The listener-funded radio station that runs the archive, WFMU, is the single greatest radio station in the world.
Little known fact: the Go gopher mascot was originally a WFMU commission [1].
And BBC radio 6 isn't bad: https://www.bbc.co.uk/6music
My personal favorite radio station, and their donation t shirts are awesome.
If I may plug KZSU, on Stanford campus, as another college/community radio outlet in Silicon Valley.
...I worry all the time that, owing to the lack of affordable housing for the creative class, and the general lack of culture throughout the Silicon Valley, that there won't be enough energy to support all these radio stations.
If you're curious, don't be afraid to look into joining them! They both take on community members from throughout the area.
It's certain not to give someone a consistent sound that they'll like, but it usually puts out interesting stuff.
-Radio Paradise [1]
-SomaFM [2]
-Jamendo [3]
-Magnatune (not quite free but close enough) [4]
-And all the Icecast streams [5]
There's one radio station group that has consistently been fully public interest with neither ads nor corporate nor government conflicts-of-interest: the Pacifica network which has affiliates around the country http://pacificanetwork.org
"WFMU’s primary source of support comes from listener contributions made during our annual on-air fundraising marathonand revenue generated from our annual Record Fair. WFMU does not accept underwriting or corporate sponsorships. We receive some support from foundations and government grants, as long as they do not contain conditions that determine our programming content or restrict our independence."
from: https://wfmu.org/about/
I donate every year. It's a great cause to support.
It seems that ads were also a motivation for the long-running show JM in the AM to leave the station.
> WFMU, licensed as a non-profit radio station, adheres to the guidelines of charitable and non-commercial radio. With the move of ‘JM in the AM’ exclusively to NSN, the program, its host, its content and its reach will be allowed greater creative flexibility and sponsorship opportunities. [1]
[1] http://www.nachumsegal.com/historic-jm-announcement-made-mor...
also the web 1.5ish site and comments board brings me a lot of joy, reminds me of the spirit of the earlier web, in keeping with the free form nature of the programming itself.
everyone should donate if you listen!