OXY officially died last week. While it might possibly return in some form or another, it is unlikely it will ever be WOXY as we knew it. I have to admit, I was a late convert to WOXY. But as late as I was, I recognized a good thing when I heard it -- a radio station that aired independent music independent of the money. Outside of college radio, that is a format that simply doesn't exist anymore.

Living in Washington , DC , for example, there are few to no options for a good radio experience. The Clear Channel and Infinity behemoths play whatever they are told to play, and unless you live on campus, college radio is inaccessible. And quite frankly, having gone to college here in DC, I can say with a straight face that college radio in the nation's capital isn't that big a step up from the corporate stations.

So, where does one go? The loss of WOXY has put ?a bee in my bonnet,' so to speak. Well, offhand, it seems there are three main options that remain for those of us seeking an alternative: satellite radio (XM or Sirius), the Internet or your own private collection. Obviously, option No. 3 seems to have all sorts of constraints, such as the size of that collection or how to bring it with you everywhere you go. Internet radio faces its challenges as well, with smaller stations forced out altogether due to FCC regulations. And even with all the diversity associated with Satellite radio, its programming can at times be flawed.

Here at BigYawn.net, we already try to tell you about good music, the CDs to buy and the shows to go to. But what about that middle ground? This is the gray area where radio as we once knew existed, where people discovered new music on their own, where the phrase, ?I just heard this great new song on the radio,? could be heard routinely. Now, we hear, ?I just heard this great new song on XMU - XM Channel 47, or KCRW.com.? The music is still out there. We just need to be able to find it, to appreciate the people who are trying to bring it to us, to find the advancements in technology that will help us enjoy it even more.

Over the course of the next few weeks, or perhaps longer, BigYawn.net is going to be working behind the scenes on a new endeavor -- one that tries to answer the question: ?Where is all the good music?? This concept involves bringing together a host of solutions to this problem, including Internet radio, MP3 sites, computer programs, technological advancements like Itunes or Ipods (which would allow you to virtually bring your entire collection of music anywhere you go), and just about anything else that can be used in one way or another to replace what we once knew as radio. I can't say what form all of this will take, or even give a definitive timetable, but it is something I feel strongly about. And even if it takes a little longer than I'd like, it'll be worth the wait.

So, in a way, I view the great loss of WOXY as a possible new beginning for BigYawn.net. One where we can help try and bridge the gap between the world of radio we once knew, and the new and expanding world of music today. And while this is something that will be an ever-changing place, hopefully we can at least create a solid starting point.

-e 5/18/04