"Lock the doors and close the blinds -- we're going for a ride..."

I missed the article in the Washington Post. Shame on me. Especially since I'm so into radio...

There's a low power station, albeit quite a popular one, out of Annapolis called WRNR. It was created by the founders of WHFS, a formerly "progressive rock" station which I've written about. WRNR is as freeform as non-college radio gets. They'll throw in the mainstream U2 or Beck tune, but they have a good amount of indie music -- stuff you won't hear at any of the commercial outlets.

Their April Fools Day joke was a good one: They announced that the station's format was changing.

Call letters, too.

To WOMB

From the Washington Post article: female disc jockeys playing songs by female artists, interspersed with over-the-top banter about goddesses and birth and the eternal feminine.

Testosterone-free radio.

They even got former DC radio personality Gina Crash, who does mornings on WMMR in Philadelphia, to drive down for an afternoon shift! They played stuff by "the Indigo Girls, Hole, Janis Joplin, Sinead O'Connor and blues woman Koko Taylor."

They kept the joke running until 7pm. The male on-air personalities pretended to get laid off. They received a lot of voicemail. One of the DJs got a consoling hug in a coffee shop.

Best quote in the article:

Somebody should seriously start this new trend rolling! And now!

Anyhow, take a look at the article if you can. Especially if you're familiar with WRNR. (Free registration required): http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A19774-2005Apr1.html