Classical KING FM 98.1

Classical KING FM 98.1
Category: Radio Stations
Neighborhood: Queen Anne
Update - 11/15/2008
The local commercial breaks, I have noticed in the past few weeks, are back. Perhaps not as obnoxious as before but still annoying. This, unfortunately, for me, cancels out the announcements of local cultural events.

Thus, I have effectively stopped listening to KING FM, as long as its advertisers continue to insult the intelligence (and taste) of its listeners.

In the age of Internet audio streaming, it is better to go to, for example, to European streaming sites:

http://classicalwebcas...
http://www.listenlive....

Using iTunes as one's media player, for example, WGBH or WQXR are both vastly superior to the much locally vaunted King FM, if only one for one very simple reason: no obnoxious commercials shabbily hawking their wares and services.

Radio Classique (http://www.radioclassi...) is for those who enjoys classical music. Understanding French is not really necessary, as music is a langauge in itself, as the cliche goes.

France Vivace (http://sites.radiofran...) is even better.

No commercial breaks, which should not surprise anyone who after the debacles of Enron, Lehman Brothers, Washington Mutual, AIG, Fannie Mae, General Motors, Bernard Madoff, et.al., may have finally realized that a 100% profit-driven economic system has its drawbacks.

Europeans have, so it seems, taken culture a lot more seriously than America, where entertainment, consumerism, and $$ trump all else. And so KING-FM doesn't escape the taint...there's so little government support of the arts.

(Monteverdi, which was more of a portal for different Internet classical music stations anyway, has apparently stopped its audio streaming).
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9/21/2008
Something very welcome has happened to the leading classical radio station in the Northwest: fewer obnoxious commercials--with their announcers speaking a mile a minute and at the top of their lungs about products one has no interest in hearing about, much less buy.

Or their high-decibel music pounding you into submission ( = rush out immediately and buy whatever they are hawking). I used to say myself, "Now that I've been subjected to this 60-second full aural assault , I vow from here on out to NEVER EVER buy this product."

In fact, it seems that the commercial interruptions have also diminished in both number and duration.

Whatever the reason, I listen to KING FM much more now, especially as I just bought a decent set of (M-audio) desktop speakers. The reception on FM radio wherever I have lived in Seattle, even with expensive antennae, has always been sub-standard.

The quality of the local arts announcements has risen as well, seamlessly blending into the music.

There is also a separate arts channel, available in streaming format, devoted to interviews with people in the local arts community.

It is a pleasure to hear classical music now, as primarily background music and for relaxation--I'm no classical music aficionado, I just love beautiful music (and have sensitive eardrums)--so much that I don't listen to DVD's that much any more.

I trust their taste in programming, as well--not an over-reliance on the "Top 40" hits of classical music.