Author: G. Li, Silicon Valley Chapter

In honor of National Radio Day, on August 20th, I will be reviewing two radios local to the San Francisco Bay Area: 99.7 NOW and 96.5 KOIT. 

99.7 NOW – Overall, a great choice if you’re craving the pop hits of present day. It gives you a steady supply of recently popular music, which is good if you want to know what the general population likes to listen to. I also really enjoy their segments, like the Love Trap, which exposes Bay Area cheaters, and is really interesting to listen to on a boring car ride. The station also hosts give-aways which give listeners the chance to win concert tickets to see their favorite artists for free. Another aspect of this station that I enjoy is their focus on the Bay Area with the Bay Area Cares Podcast, connecting, informing, and celebrating families and communities in the San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose/Bay Area.

However, some of the things I dislike about this station include the fact that the they replay the same songs over and over and over again. They play hit songs from last year all the time, and they only play popular songs. Now, to be fair, the pop selection for this year has been very limited, with no “song of the summer”, so I can see why they play songs from last year. But playing last year’s “song of the summer”, Espresso? I think it’s just a little sad. Also, I do get how their whole brand is to play hit songs, so my hope that they don’t play only popular songs is a bit unreasonable; however, in times like these, where there are no incredibly popular songs, I think it would be nice to spice things up with perhaps a #50 on the Billboard Chart! Or even better, highlight an up-and-coming artist. 

Overall, I like this radio station a LOT (sorry for my complaining), and rate it a 9/10. 
96.5 KOIT – Today’s hits and yesterday’s favorites! With their iconic catchphrase, they perfectly capture their theme: a blend of pop hits from decades ago and hits from our present time. I love the variety in song choice, and since I really enjoy songs from the 2010s or 2000s, this radio is very well-suited for my palate. I don’t have many notes honestly, I really enjoy listening. However, personal request: I do hope that they will stop playing that Fast Car song… 9/10 radio station.