WOXY staffers celebrating their move to Austin just a few short months agoI was saddened to receive the tweets this morning that WOXY, the wonderful "modern rock" Internet station, would halt broadcasting immediately. No warning, no chance to celebrate their long legacy. I live in Austin, but many years ago in the early '90s, I lived in Dayton, OH. I used to listen to 97X (what it was called when it was on the dial, an Oxford, OH station) with a special antenna in my house and with static in my car. It was superior to any other station, and it is solely responsible for the musical taste I now have. I was first exposed to all the "alternative" music of the of that era, like Matthew Sweet, The Lemonheads, Juliana Hatfield, Wilco, The Replacements, Radiohead, Barenaked Ladies. My CD collection is a list of WOXY artists over the years, things like Jellyfish and Soup Dragons and Too Much Joy and CaveDogs and Charlatans and Stone Roses and Mazzy Star and Kitchens of Distinction and Smithereens and Hole and Liz Phair and Veruca Salt... Eventually I moved to Austin, and sadly left WOXY behind. When I heard they had an Internet stream, I was thrilled. When I heard they were moving to Austin, I was ecstatic. They were just what Austin needed, hip radio with taste and a conscience. The iPhone app was perfect. I thought I was in heaven.
Today's news is heart-breaking. I have been through this before with them. I gave money several years ago to register my support and to help keep them afloat. The eleventh hour saves were miraculous. But this does demonstrate the passion that people feel for the station. That has to be something upon which a business model can be based. It has to be! We need WOXY. I need WOXY!
Thanks to Shiv, Joe, Mike, Paige and Bryan Jay for bringing their passion and enthusiasm for music to Austin. At least, for a short time, it was a beautiful thing.
I'm not giving up yet. I remain hopeful that another 11th hour save is just around the corner. I can dream...right? Regardless, there will always be a special place for WOXY in my heart.
Update 3/26: Future Sounds, the owner of WOXY made this post regarding the tough decision and a potential future.
I sent a message to the general Future Sounds info email and received a nice reply back from Larry Little, thanking me for my support. That he took the time to listen and respond says a lot to me. Apparently, they had been receiving a lot of hate email. My impression is that they are sincerely looking for a solution and feel terrible about this decision. I remain hopeful...
