I fell asleep last night listening to 1510AM, which is a radio station I wish I had discovered much, much earlier as they are about to go off the air on Thursday night. They’ll be replaced by KPIG, a station broadcasting from Santa Cruz, which apparently plays a mix of reggae, Hawaiian, zydeco, blues, and old-fashioned country. Bleah. I mean, I guess I can handle the bluegrass and the old-school country music, but I deeply dislike reggae and Hawaiian. I have a feeling this station is going to appeal to aging hippies. I mean, it’s from Santa Cruz.

The newspaper erroneously described the current incarnation of 1510AM as a “classical” station, which it most certainly is not (they later corrected). They are better described as eclectic easy-listening/pop standards/obscure oldies. They play hits from musicals of the 1950s. They play Frank Sinatra, the Beatles (most notable playing “Piggies” a dozen times a day as they march toward becoming KPIG), and a lot of pop songs from the early 50s — before rock and roll became popular in other words. Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland, and so on.

I guess it’s probably considered a station for senior citizens or something. But I think plenty of different people can appreciate this kind of music, especially when you just want something nice and calming to listen to at night or in the morning. Most radio is just so, so, so bad. If it’s not screaming commercials, it’s awful and repetitive music or yapping DJs, and it seems like every time I turn on NPR in the morning I have to listen to the “President’s” voice, which sends me reaching for the off switch instantly.

So this station was unique in its own way. I don’t think there’s another like it around here. There are other oldies stations, but they are all quite awful, playing the same rotation of 200 songs day after day after day. The songs people expect to hear on an oldies station I guess, like “California Dreamin'” or “Light My Fire.” In other words, dull and predictable and ass.

I just like listening to the radio as I fall asleep, and when I wake up. So I am stuck with KFOG I guess. I like their morning DJs. Their music is tolerable. If my radio would pick up 91.1FM (public radio jazz) in my bedroom I would listen to that. And I guess I could also listen to Giants games/postgames at night on KNBR, but that is a bit too depressing for bedtime.