aaron c beals

when i do listen to non-internet radio, an occurrence that is growing rarer in these latter days, i tend to be a fan of music rather than talk radio. that said, i found the morning show on WFNX — “The Sandbox” — highly entertaining. the DJs, with the exception of longtime FNX-er Henry Santoro, were in their late 20’s / early 30’s, putting their retro pop culture references and sense of humor right in line with my own. they tended to shy away from the overtly political (i’m talking to you, Greg Hill and Dennis and Callahan) and focused instead on the absurd. they had a good talk / music mix for the morning hours and included guests from the local Boston scene (politicians, writers, etc).

yesterday, after 2.5 years, that show abruptly went off the air, taking with it the last shreds of faith i had in the Boston radio scene. WERS (excellent college radio, albeit with too much reggae) and Paul Driscoll’s Alter-Ego program at FNX (he’s given a lot of latitude to play what he wants) are the only good things left on local radio.

word on the street is that the new VP of Broadcast Operations, Mike Tierney, blew up the show as a not-so-uncommon ‘i’m the new guy’ power move. way to screw up FNX, Mike. welcome to Boston.

i work in Mission Hill, just down the street from the Mission Church where the funeral ceremony is to be held for Senator Ted Kennedy tomorrow morning. because he was, arguably, one of the most well-known senators in US history, and was part of one of the most famous political families, and because President Obama is coming to town to give the eulogy, it goes without saying that things are a little busy today on Tremont Street. i couldn’t help but chuckle quietly to myself, though, as i looked around at the work being done–from windows being washed to trees being trimmed to light poles being re-painted–because it took the death of an elder statesman to get the City of Boston to actually tidy up this neighborhood.

now don’t get me wrong: Mission Hill has come a long way in recent years and is a much cleaner and safer place to be. we’ve got JP Licks, Flann O’Brien’s Pub, and the Savant Project. the people are great, and there are little parks tucked away, most with great views of the rest of the city. but it still isn’t what i would call “well-maintained”. today, that’s all changing, as the neighborhood prepares for the media spotlight.