I’m listening to Revolution 91.7 on Sunday night from 10 p.m. to midnight. That wouldn’t have been the case a few months ago.

But the best show on 91.7, “Soul Grooves,” is what brought me to listening to a radio station that I always ignored since coming to Western.

After shunning from the mainstream radio stations that we’re stuck with in Bowling Green, such as 101.1 The Beat, I pretty much gave up on trying to find a good rhythm and blues radio station.

Heck, the only good radio stations out are the ones on the Internet, such as radio@netscape and launch.yahoo.com.

But “Soul Grooves” was different. For two hours, I reminisced about when R&B and hip-hop was in its prime and actually had meaning to the words the artist sang. For two hours, I realized that, hey, maybe there are some good artists out there who are still worth a listen.

I learned about so many artists that I either thought were not good before or who were unknown, such as Van Hunt. I heard two singles from his self-title debut album just by listening to “Soul Grooves,” and some time this week I will be receiving a package from Amazon.com with his CD inside.

I found out that Revolution is getting rid of the show. Are you freaking kidding me?

The replacement? Christian Rock.

That’s right, instead of listening to great soul artists such as Erykah Badu and Donny Hathaway, I will have to deal with artists like Creed and Third Day in my precious 10 to midnight time slot next semester.

This coming from a radio station that has slots such as Punk of Ages. The promotion for that particular show states that those who listen to bands like AFI should tune into that time because it plays similar tunes to their style. First, since when was AFI a “punk” band, and second, do you need a time slot for that show when that’s all Revolution plays in the regular rotation?

Seriously, getting rid of “Soul Grooves” for Christian Rock is ridiculous. I know that we have several different Christian organizations that pretty much dominate this campus and not to knock Christian rock, but there are two radio stations in Bowling Green that play contemporary Christian music exclusively. There’s no need for Revolution to take away something that was actually bringing diversity to this campus just to appeal to the Christian audience.

“Soul Grooves” was the only show on the station that opened people’s minds to racial and cultural issues. Not only that, but the deejays were witty and always discussed enlightening topics. It wasn’t just for African American listeners – it was for everyone. And yet they say that “Soul Grooves” selection of music can be listened to any station in the city?

We’re already scarce on the soul shows in this city, so now Revolution wants to make it even more scarce by stripping “Soul Grooves.”

Let’s take a rundown of what choices urban listeners have for them. Oh, wait, The Beat is the only source for urban music.

Thanks, pal. I always enjoyed listening to Lil’ Jon saying “what!” or “yeah!” every five seconds. I must say, I do prefer any rap song dedicated to all the ladies out there with big booties who are “freak-a-leeks.”

The decline of great music began in 1997, where teenybopper music took over, rappers started bragging about all the money, cars and girls they had and everything seemed to be about sex. The music that is popular now comes from 50 Cent who raps about searching the clubs for one-night stands or J-Kwon claiming to be “hood-hop.”

But I never heard any of this nonsense on “Soul Grooves.” True artists like Common, Mos Def or Talib Kweli were played on “Soul Grooves,” but they are nowhere to be found on The Beat.

It was nothing but positivity coming through the airwaves on late Sunday nights. What kills me most is the fact that this show was very successful in diversifying this campus and reaching out to many listeners.

And they call this radio station “Revolution”?

Ah, irony is great.

Amber North is a sophomore news/editorial major from Nashville.

This commentary does not reflect the views of the Herald, Western on its administration.