Radio Startup Out To Change The Meaning Of “AM Gold”

Skin Radio may have a terrible name, but we have to give them credit for having what may be the first innovative idea in commercial radio since the “Morning Zoo” concept was launched:

Aiming a throwback broadcast technology squarely at a younger audience might sound like wishful thinking at best, or simply a unfortunate misstep at worst. But by combining the old with the new (and even newer),that’s just what Philadelphia’s new Skin Radio is trying to pull off.

Skin Radio will attempt to harness the combined powers of HD radio on the AM band alongside a global webcast to attract a whole new generation of listeners to the AM dial, and in the process, raise awareness about HD radio among this younger set.

We’ve been listening to Skin Radio since we found this item, and while we’re not 100% crazy about its playlist–between the White Stripes, the Robert Randolph Band, and Spacehog, it seems to be aimed at the “sorta-hip frat dude” demographic–we appreciate the way it handles the seemingly lost art of letting listeners know what songs have been played: Each track is followed up, immediately, by an announcer reciting its title and artist. Of course, given that the station’s on AM radio in its immediate vicinity, the likelihood of those announcements being turned into a puddle of static is high, but you have to give them points for at least trying.

Skin Radio [Official site] SKIN Radio lures young demo with blend of AM, HD, webcast [Radio And Internet Newsletter, via Hypebot]