nuevo Dia, El Vocero and Primera Hora, although I wonder if the latter qualifies as a newspaper.

AM news radio is news for the people, by the people. People get involved. They call in with iteresting opinions, ridiculous opinions, but they are honest and it's good to hear things that have not gone through the Ferre-Rangel censorship machine. In fact, callers are usually the same ones all the time, so you, in a sense, get the news from "reporteros de la calle". Real people. Not assholes like Rafael Lenin and company.

If you're PNP you have your stations and programs. If you're PDP you have yours. If you're PIP you also have your call in shows. It's the most democratic medium in Puerto Rico. It's a throwback to true democracy, when in ancient times people would get together and discuss politics. Yes, Plato would have been a regular caller.

Am radio. Tune in today.

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