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Devotees Of Indie 103.1 Petition For Reprieve
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As reported a mere two weeks ago, LA's last great radio station, Indie 103, folded amidst a tight clench of corporatism and mainstream conformity. And, given the tenacity of your average Indie die-hard, the untimely passing incited loyal subjects to rebellion.
Some wrote long-winded elegies, some took a moment to tweet an earnest "RIP," but one person decided to actually do something. "After hearing the interview Mark Sovel did with Kevin Bronson on Little Radio and asking people to start petitions, I called Mark to see if he was serious. And Let Indie Live was born," explains former Indie 103 employee Katie Laster. "Initially, my goal was a minimum of 2,000 signatures."
LetIndieLive.com, an unadorned and particularly self-aware website, acts as the conduit for transmitting the input of the public. The slate gray site, emblazoned with the Tennysonian maxim "It is better to do something, rather than nothing," is an extraordinary mixture of harsh reality and lofty ideals.
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But within a matter of two days of its existence Laster was able accomplish her preliminary goal of some 2,000 signatures. "Everything else after that was icing on my little indie cake," she concludes.
The harsh reality, however, is that the resounding response may simply not be enough to constitute a reprieve. Santa Monica-based Indie 103 owner Entravision Communications, Laster says, is suspended "in a world of dollar signs." And even as the website pushes forward, "5,000 names on a list doesn't mean anything to them."
Dazed but not uninspired, Laster resolves to soothe a steadfast following, which undoubtedly continues to reel from the absence of its beloved radio station. "People keep saying, 'This isnt going to do anything!' I know that! But I also know that this has made Indie listeners feel like they have done something. It's better to do something, rather than nothing."
Indie 103.1 will stream its content via the internet indefinitely. You can listen here.
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