WTMD launches Baltimore Channel
The coolest radio station in town, 89.7 WTMD-FM, just got a little more awesome. Awesomer? Is that a word?
WTMD launched a Baltimore Channel, which can be heard if you have an HD radio. But since not too many people have HD radios, WTMD is also streaming the Baltimore Channel online for free.
Click here for the free online stream.
The Baltimore Channel is all local music, all the time. There are interviews and live performances with some of the area's best artists, as well as plenty of tracks.
As the host of Baltimore Unsigned (and an employee of WTMD), I am pretty pumped about this little experiment.
Some of the interviews go back a year or two.
Here's a funny way how you can tell how old they are ...
When I first started hosting Baltimore Unsigned, I was nervous about sounding nervous on the air. So I overcompensated by forcing myself to chill out.
But instead of sounding calm and collected, I sound like I've eaten a handful of Quaaludes or Xanax. This went on for a few months, before I finally started to get the hang of things.
I still cringe when I go back and listen to those early interviews. Hee-hee.
I think one of the most exciting things about the Baltimore Channel and Baltimore Unsigned is that we're covering this city's music scene at a really exciting time. Baltimore musicians are getting so much attention from the national and international press, and we're able to showcase many of these artists. I'm talking about everything from rock to folk to hip-hop to instrumental drum and bass.
So click on the link and listen to the Baltimore Channel. I think you'll be surprised at the quality of music coming out of Baltimore. I am.
(Sun photo of the band Pale Stars performing on Baltimore Unsigned by Gene Sweeney Jr.)
Erik Maza is a features reporter at the Baltimore Sun. He writes for several sections of the Sun paper and contributes weekly columns on music and nightlife. He also writes and edits the Midnight Sun blog. He often covers entertainment, business, and the business of entertainment. Occasionally, he writes about Four Loko, The Block, the liquor board, and those who practice "
Comments
Yeah, this channel will make ya famous, with all the focus on the local crews now.
Hopefully WTMD rides that Baltimore national and international wave as well. BTW, I flipped through some local band pages after catching spectacular videos on another website from the El Rancho Grande fundraiser. The music scene here is literally busting at the seams with exceptional talent.
Posted by: GMan | February 23, 2009 5:37 PM
"But since not too many people have HD radios, WTMD is also streaming the Baltimore Channel online for free."
After how many years, yet consumers have zero interest. Meanwhile, HD Radio/IBOC continues to jam out airways, especially on AM, but that is the plan - jam the smaller broadcasters off the dial.
Posted by: PocketRadio | February 23, 2009 5:45 PM
Nice. Congrats Sam!
Listening now. Had to download some kinda Microsoft application (pretty simple) to get it to work. But stream is sounding good and not choppy.
Posted by: jmw | February 23, 2009 6:38 PM
Congratulations, Sam for taking Baltimore Unsigned to the next level!
You and the station staff have created a wonderful and engaging outlet for so many talented regional bands to be heard. I look forward to each show and often listen again on Sat morning.
Posted by: Courtney B. | February 24, 2009 7:55 AM
Yea...back in your luded out days, it used to sound like you were hosting the "Baltimoron Sign" show. I've definitely noticed a difference (for the better) in your on-air voice/enunciation.
Posted by: The Beav | February 24, 2009 1:48 PM
Using MS Silverlight for their online stream was an awful move. It's a proprietary platform tied closely to Windows. I'm very disappointed with WTMD here. A smarter move would have been offering a plain stream, like MP3 or Vorbis, and letting users choose their own media player.
Posted by: Jeff Niles | April 24, 2009 7:25 PM