Listening to FM radio has become all but obsolete in the generation of MP3 players and digital radio who boast commercial free listening.  MP3 players play the owner’s favorite music and digital radio introduces them to new music, but both lack the personality that regular FM radio offers.  For music listeners spoiled by so much music at their fingertips, waiting until the screaming auto sales commercials and sun beach promos to end is a thing of the past.  Even the most popular radio stations like 96.5 Kiss FM advertise an hour without any commercials to appeal to kids growing up in the age of the iPod.  

One would think that it is impossible for a radio station to survive without commercials bringing in revenue, but it’s not.  Local Akron radio station 91.3 The Summit survives totally on volunteer work and listener donations.  The non-profit radio station plays new music of the rock, folk and indie genres, local music and best of all– no commercials.  

The station has short public service announcement breaks and informative tidbits sponsored by local businesses, but there are no commercials.  Instead 91.3 fills its time with a max of 10 songs an hour, and special sections like: “The Beatles Break,”Buried Treasure Tracks” and “Front-Row-Center.”  In each of these, a song is introduced along with background information surrounding the song.  “The Beatles Break” features a Beatles song, “Buried Treasure Tracks” are popular songs from the past and “Front-Row-Center” tracks are live songs recorded at famous shows.  

The Summit also boasts special music and DJ’s after hours like “Reggae Rhythms” with B.E. Mann, Whitehawk Radio (traditional Native American Music) and “That Rhythm, Those Blues with Bob West, plus many more.  Every Sunday the station has a special program and listeners get the chance to experience music in thousands of forms.  One of The Summit’s most popular programs is the “Life and Lyrics” where Summit listeners pay to be a DJ for a day and play five songs on the radio.  

The Summit loves to boast their aptitude for finding local bands and playing bands “first.”  They boast a list of bands and artists that they played before anyone else in northeast Ohio.  They also have an impressive list of local bands they played first. Their particular favorites are local Akron bands The Black Keys and The Pretenders.  The best part about the Summit having ties with local and new bands is the station is able to have these artists into their station for interviews and live jam sessions which Summit members are invited to attend.  

Because The Summit relies entirely on member donations, the rewards for becoming a member are great.  Members at the different levels receive gifts such as CD samplers, invitations to private concerts and entry into raffles for concert tickets.  This season’s biggest raffle is for two back stage passes to Bonaroo offered to Summit members only.  

All the good qualities of 91.3 The Summit make it surprising that the station is not better known.  The station plays mostly indie music and classics which typically appeal to an older audience and the low key style of the station means that the radio signal does not extend far from suburbs of Akron.  

91.3 is gaining a older high school and college audience and now offer a student level membership that is more affordable.  For all these reasons a station like 91.3 cannot replace an iPod or satellite radio, because 91.3 is listener friendly and unique in a way that personal listening devices and other stations cannot compete with.