Austin Revived the Radio Star
Radio is still kicking in Austin. Here is a list of stations worth checking out created by a former radio show host to help those looking for an analog (or analog-adjacent) autumn.
Written by Maren Bell
Photo courtesy of Library of Congress
In the early 20th century, Americans turned to physicists’ mastery of manipulating electromagnetic currents to get their music fix. One hundred years later, the Golden Age of Radio is dead and buried, and yet radio itself lives on. While listening to the radio is less individualized than picking a playlist from your favorite streaming service, it’s a more personal experience. It means listening to music selected by human beings you could pass on the street, not algorithms or AI driven by multi-billion dollar companies
As a past host of radio shows, I’ve made a list of some radio stations in Austin to help ease those just now reaching for the dial into an analog autumn.
Deep cuts: KVRX 91.7
At the lower end of the dial is UT Austin’s own student-run radio station, playing “none of the hits, all of the time.” Its website shows a packed schedule of individualized, typically hourlong shows that changes every semester. Tuning in at any time of day will make you more wonderfully pretentious, since you’ll be listening to underground music selected by college kids. KVRX has the right to broadcast because it’s registered as an “educational” station — it educates listeners on lesser known artists. By principle (and the ever-looming FCC), no featured artist has more than 500,000 monthly listeners in its regular programming.
If the patchwork schedule is too overwhelming, you can start by tuning in Sundays from 10 p.m. to midnight, when KVRX hosts a local artist for a live performance.
Approachable adult contemporary: Majic 95.5, JACK FM 96.3, and Sun Radio 100.1
These stations aren’t bound by themed shows, but instead play accessible music around the clock. If one is playing a song (or advertisements) you don’t enjoy, then you can hop over to another. Their appeal to the mainstream is ideal for those unaccustomed to radio’s unpredictability, but that isn’t to say they’re boring. Consistency doesn’t disqualify personality, and these stations have plenty. Playing Top 40 hits of past and present, classic rock, indie, and R&B, there’s a little something for everyone.
Alternative: ALT 97.5
Similar to the featured adult contemporary stations, ALT 97.5 primarily schedules its programming around DJs instead of themes, so you can tune in any time and have a good idea of what to expect. However, on weeknights at 11 p.m., its “Emerging ALT” show features fresh artists in the alternative scene, including stories and interviews to dive deeper into the music.
Eclectic variety: KUTX 98.9
KUTX is a beacon of inspiration under the guise of a radio station, and reassuringly “weird” in its spirit. Its programming consists of both variety mixes differentiated by DJs as well as specialty shows like “Sunday Morning Jazz” (three hours of what it says on the tin — hallelujah!), “The Groove Temple” (house music), and “Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child” (indie music for indie kids — you can never start ‘em too young).
These radio stations scattered across Austin prove the medium still has a pulse. In an age where music is frequently influenced by algorithms and artificial intelligence, simply turning the dial is both a rebellious and restorative act. Let these stations be your reintroduction to music curation that is compelling, quirky, and undeniably alive.