Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio?

For those of us compulsive channel-changers whose dials aren't permanently affixed to KEXP or NPR, finding good stuff on the radio can be maddening.

Consider KBSG, the moldy oldies station at 97.3 FM. Upon its 1988 inception, "oldies" seemed to mean Top-40 hits from the mid-'50s to late '60s, emphasizing seminal artists (Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Elvis) as well as Motown and the British Invasion. Then, sometime in the '90s, KBSG introduced '70s rock (the Eagles, Elton John, etc.) to its narrow playlist, crowding those '50s and '60s artists for airtime. Earlier this year, KBSG again broadened its definition of oldies, most notably by adding late-'70s, disco-infused pop, further pushing those '50s/'60s artists into the background.

Apparently KBSG defines an oldie not by its year of origin, but by the years elapsed since its original popularity, which currently clocks in at around 25. By 2010, we expect KBSG will be playing so-called oldies by Madonna and U2 alongside those of Fats Domino. We figure this misguided programming is consistent with national trends in the radio biz, though there's little doubt that KBSG's ownership values its shareholders more than its listeners.

Because KBSG will eventually lose its baby-boomer audience to attrition, they best lure subsequent generations into the fold so they too can feel nostalgic about the music of their respective youths. For many of us post-boomers, however, the appeal of an oldies format isn't nostalgia, but to hear music that's older than we are, music that's theoretically "new" to us. Unfortunately, hearing "Brown-Eyed Girl" over and over is just as annoying as "MMMBop," but we continue to check in anyway, in the hopes of happening across such undeniable classics as "Johnny B. Goode."