KALX 90.7 FM

I was reminded yet again this month of just how unprofessional these guys are.

Rubberband Girl. too bad shes no longer in the Friday AM slot

Love me some KALX.
Along with KFJC (89.7 FM), I think this is the best terrestrial radio in the Bay Area.

We are lucky to have them.

«That was a new Tiesto cut,»
Sitting in the Berkeley Bowl parking lot, radio on.
«I have my new, apprentice in the studio. Ashti? He has a message for you.»
Ashti: the same vocal fry as hers, his phrases even more hesitant.
«A properly installed smoke detector can double your chances, of surviving, a night time fire. You should install a smoke detector on every level of your house especially outside, your bedrooms. Be sure to test your smoke detectors at least a month and, replace the batteries once a year.»
Her voice again now: «Ashti has a track lined, up for us now,»
She forged on with the bravery unique to the young and uncomfortable. Impossible to tell if she likes being on the air or is surviving until the song.
«Lets see what he’s got lined up for us,» she and I said in unison.
Then, the EDM blip and caterwaul. My head bob like a karaōke singer enduring a long guitar solo. Soon enough it wound down and I could lip sync once again.

KALX rules end of story…

There’s a reason I give these guys money every year. Simply put, they are awesome. Can’t say I love every DJ, but I respect them all. And the ones I do love, I try to never miss their shows. A few years ago I upgraded to a smart phone, just so I could listen everywhere. Later that night I was grocery shopping down here in horrible SoCal and there was a ticket giveaway. I thought «I’d like to go to that». I almost found myself dialing, then I remembered where I was… horrible, horrible SoCal.
That said, there’s very few websites that when redesigned that actually get better. KALX is the opposite… every time they tinker with the site it improves. I really appreciate that playlists now go back to the dawn of time, so I don’t have to pester DJ’s with that annoying «umm, what was that thing you played last week?» call.
One of my favorite times to listen is on holiday’s when DJ’s seem to really dig theme shows. Think about PBS pledge drives and how they make you want to hack villages of small children with a machete. KALX pledge week is great, I look forward to giving money every year. I can’t even count all the concerts I’ve sen on their dime (Johnny Cash, Nirvana, Pixies, The Fall, Mighty Wind Live w/​original cast, etc). Plus all the local bands and more movies than I can shake a stick at (plus the stick).
Back in the day, if a DJ I liked was on, I would pop in a tape, hit record and walk away and find out what I had later. Still have those tapes. You guys will here from me during pledge week. Keep up the great work, you are awesome!

The Bay Area is so lucky to be home to the best college radio station in the world KALX Berkeley. What is so cool is that it still goes out over the air on the 90.7 frequency, in a time when most college stations have been relocated to the internet. It’s the best indie station in San Francisco and parts east. Listen for authentic live indie radio from real students as well as community members.

This is one of the best radio stations in the Bay Area — it’s diverse, eclectic, sometimes challenging but always a lot of fun. I’m very happy that I get to have access to such an excellent radio station!

I’m giving the station 5 stars because it is so much better than any of the current options. There really is no bay area radio station that I have found that can compare. No commercials and a decent variety of music ftw.
That said, it would be a whole lot better if they would lose that lame political talk show that acts as a platform for all the berkeley dwelling freaks, in my opinion of course.

I grew up in Tampa, FL. My undergrad’s from UF in Gainesville, FL. My expectations for college radio were set incredibly low. Programming from *local* people wouldn’t appear until 11pm. Community radio was stultified, stratified, and simplified. KALX fixed me.
KALX is my go-​to radio station. Even when I don’t like the music style or don’t like the DJ style, I still find myself listening. And learning. And appreciating. I’ve heard a ton of music on KALX that «isn’t played on the radio.» I’ve heard a ton of music on KALX I’d otherwise dismiss because I wouldn’t like it a priori. But the DJs mix the music so you always stretch your ears in nifty new ways.
The *only* downside is that listening to KALX involves *listening*. It’s not just background music. There are a few specific DJs I cannot have on while I try to work because I’ll spend my time listening and thinking.
I still listen to KALX on-​line even though it’s three hours in the past. Screws with my timing, makes me late for meetings, but keeps me sane. KALX needs 10 stars, not five.

As a former volunteer (news and DJ), I enjoyed my overall experience at KALX. However, I felt underappreciated, especially when I had to pick up other people’s slack, which was often. It’s disorganized and unreliable (they lost my demo which they promised to save for me). It’s hard to get a straight answer from anyone but the music sure is eclectic.

The best college station in the East Bay! KALX rocks, there’s no denying. An ever-​changing beast of sound. Don’t like what you’re hearing at the moment? Stay tuned. There’s something for everyone. Discerning ears will be sated.
Do yourself a flavor and don’t miss:
Jesse Luscious
Meaty Paws
45 RPM
Pop Goes the Weasel
Sex 14’s
The Good Foot
They epitomize what makes college/​community radio so great. I miss Joe Six Pack, Last Will, and Miss Kitty, though… but there is always a new crop of amazing DJs rotating through this kick-​ass station. You might even catch me spinning somes tunes every now and then.
Oh! For all you poor souls complaining about bad reception, you can livestream KALX from your computer (which I’m assuming you have if able to post such lamentations) at
Coolness!
KALX RAWKS!

oh bliss, oh joy. My new job allows me to listen to KALX on my computer through my little ear buds while I work. This is a little piece of heaven for me, as it’s something I definitely couldn’t have done while teaching!
Rubberband Girl is my new fave DJ (altho no one can take the place of Sex 14’s). I keep a little post-​it pack next to my phone just for writing down the names of new music I love.
Used to be I could keep up with new stuff by moonlighting at the record stores, but parenthood killed that idea. KALX, you’re my only hope, and you never let me down. In fact, I startle my son all the time with something new that I know he’ll like, and then he turns all the other 8^th graders on to it. How many parents can say that?!?
Remember, if you don’t like what you’re hearing, just tune in at another time or day, and you’ll hear something totally different, on the MIGHTY 90.7.

I’m so bummed out that I don’t get good reception out here by the beach. Otherwise I’d listen to KALX a lot more often.
As a student, I’d tune in and hear a lot of fantastic music that I wouldn’t have been exposed anywhere else. Even though some of it was «out there», I’d usually find a DJ I liked and tune in whenever they were on.
Later on when I was commuting home from a job in Oakland, I’d usually tune into to Kitty (damn what a sexy voice!) and Disco Shawn (smart-​ass but funny). There are tons of other good DJs but these are my favorite because of their great taste in music.
Maybe when I get a new stereo I’ll be able to tune in more often. If you’re in the East Bay or can get 90.7 on your dial, tune in!

KALX is the station I have listened to the most over the years and I think it continues to become increasingly diverse in the DJs, the programming, and the ads crack me up! The ride-​finder as well as the movie reviews are great.
My all-​time favorite DJ remains «Sex-​For-​Teens». He always plays interesting music — lots of which is new to me. He also plays a terrific selection of World music and classic blues. I make it a point to listen to his show.
Based on my favorite shows, I’d give 5 stars, and they deserve it. Some shows, tho’, I just can’t listen to, so one star less. Great commentary and keeps me up-​to-​date on all the things happening around town. Give a listen!

I’ve been volunteering since earlier this year and I recently became a DJ in training. I am Porkchop!
I love KALX cuz most of the time when I listen, it’s a really good balance between obscure, diverse stuff I’ve never heard, and then songs I know and love. I really don’t get anyone who says it’s «one-​note» or that it only plays stuff they’ve heard before. Clearly those people haven’t listened very much or very often. (Or they are just pretentious music snobs. Ick.)
I heart KALX!

«One-​note»? I have yet to hear one song twice on this station since I started listening to it many many years ago. In fact, one of my only gripes about this station is that I’ll hear a great song and know that I might never hear it again because the DJs don’t announce the songs they’ve played very frequently nor consistently.
KALX also plays a lot of rap, Indian, ambient and blue grass music, none of which are my favorite music styles but it’s great that they provide such a wide variety. My other gripe is that their signal doesn’t reach very far outside of Berkeley. Too bad.
When my favorite Djs are on: Mon Amie, 45 RPM and Tiger Lily, KALX is very, very, very good. Like a tall drink of water. I’ve been a fan of Mon Amie for many years and I’m so sad when she’s on hiatus from the station. She plays a little of the old and introduces listeners to a lot of the new. She tries to keep you up-​to-​date and in-​the-​know, not unlike many of the Djs at KALX.

other than occasionally tuning in to NPR, i don’t listen to any other station except when they’re broadcasting CAL sports. KALX consistently plays unique and interesting music (except for that «white noise» hour or WTF that is) and i’ve discovered numerous wonderful indie and oldie bands throughout the years, and got the scoop on a LOT of local bay area bands way before they ever make it onto other stations, especially bay area hip hop. my music collection owes a lot to KALX, and i donate to their fundraiser every year to keep it going.
my only complaint is that their «award-​winning alternative news» @ 5:30p just seems to reiterate what i read in the Chronicle every morning; nothing exactly ground-​breaking there.
the playlist for the last 24 hours is here:

As an ex-​freeform DJ, I know good freeform when I hear it. Though I’ve only been here for a short while, I’m confident that KALX also knows what’s up. Their good far outweighs their bad. The bad, for me, represented by their news broadcasters who constantly flub words and sound BORED TO DEATH by the type they’re mechanically reading, as well as the constant sports preemptions.
But no need to dwell on my petty gripes. KALX is invaluable for all the excellent new music they broadcast (more old music, not just in the form of reissues and 60’s/70’s compilations, and international music would be cool though!), their ties to local musical communities, their ABUNDANT giveaways, and apparently solid training they provide their amateur broadcasters. From what I’ve heard, broadcasters are pretty good about backannouncing on a regular basis (less talk is all good, but I *hate* when DJs announce only once or twice an hour, and I happen to NOT be glued to the radio), and most DJs will mix up their set throughout the course of their show, though many DJs tend to remain pretty homogeneous within sets.
I thought about docking a star because of the homogeneity of sets and general lack of experimentation — with a few notable exceptions. But I’m going to stick with my five-​star rating on principle. The radio waves and music, in general, would sound better if more stations allowed their DJs to play [pretty much] whatever they wanted.
Well-​designed schwag designed by YOU, the public, too! They are worth every penny I threw their way during fundraising.
EDIT: Between Velvet Einstein, Carnacki, Tiger Lily, and The Man Who Was Eaten By a Sandwich, I think I hear everything that I love about freeform radio. There are other excellent DJs too, but they get special mention for now because they’ve most consistently delivered the goods since I’ve been listening.
EDIT AGAIN: Recent favorite DJs include Pop Goes the Weasel, Scratchy Vinyl, The Good Foot, Madame X, Roscoe 2000, Sex 14s, Marcos, Tumbleweed, Cuppa Joe, Jellyfish, Rubberband Girl, Matsu… At this rate, I’ll have listed a good 50% of DJs that have held regular (and highly irregular) shows at any time over the past few years. That makes it seem like I’m picking names non-​selectively, but KALX’s internal quality control apparently ensures that I’ll enjoy whomever’s on the air at least 50−75% of the time.
And news sounds great these days!