When FNX was like a public radio station ...

Usually my commute is a bit of radio hell, as I switch between radio stations to catch good songs and avoid commercials and mindless DJ blather. But for the first part of this summer I actually enjoyed my commute a lot, 'cause I knew exactly where to tune in: WFNX.

They had some type of deal with Snapple for about a month which made the station commercial free. Well, almost. They had a few 10-second plugs for Snapple, but that was it. I think it's a good model for commercial broadcasting, and actually mirrors a lot of what we see on noncommercial (public) broadcasting, with "corporate underwriting." The alternative -- endless blocks of commercials (WAAF is especially bad in this regard) and huge sales staffs to support them -- is a bloated, frustrating model, especially as more and more people bring iPods and satellite radio in their cars, and totally bypass commercials and questionable radio station playlists (WBCN is especially bad in this regard).

So a, I think your experiment was a success, and I hope you bring back this model -- I'll definitely be listening if you do!