Maybe you can remember “way back when” -- when there was only on band on the radio -- the AM band. That’s where ALL the radio stations were when listened at home or you were driving your car out of the high school parking lot, perhaps snuggled up to your sweetie before the advent of bucket seats. There were three main radio stations when I was in high school in Imperial Valley, California, but I was able to get OMA from Oklahoma City on my little transistor radio. They played all the Beatles songs.
That was then; this is now.
Practically every possible AM and FM frequency has a radio station no matter where you live, and that is quite true in Boise, the Gem State’s capital city. All of them cannot be listed here, or you’d be reading for a mighty long time.
According to radiolineup.com, the Boise, Idaho, area has the following AM and FM radio stations:
580 AM -- KIDO -- News/Talk (Nampa, ID)
630 AM -- KFXD -- Talk (Boise, ID)
670 AM -- KBOI -- Talk (Boise, ID)
730 AM -- KDBI -- Sports (Boise, ID)
790 AM -- KSPD -- News/Talk (Boise, ID)
890 AM -- KYWN -- Oldies (Meridian, ID)
950 AM -- KMHR -- Gospel (Boise, ID)
1060 AM -- KBGN -- Religious (Caldwell, ID)
1140 AM -- KGEM -- Religious (Boise, ID)
1240 AM -- KMHI -- Country (Mountain Home, ID)
1260 AM -- KKOO -- Classic Country (Weiser, ID)
1350 AM -- KTIK -- Sports (Nampa, ID)
1450 AM -- KTRP -- Spanish Religious (Notus, ID)
1490 AM -- KCID -- Spanish Religious (Caldwell, ID)
88.1 FM -- KRRB -- Religious (Kuna, ID)
88.7 FM -- KOAY -- Religious (Middleton, ID)
89.1 FM -- KAWS -- Religious (Marsing, ID)
89.5 FM -- KTSY -- Religious (Caldwell, ID)
89.9 FM -- KRBX -- Variety (Caldwell, ID)
90.3 FM -- KBSU -- Classical (Boise, ID)
90.9 FM -- KGCL -- Spanish Religious (Jordan Valley, OR)
91.5 FM -- KBSX -- Public Radio (Boise, ID)
92.3 FM -- KIZN -- Country (Boise, ID)
93.1 FM -- KTIK -- Sports (New Plymouth, ID)
94.1 FM -- KBXL -- Religious (Caldwell, ID)
94.9 FM -- KRVB -- Adult Alternative (Nampa, ID)
96.1 FM -- KSRV -- Adult Hits (Ontario, OR)
96.9 FM -- KKGL -- Classic Rock (Nampa, ID)
97.5 FM -- KIDH-LP -- Religious (Meridian, ID)
97.9 FM -- KQFC -- Country (Boise, ID)
98.7 FM -- KARO -- Christian Contemporary (Nyssa, OR)
99.5 FM -- KLXI -- Christian Contemporary (Fruitland, ID)
99.9 FM -- KXCD -- Silent (Salmon, ID)
100.3 FM -- KQXR -- Rock (Payette, ID)
100.7 FM -- KPDA -- Regional Mexican (Mountain Home, ID)
101.1 FM -- KWYD -- Rhythmic CHR (Parma, ID)
101.9 FM -- KQBL -- Regional Mexican (Emmett, ID)
102.7 FM -- KZMG -- Hot AC (Melba, ID)
103.5 FM -- KSAS -- Top 40/CHR (Caldwell, ID)
104.3 FM -- KAWO -- Country (Boise, ID)
105.1 FM -- KJOT -- Classic Rock (Boise, ID)
105.9 FM -- KCIX -- Hot AC (Garden City, ID)
106.3 FM -- KDBI -- Regional Mexican (Homedale, ID)
107.1 FM -- KTHI -- Classic Hits (Caldwell, ID)
107.9 FM -- KXLT -- Adult Contemporary (Eagle, ID)
Radio Stations are not the only place where you will find music. Sparklight, the “new name” for Cable One, has a variety of music channels -- a total of 50 -- in its television offerings:
Music (50 channels)
801 | Music - Hits List
802 | Music - Max
803 | Music - Dance/EDM
804 | Music - Indie
805 | Music - HipHop/RnB
806 | Music - Rap
807 | Music - HipHop Classics
808 | Music - Throwback Jamz
809 | Music - RnB Classics
810 | Music - RnB Soul
811 | Music - Gospel
812 | Music - Reggae
813 | Music - Rock
814 | Music - Metal
815 | Music - Alternative
816 | Music - Adult Alternative
817 | Music - Rock Hits
818 | Music - Classic Rock
819 | Music - Soft Rock
820 | Music - Love Songs
821 | Music - Pop Hits
822 | Music - Party Favorites
823 | Music - Teen Beats
824 | Music - Kidz Only
825 | Music - Toddler Tunes
826 | Music - Y2K
827 | Music - 90s
828 | Music - 80s
829 | Music - 70s
830 | Music - Solid Gold Oldies
831 | Music - Pop and Country
832 | Music - Todays Country
833 | Music - Country Hits
834 | Music - Classic Country
835 | Music - Contemporary Christian
836 | Music - Pop Latino
837 | Music - Musica Urbana
838 | Music - Mexicana
839 | Music - Tropicales
840 | Music - Romances
841 | Music - Sounds of the Seasons
842 | Music - Stage and Screen
843 | Music - Soundscapes
844 | Music - Smooth Jazz
845 | Music - Jazz
846 | Music - Blues
847 | Music - Singers and Swing
848 | Music - Easy Listening
849 | Music - Classical Masterpieces
850 | Music - Light Classical
Despite the wide variety of music channels available on the AM and FM radio dials as well as on the television channels, I think the best place to find your music in Boise is at The Record Exchange. Located at 11th and Idaho in the heart of downtown Boise, The Record Exchange is Idaho’s largest independent music store, steadfastly expanding Idaho’s musical boundaries since 1977. If you want it, they have it. If they don’t have it, they can get it. No matter what your musical preferences are, you owe it to yourself to check out The Record Exchange -- you’ll be glad you did.