Best of Tucson 1996: Best Radio Station For Music

Best Radio Station For Music

KFMA--92.1 FM

READERS' PICK: Tucson radio fell into the dark ages after the demise of the original KWFM nearly 20 years ago. Folks in the Old Pueblo had to find out about new music through print media, word of mouth, or--gulp--MTV. Now, thanks to Suzi and her posse--Spider, Chad and Chuck--all you have to do is tune your radio to 92.1 FM, KFMA, for the latest sounds from Oasis, Space Hog, Spain, Ash, and a host of others who never would've found an accommodating airwave here otherwise. Their playful, anything-goes attitude is a breath of fresh air, and the syndicated programs such as Love Line and Another Rotten Day are sometimes informative and always hilarious. We've been listening to KFMA for almost a year now and have yet to hear "Stairway To Heaven" once. Ahhhhh...

RUNNER-UP AND STAFF PICK: For the first time in the history of our readers' poll, KXCI--91.3 FM slips to second place. We, however, still think it's tops. See the extended pick on page 125 for details.

A PERFECT 10: In these bleak times of cookie-cutter radio with boring talk and skin-tight musical formats, about the only fun that can be had is to hear the occasional "Oh, Wow!" song. The "Oh, wow!" song is one you haven't heard in a long time and/or one you'd never expect to hear on the radio. Well, in the past year, Hot 98 FM has just about cornered the market on "Oh, Wow!" songs. So what if their morning drive-time show sounds like Cheech and Chong Do a Radio Show? Where else are we ever going to hear George Clinton do "Atomic Dog," followed by Vicente Fernandez' Mexican tear-jerker "Volver," followed by War's "Don't Let No One (Get You Down)?" So what if they're closing in on the world record for technical glitches? (Our favorite: forgetting to turn off the mike so we hear phone conversations while commercials are running.) Any station giving airplay to both the Texas Tornadoes and Earth, Wind and Fire deserves our vote. A lot of the Tejano stuff they used to play has been farmed out to sister station KXEW-AM (1600), but they still throw in enough Tex-Mex and R&B to give their wildly eclectic mix some teeth.