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The Michigan Daily - New Student Edition - September 3, 1996 - 9E
DIALING IT UP IN A-SQUARED


Radio reception
can be quirky
By Dean Bakopoulos
ally Fine Arts Editor
Ann Arbor is a strange city indeed, and among its oddest phe-
nomena is its reception of radio signals. Some people claim they
pick up radio stations from Honolulu, while others say their
receiver only picks up stations when the wind is precisely at 13
iph from the southwest and the sky is slightly overcast with a
13 percent chance of precipitation. Residence hall dwellers usu-
ally have a harder time.
Luckily, the Ann Arbor area is home to several diverse sta-
tions, all of which come in crystal clear on most receivers. Start-
ing at the low end of the FM dial is the University's very own
community radio station. WCBN (88.3 FM), a.k.a. "Radio Free
16= Arbor," is a station housed in the basement of the Student
Activities Building and run largely by students. WCBN is an
eclectic station, featuring everything from news and talk to folk,
jazz, blues, and nearly every musical genre. Turn on WCBN in
the middle of the night - you're assured a unique experience.
U~p a few beats is WEMU (89.1 FM), Eastern Michigan Uni-
versity's public radio station. Besides featuring National Public
Radio goodies like "Car Talk" and "All Things Considered,"
WEMU has what is likely Southeastern Michigan's widest
repertoire of jazz and blues.
Meanwhile, WUOM (91.7 FM) is the University's NPR-affil-
*ated station. Known as "Michigan Radio,"WUOM features all
the NPR programs as well, but its musical focus is primarily
classical and symphonic.
If you are into good old-fashioned rock and roll, you need
to leap up the dial to WIQB, 102.9 FM. WIQB is best
described as "modern rock," but it basically caters to a colle-
giate audience. Everything from the Doors to the Talking


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Tigers baseball, Michigan News talk - 12. 1480AM - WSDS WAA
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a. 88.3FM -- WCBN; campus radio
b. 88.7FM - WCIMX; modern rock
c. 89.1FM - WEMU; NPR, jazz
d. 90.9FM - WDTR; educational talk
e. 91.7FM - WUOM; NPR, classical
f. 93.1FM - WLTI; lite rock
g. 93.9FM - CIDR; adult alternative
h. 94.7FM - WCSX; classic rock
I. 95.5FM - WKQI; adult top 40
J. 96.3FM --WHYT; top 40
k. 97.1FM - WYST; 70's hits
I. 97.9FM - WJLB; contemporary

m. 95.5FM - WLLZ; alternative
n. 99.5FM - WYCD; young country
o. 100.3FM - WNIC; contemporary
p. 101.1FM - WRIF; album rock

q. 101.9FM - WDET; NPR, eclectic
r. 102.9FM - WIQB; hit radio
s. 103.5FM - WMVZ; religious
t. 104.3FM - WQMC; oldies

u. 105.9FM -WJZZ; jazz
v. 106.7FM - WWWW; country
w. 107.1FM - WQKL; oldies

JOSH WHITE/Daily

Heads to Hootie finds its way onto WIQB airwaves. Plus,
WIQB does a swell job of featuring hot local talents as well.
Catch "Cool 107" (107.1 FM). It's the station your parents
will probably like. It's one those oldies stations - doo wap doo
wap and shoobie doo sweetheart. WPZA (1050 AM) is the home
of Michigan hockey games, as well as talk, news and music.
On good, clear days, one has no trouble getting in all the
Detroit-area radio stations. But this is Ann Arbor - how many
good, clear days do you expect?

Highlights of Detroit stations on the AM dial are WJR (760
AM), featuring news, talk and adult contemporary, as well as
Detroit Red Wings and Tigers games, and Michigan football.
WWJ (950 AM) also carries Michigan football and basketball,
as well as the Detroit Pistons, and is a CBS News affiliated all-
news station.
WXYT (1270 AM) carries Detroit Lions games and Michi-
gan State athletics, as well as a "newstalk" format full of con-
servative pundits like Rush Limbaugh.

On the FM dial, new music, or "alternative" tunes, can be
found on CIMX (88.7 FM), CIDR (93.9 FM) or WHYT (96.3
FM). The best collection, and really only local station for Urban
Contemporary music, is WJLB (97.9 FM). Classic rock can be
found on WCSX (94.7 FM) or WYST (97.1 FM), the "'70s sta-
tion."
Kick up your heels with "Young Country" WYCD (99.5 FM)
or WWWW (106.7 FM)., or find peace on WMUZ (103.5), a
local religious programming station.

.No

better town for people watching


1
J
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ANN ARBOR
Continued from Page 1
people watching, and there's no better
town for eavesdropping on conversa-
tions. Catching a glimpse of four men
dancing the polka in an intersection may
pot be a rare occurrence. And rest
,ossured that you will overhear conversa-
tions debating such pressing topics like
the depiction of nymphs in Norse
mythology. And don't be surprised if you
eventually find yourself doing some-
thing just as odd. Eccentricity is no flaw
among Ann Arborites: Most revere it.
Perhaps the most common quality
found in Ann Arborites is pride. The die-
hard residents love this city, and they want
strangers from all over and anywhere to
ove their city as well. (Rumor has it there
s an alien landing strip east of North
Campus that says "Welcome Friends.")
THE INSTITUTIONS
Of course, people alone don't make a
town. There has to be somewhere for the
people to go, something for the people to
do. And in Ann Arbor, you have to try
very hard to be bored. (Sure, New York-
/mrs on campus find the town a bit dry at
first, but after going through their first
year without being mugged, they start to
warm up to Midwestern living.)
Ann Arbor is special because it is one
of the increasingly rare cities in the
country that clings steadfastly to unique-
ness. In other words, die-hard Ann
Arborites aren't quick to sell out: Fran-
chises and chain stores don't dominate
the downtown and campus area. Near
campus and downtown, there are still
#lenty of independently owned and
operated business that make the com-
munity a truly special little place to be.
If you're hungry for a little flavor, Ann
Arbor is by all means more than just
burgers and pizza. Local favorites
include The Brown Jug on South Uni-
versity Avenue, notorious for grease,
beer and, oh yes, absolutely delicious
grease. A popular student hangout, you
may more than once find yourself fore-
*oing residence hall meals for a treat
here. For real grease, but good stuff too,
and an ambience that would make the
Waldorf jealous, try the Fleetwood
Diner on South Ashley Street. It looks
like an abandoned mobile home, and is
a little less clean, but is full of cheap and
delicious grub. Plus, it's open around the
clock and caters to everyone from
brunching yuppies to recovering drunks,
so the customers and employees are
lways bound to put on a good show.
Other local favorites include Zinger-
man's Deli, where the prices are a wee
on the high side but the sandwiches are
colossal, and Angelo's, a now-legendary
breakfast stop with french toast that
.nakes even the staunchest Anglophile
admit that the French aren't all that bad.

Pedestrians pass by a mural on Liberty Street near Borders Books and Music.

where over 60 English ales flow deli-
ciously from the taps. There are also
sports bars, rock and roll bars, jazz and
blues bars, and dance club bars. Most stu-
dents boast a favorite by graduation day.
While you wait to turn 21, you can get
wired just smelling the coffee brewing
along South University Avenue or South
State Street. Every street corner has its
own coffee shop or two, it seems. Order
plain old joe, the house blend, or get
adventurous and a mean caffeine buzz
trying drinks like cappu-espresso-mocha-
java-high-octane-goop. Don't like coffee?
You will soon, especially when you man-
age to procrastinate that final 20-page
paper until well past midnight.
Coffee shops alone are worth learning
to like the taste of coffee. People in Ann
Arbor do business in coffee shops, study
in coffee shops, discuss solutions to vworld
crises in coffee shops. It's not uncommon
for students to waste hours in these joints,
sipping and pondering the human condi-
tion. Some cafes offer entertainment as
well, with everything from long, winding
jazz to long, windy poetry readings.
THE ENTERTAINMENT
If you are bored in Ann Arbor, you are
taking this whole "apathy and angst
among youth" thing way too far. You
have to be without a pulse to find noth-
ing to do in this town. Sure, some week-
ends are slower than others, but com-
pared to other Midwestern cities, Ann
Arbor is as frenzied and fast-paced as an
ant hill in a honey storm.
Dig music? Sure you do - the kids all


MARGARET MYERS/Daily
The Fleetwood Diner, on South Ashley Street, is open 24 hours a day and serves a
mixture of foods, not all of them healthy, but a tasty way to spend time.

tunities to be ripped off by Ticketmaster.
And Ann Arborites don't dig just rock
and roll. The Blues and Jazz Festival in
the fall is just one of the many showcas-
es of this genre. Meanwhile, symphony
orchestras, opera companies and folk
bands -national and local - play here.
Still, even the rhythmically challenged
can find something to do in Ann Arbor.
If movies are your thing, rejoice in
knowing that Ann Arbor offers six
movie theaters, from multiplexes to little
independent theaters. Three theaters,
the State, the Michigan and Ann Arbor 1
& 2, are within walking distance from
campus; all three boast variety- any-
thing from classics to current-run films.
In addition, thespians have a fine time in
Ann Arbor choosing from drama pro-
ductions by professional companies to
amateur productions by fellow students.
If a quiet evening at home with a good
book is your cup of tea, be prepared to

Speaking of expand-
ing your cultural hori-
zons, Ann Arbor is home
00 awide array of ethnic
testaurants. From the
Korean dish Be Bim
Bop at Steve's Lunch to
two-pound burritos at
Panchero's, you can gas-
trointestinally travel the

No one can
tell you
everything
that's unique
about Ann

dig music, and Ann Arbor
is always groovin'. The
Blind Pig on Ashley Street
offers everything from top
local rock talent to big-
time alternative acts. Well
set up with good acoustics,
it's a real treat to catch inti-
mate shows here by folks
like Tracy Chapman or