WKDU-FM is one of those stations where either you or someone you've known has had their own show at one time or other. What started as a basement radio station at a small private college in West Philly, morphed into its own indie cultural instition, one where many legendary musicians often make the time for a stop on their way through town. Now, with the recent celebration of WKDU's 40th anniversary, we decided to take a closer look at some of the other great area stations constantly churning out amazing shows and turning us on to new music, and how you can take full advantage of what they have to offer.
The Station: WKDU, 91.7 FM
The Story: Drexel University's non-profit radio station, run entirely by students.
Station Highlights: The 'Your Morning Latte' show plays all the latest pop, indie and electro from 7-9 a.m. on Tuesdays. The 'Michelle is Not Asian' show plays Asian pop, rock and rap from 1-3 p.m. on Wednesdays.
Upcoming: In-studio gig with Philly's own Dangerbird, this Sunday, May 15, at 6:00 p.m.
The Station: WXPN, 88.5 FM
The Story: The all-things-local station attached to the World Cafe Live music venue.
Station Highlights: Live concert streams of every act that performs at WCL, such as one of the most recent shows, Phoenix. Y-Rock radio highlighting the newest jams from local artists. The 'Sound Opinions' podcasts on Sundays at 5 p.m., discusses new releases at great lengths.
Upcoming: In addition to WCL shows, XPN hosts concerts all around the city. See seminal dark wave rockers Echo & The Bunnymen play the Troc May 12 at 8 p.m.
The Station: WPRB, 103.3 FM
The Story: The station that put Princeton on the map musically and spawned the ridiculously vast collection at the Princeton Record Exchange.
Station Highlights: The 'Classical Discoveries Goes Avant Garde' show on Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. is run by a student and his teacher as they match modern pop with avant garde classical equivalents. 'The ! Show' on Sundays 8-10 p.m. is one of the grooviest dance-hall and electro gigs out there.
Upcoming: The Jon Solomon show on Wednesdays from 7-10 p.m. always hosts the best live sessions by Philly and New York bands, keep an eye on his blog to see who's playing next.
The Station: Ynot Radio
The Story: The online station run by ex-XPN Deejays plays hosts to interviews, ticket giveaways and indie-themed shows.
Station Highlights: The station hosts frequent 'Bunker Sessions', in which local bands are invited to deejay for ten songs in the middle of playng live sets. The Top 11 at 11 feature, updated every Thursday, is a great way to stay ahead on what's new in music.
Upcoming: Try for your chance to win Surfer Blood/Trail of the Dead tickets (when they play the Church May 12th) on Josh Landow's show from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Thursday.
