WMLB 1690 The Voice of the Arts

Wonderful, eclectic radio station, staffed by clever, creative people.
The comedy skits are hilarious (wish there were more of them). The music is varied enough that you never know what you’ll here next.
The «Shouts and Murmurs» readings are always fun.

Funny, irreverent, different — great unexpected playlist, everything from Dylan to the Ravenettes to Smokey Robinson. Lively talk from the DJS, who are smart, witty, and rarely cliched. Not a birder myself, but the birdcalls at the top of the hour are sweet, upbeat, leave you feeling optimistic and in tune with nature. By far — light years, in fact — best radio in Atlanta.

I discovered this radio station when the FM in my old-​ass Ford Escort went out. Apparently this tends to happen to old Ford Escort wagons. Whatevs. I didn’t realize how sick I was of the same 10-​song rotation on most FM stations until I started only listening to WMLB 1690. They are amazing, wonderful and eclectic– sometimes I feel like I am listening to an SNL skit making fun of an art station, which makes them even more amazing. I am constantly learning about new musicians and artists and it has made me appreciate a wider range of music, even more so than before. Even though I am leaving Atlanta soon I will still be listening to them online.

Hands down my favorite radio station in Atlanta. Fun, entertaining, knowledgeable — sheesh– DJ’s who are actually KNOWLEDGEABLE about music and the local Arts scene. It’s a refreshing blend of American Origin style music, comedy, commentary… no one else in the metro area is filling this niche. The cubical dance, The Stomp and Stammer Music hour, The loverly ladies from The Fringe Factory, PASTE Magazine’s show as well as David Lewis’ commentary — I truly love all of this. Can you tell? BIG FAN HERE!
I only have one complaint and that is I can’t listen to it in as many parts of town as I would want to. But to combat that — I can at least stream it live and listen as i work.
See there are solutions to all challenges in this world!

how in gods name did i go for so long in this city without knowing about 1690!!!
this station is a savior in a sea of bad, bad, BAD radio. the music is all over the board, though i’ve noticed a particular leaning towards bluegrass at times… and THAT is awesome. i’ve tuned in to hear wilco, bobby darin, etta james, et al… and often those follow one another within an hour of play.
the interviews are interesting, the djs play random clips of random movies which is always fun… and i really love the excerpts from various novels and poems – being read to is really nice, especially while dealing with traffic in this town.
YES! awesome.

WMLB 1690-​AM is one of Atlanta’s gems. It is the apex of public interest commercial radio. This radio station, based in Avondale Estates, is ostensibly a for-​profit venture, but members of management march to their own drum, and there is minimal advertising, even during afternoon drive. The talk is never annoying. 1690 somewhat reminds me of an apolitical, if not conservative at times, version of NPR.
The DJs apparently play what they want. My guess is that they use iPod-​based playlists. In a typical hour, if there can be such a thing, you might hear classic or alt-​indie rock, jazz, reggae, world music, country, folk and blues, usually in mid or up-​tempo. Also listen for comedy and interviews. A syndicated news feed and station IDs including varying bird calls top each hour.
The only negatives are that 1690’s broadcast is not strong throughout the metro area and that it is AM mono. You can’t have everything.
Try it!

A friend turned me onto this radio station and I love love love it. It’s equal parts news, culture, my iPod playlist and my grandma’s LP collection. Plus, you can’t go wrong with bird-​calls on the hour.
If you’re looking for an eclectic and educational mix for your drive-​time, definitely tune to AM1690.

If you want to listen to music worth hearing, brought to you by people who really care about music– this is the station for you! This is community radio that supports the culture of the arts. It streams on –line, the am radio strength is difficult at times-​but it is worth the struggle.