97X, BAM! - The Future of Rock and Roll.
- Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man

WOXY 97.7 FM is an alternative/modern rock radio station based in Oxford, Ohio. What makes it different? Respect for the music and for the listener. Bucking the trend towards increasingly large corporate radio groups that dominate the airwaves, this privately-owned and -operated station plays everything from Johnny Cash to Bob Marley to Elvis Costello to Temple of the Dog and is dedicated to exposing new artists' work and covering the local music scene. An informative website brings the music to the global community, 24 hours a day.

What You'll Hear

Saving the world from corporate radio, one song at a time.

And what a joy it is. Music. Interesting music. Music without interruptions every five minutes for commercials for dubious products, screaming ads from the local car dealership, or inane comments from the DJ. During the working week, there are occasional brief breaks for local news items or ads for local merchants, but aside from that, the focus is on the music. Unlike the commercial radio stations, WOXY devotes several hours per week to listeners' requests. The most-requested songs of the week get airplay on People's Choice Countdown the following Monday. Tuesday's programming is mostly devoted to new releases. Local bands take centre stage three days a week in the evenings.

Weekends bring a change of pace. You can hear two hours of modern dance, infectious grooves and phat beats every Saturday night at midnight. Sunday programming presents an eclectic mix ranging from the blues, reggae and ska in the mornings to indie and underground music at night.

Want more information about what's playing when? Check out their website.

The Website

Think globally, act locally.

Both intimate and widely accessible, the 97X site complements and expands the station's offerings. In addition to the usual links for listening online, daily playlists, artists' profiles, and news, this up-to-the-minute site also provides:

• Regional and local concert listings
• Message boards on a wide range of topics
• Online song request form
• Online contests
• Online auction for charity
• Online store selling 97X merchandise
• A gallery where listeners can view and submit drawings, photography, poetry, and the like

A nice feature: listeners can launch a real-time pop-up that shows what's currently playing. They can also sign up for the 97X New Music Update, an email newsletter with the latest happenings from the station, music news, and more.

Sponsored Events

Live@Studio X hosts concerts by well-known bands playing in Oxford. Among the bands who played recently was Coldplay.

97Xposure is an annual competition open to unsigned local bands from the Tri-State area. This includes the Greater Cincinnati (Ohio/Kentucky) area, the Greater Dayton (Ohio) area, Richmond (Indiana) and all points in between. Winners receive airplay on the radio, recording time, and a CD pressing. The top 20 songs from the competition are available as a download from the website.

The station also sponsors the 97X Modern Rock Auction For Charity. The station is continually assembling a selection of one-of-a-kind, collectable modern rock memorabilia, and it auctions the items on the Internet. Bidding is held online only. All of the money raised from the sale of these items goes to one or more local charities.

97X hosts a number of live events in the area. A fun one, Rock 'n' Skate, is periodically held from midnight to 2.00am at the Goggin Ice Arena on Miami University's campus. This is where you can skate to music never heard before in Olympic competition!