KROQ's mainstream-tested testosterone rock cut with Pitchfork-approved indie, all arranged so as to keep the tempo swinging but not cloying: Why the hell isn't anyone else trying this formula? Sure, FM94/9 is based in San Diego, so it reaches only South County. And sure, it's commercially owned, so its promos are just as obnoxious and exTREEEEEME!-sounding as any other FM rock station. But all that really matters is its lineup features plenty more hits than misses. KCRW's Valium rock may have more cred, but FM94/9 has an answer: The somnolent-but-hip Big Sonic Chill hours, which, smartly, are late at night—unlike the other station's drive-time anti-caffeine.
