The loss of HFS

HFS is gone.

However, in many ways this is not surprising and it wont be a huge loss for me. I am used to good DC radio stations coming and going. The DC market is not big enough to have nitch radio, but it is not small enough to have blanket radio. So we have this awful hybrid approach to radio.

HFS has always been a preset on my car radio. The Beretta, Aerostar, Econoline, 626, Camry, and Ram all had a 99.1 preset on it. I've already changed the presets on the Camry and Ram to 100.7. I can't even appreciate the music on El Zol. My nearly 18 year old niece was starting to listen to HFS. She will never have the memories that I have. I remember my first HFStival when I was 18, a senior in high school, and I ran into a lot of my friends at the Festival. And that was true in 1999, 2000 and 2001. I did not go in 2002, 2003 or 2004. Now I regret not going in 2004. I still have my t-shirts. I plan on wearing mine proudly this weekend, to demonstrate a point. I have other great memories of HFStivals, and some bad memories of them too. But overall good memories. I remmeber listening to Cowboy Mouth's - Jenny Says on the Golden Mile in Frederick in 1997. Yes, I know it was 99.1 instead of DC 101. I was in the 626, and Tara, Goth Jon and Chris were in the car. HFS was also the first radio station I tuned in on my Ram.

DC has had a lot of radio turmoil. XTRA 104 was oldies, then an all 70s format. In 1996 it became Z-104, it was Top 40, until 2002, when it became More Music 104, then back to Z-104. 99.5 has been easy listening, R&B Oldies + disco and top 40. I can go down the list. Really the only institutions on DC radio have been DC 101 and HFS. Everything else has come and gone.

The DJs at DC 101 were sympathetic. The DJs over at 98 Rock were gleeful. The DC 101 people got it.

Oh well. I've lost a part of me, but honestly, there are not too many parts of me left.