I grew up listening to WABE. As a kid my parents had this thing about only listening and watching educational stuff...they thought it would help to keep me off of the streets, drugs and tattoos...see what happens mom when you make a kid listen to too much Bach and Garrison Keillor? We throw it back in your faces by becoming....wait for it...an artist! WABE was known classical music and NPR. I'm also a fan of Terry Gross's Fresh Air. I can't tell you how many times I've been late to an appointment because I stayed in the car listening to some interview that Terry Gross was giving or listening one of NPR Marketplace's segments. For those who may want to know our Yelp fearless leader was recently interviewed on NPR https://www.npr.org/2019/07/16/742386857/yelp-ceo-discusses-his-efforts-to-convince-congress-that-google-is-a-monopoly and he is also featured on their blog "How I built This" https://www.npr.org/2019/06/21/734865142/yelp-jeremy-stoppelman WABE has done so well with running high quality programs that both stimulate the mind while entertaining the masses. Well done guys...Hope you guys will be around forever! Cheers! read more

These days, I'll likely either listen to a podcast, DJ "mixtape," or song on my iPhone over the radio. However, in that rare instance when I do "tune-in" I'll stop by 90.1 FM ten times out of ten. Sure, I've heard some repeated classical music tracks, but I do enjoy the interviews of fascinating personalities and news coverage on our nation's politics, economy, and culture. My only gripe? WABE could create and market more locally-focused content. I've also experienced WABE in a unique way. The Minnesota affiliate (MPR aka Minnesota Public Radio) wanted to interview me, so in order to conduct the interview I had to use one of WABE's sound booths. I had a pleasant experience working with the audio engineer, and I'll never forget the experience. Also, I also admired the padding in the room since it looked like something out of Space Odyssey. Did I have inklings to throw myself against the walls like a madman in straightjacket? Yes. I love WABE. Now, where can I buy a t-shirt? read more

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I'm a huge fan of the radio station - I listen daily (mostly to the NPR programming). However, my check-ins are for pledge drive time when I volunteer for both the Spring and Fall WABE drives and the Winter and Summer PBA30 drives. The staff here are all quite friendly. They work tirelessly to ensure that those of us that volunteer are well taken care of. They work to get sponsors to supply us with food, drinks, coffee, etc. and make sure that we taken plenty of breaks when on the phones. I enjoy taking the time to give back to the station that provides me with many hours of quality radio and enjoyment. read more

90.1 FM on Atlanta radio is my "go to" station while driving, especially to and from work. I really enjoy the NPR show selections, especially on Saturday mornings (Wait, Wait ... Don't Tell Me, Cart Talk, and Splendid Table are all worth giving a listen). During the week Morning Edition, All Things Considered and Fresh Air are my favorites. Occasionally there's some local programming that is also very good - my only issue is the preponderance of classical music - I realize that the genre has few public radio outlets in the Atlanta area and it is indeed deserving of broadcast, I would just prefer more of a balance towards non-music or even non-classical music during the day. I would listen more often if that were the case. While traveling on the highway from state to state, I'll frequently tune into whatever the local NPR station is (often catching the same shows delayed to adjust to local times and programming) - many of those stations seem better balanced to me (in regards to the classical music/non classical music proportion). It's not that I'm not a fan of that music genre, I just get tired of hearing much of the same over-and-over. WABE could use more variety - I'd even go for folk, old time or foreign music examples over the constant 3Bs of classical music. I think the real benefit would be in more local programming - there's got to be more going on in Atlanta and in middle/northern GA than what I hear on NPR - something needs to fill the voids obliterated by all the sensationalist crap on the other commercial channels (TV and Radio). read more

I love NPR. I've been listening to it for years. I mean where else can you learn how to fix your car(Car Talk!) AND learn about the plight of refugees in the war-torn world that is beyond our borders. But WABE, you can bore me to tears. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy classical music. I even took 3 years of classical guitar. But mix it up a little will ya? WUTC up in the megalopolis of Chattanooga, Tn is a good example of what public radio can be. The play everything from classical to modern indie rock. Be more informative AND entertaining to folks other than antique Buckhead socialites. read more

(Before I get started, I realize that there are 6 other reviews for "National Public Radio," but since this is the actual address for WABE, I'm stickin' to this one.) When did I realize I was getting old? Was it when I started using the word "the" inappropriately? (Damn kids, watching the MTV and typing on the Yelp on the interwebs.) Maybe it began when I couldn't tell whether the kids out drinking were over 21 or not. Maybe I got old when I started tying an onion to my belt. Really, though, I think I started getting old when I stopped listening to 99x and started spending most of my radio time listening to 90.1 WABE. I don't know exactly when it happened. Maybe Leslie Fram scheduled Creed one too many times on the play list. Still, I enjoyed considering all things. I talked cars with the Tappet Brothers. I breathed in Fresh Air and learned new words, mine or otherwise. Good God, I turned into my dad. Couldn't help it though. As surely as Simba was held up by a baboon who sounds suspiciously like Benson, the Circle of Life had turned. And now with the move of Fresh Air to 7pm, it's even better. I do have a few gripes, however. Though I appreciate classical music, other NPR stations have much more content than just a bunch of archived classics. I'd like some more talk, analysis or even just different types of music please. But considering the piddling amount I give during pledge drives, I can't complain too much. One thing that makes me feel better about getting old is that I doubt very much that neither my dad or John Lemley, local host of All Things Considered have truly considered all things. For example, have they considered how cool it would be to host toy dog fights? Or even better, toddler ultimate fighting? Because I have. Have they considered hurling buckets of human waste on the porch of my annoying neighbor? I consider that on an almost weekly basis. Or have they ever considered punching that Shamwow guy in the face and then smothering him in said Shamwow? Okay, THAT I'm sure they've considered. Four and a half stars to WABE 90.1FM. Now please hold on for this important message from Pledge Central..... read more

Big fan of NPR programming and a total weekend programming nerd here. I completely agree with the praise for H Johnson. He is truly an Atlanta legend. I love when he gets so jazzed on a tune, and knows we enjoyed it as well, so he plays it again! Very cool. While I completely understand and appreciate the hard work she does, I do think there is too much of Lois Reitzes' personal "thumbprint" at WABE. Many stations in smaller markets play much more syndicated NPR and PRI content whereas WABE has much of the weekday afternoon devoted to Lois and her programming. I guess it's what drives the pledges in this market. I just don't listen then. read more

I love NPR - Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Fresh Air, This American Life...the list goes on and on. But, I really wish WABE did a better job of serving the community by developing their own programs, as well as playing other music during the day besides classical music. As soon as I hear Lois Reitzes' voice on WABE, I switch over to 88.5. read more

H. Johnson Classic Jazz and Classic Blues shows are PHENOMENAL! Are the shows available as a podcast or archived somewhere on the net?? Keep up the great shows H! Would love to come down one night when your on the air. read more

I love to listen to NPR in the mornings when I'm getting ready for work and during my drive to and from. I'm never home when the local news is on and I can't stand to watch CNN or Fox News--biased and depressing! So, NPR and online sources are basically my touchstone for current events. NPR typically does a good job of delving into a subject and giving more context than a typical television newsblip. I don't listen to the station during the day for classical music. I plug in my I-pod at work! read more

UPDATE: they moved John Lemley to middays. Now they have Dennis O'Haire, who I think used to be with WXIA or one of the other TV news outfits in town, and it just isn't the same. He's nice enough and all, but it just isn't the same. At all. read more

WABE used to be acceptable -- a good source for NPR news, which I enjoy the FIRST time through, and an adequate if limited source for classical music. Until last year I would have given them three stars -- aside from the opera, there was no classical on the weekend days, just endless talk, and news reports kept increasing at the expense of music. However, their recent format change to ALL news and talk has been very detrimental, in my view. I STILL like NPR news (despite charges that it is "left wing," it is only "left wing" in comparison to how far rightwards the country has moved in the last thirty years. NPR news is what USED to be centrist, and is one of the very few sources for that left.) However, by moving to news ALL DAY, they have removed the ONLY free source for classical music on the radio -- and eliminated the possibility of people discovering it and liking it. They do have a classical stream, but it is available only on computers, smartphones/tablets, or digital radios. In essence, they have placed classical music at a pay level. If you are wealthy enough to have a digital radio in your car, or have a smartphone with enough data and a fast enough stream that you can hear WABE, you can hear their programming. If you don't, there is no option for classical music any longer when one is on the move. If you have a computer and fast internet, you can hear it at home. But again, not everyone has that kind of access -- hence m charge that WABE has just priced classical music out of the reach of the very people public radio needs to serve most. What DO you get on their stream now? It isn't high quality local programming any longer, but canned subscription services, snippets of larger works (although that has always been a problem WABE has had; with fewer hours of classical programming than rural Washington State, rural Oklahoma, rural Texas, or rural Oregon, they have had to play "movements" rather than the entire work). So one must, in effect, PAY for the equipment to stream a substandard product. No thank you. If I am going to stream music I will livestream from a station that does its own programming, and which actually serves its community. Shame on you, WABE. read more

Jazz Classics with H Johnson is a personal favorite. Now with the option to listen on the web I don't have to be in the city to enjoy his eclectic tastes and moods which seem to mirror his music, some nights are better than others, some are really great, like an actual live human being. As for the other programs, the classical is a light classical, nothing too intense. No Bruckner in the afternoon, but it works, and livens up the day! One side of sass coming right up! Highlights include the 'Round Midnight selections which could include up to four or so versions of the song, Monk, followed by Diz and the like. And then from then on is the Live Concert part of the show. But the "I'll be Seeing You" at the end of the program...gets me everytime. Always. read more

I vote with my money, and NPR is the only group that gets my money. Thank you NPR, for getting me through my commute every day without a singe vehicular homicide! You make me laugh, you make me think, and you make me remember that not everyone out there is retarded. read more

NPR is a big part of my grown up adult life. Looking back on those days as a teenager when I listened to punk rock, I think to myself, what the hell? NPR has definitely stayed on my rotation for the last few years a great informative alternative to the crap on the radio. I have an old car and often I can't play my ipod on there. I've flipped through mostly all of the radio stations on my many drives. I'm so thankful for NPR. One warning is that if you're anything like me, you should have a few tissues on hand. Some of their stories are so heart wrenching I end up crying during my drive home. I really can't help myself. I also enjoy BBC world news because I don't have a TV and then I can get some idea of what is going on in the world today. I always promised myself that when I get a real job I will donate to NPR. Sometimes when I'm listening to a good program I call my brother to listen to it as well. For example, there was a great one about advancing technology and where it fits into our modern society. So fascinating! The other thing about NPR is that I download many of their podcasts for my home. I recently listened to the Harper high school broadcast on a road trip to Nashville. All I can say is wow, they really brought you into the lives of that school and the ups and mostly downs of living in that school. Overall I guess I don't listen to it as much as the podcasts, which might be an entire separate thing I'm not sure, but I really appreciate WABE NPR for what it provides to the community and for being a smart radio station. read more

I have to say - I am grateful for local programming from this fine station. Journalism here is quite fine, the more so in last 5 years with a stable bullpen or stable of news gathering professionals and deliverers in morning and afternoon. and, though I am no classical head, the station has truly blossomed, after thirty years of the wonderful program jazz Classics on Saturdays, in programming more of our own H. Johnson playing blues classics on Friday nights. Go, listen. Tell 'em I sent you. read more

I continue to be dissatisfied with the new format on WABE. A city with a classical music history such as Atlanta should have a station that is dedicated to broadcasting classical music. What is available (if, indeed, one can even get the HD feed - I can't), is canned and repetitive. Lois and her considerable talents are being wasted talking about classical music. We want a station to PLAY classical music! WABE has done a tremendous disservice to Atlanta read more

Even though I haven't listened much in the last 2 weeks, since it was the spring fund drive, I love WABE. It's NPR with just enough local info to make me feel connected without having to see all the images of apartment complexes with fires and cop cars next to parking lots where shooting occurred that seems to be all I ever see when I turn on the local news. I do like that the station partners with local Atlanta organizations during the spring fund drive so that your donation doesn't just go to the station, it also helps your community. For example, I like to pledge on the day that Trees Atlanta pledges to plant a tree for each donor that day. As others have mentioned, I would prefer less classical music, particularly during the day, but then again, I do sleep better with Nocturne playing in the background. As a past donor, I did recently complete a survey that asked what other music the donors would like to hear, so perhaps they're more strongly considering moving in that direction. I also wish that Fresh Air still came on a 3pm, since I do most listening at work or in the car, and by 7pm, I'm playing with the little one instead of tuning in. I particularly like "Atlanta Sounds" series, since it gives people a chance to share about their neighborhood and special secrets of Atlanta. #Yelp365 - 93/365 read more

Here it the thing... I used to be a big donor ($1k and over) and then stopped when they converted to all talk during the work week... why would i support talk radio during the work day when I am trying to focus on my work? Classical music was a companion, talk radio is a distraction. What's worse, they never asked for my or other listeners' opinion before they converted from classical music during the bulk of the work day (9 to 3) to all left leaning talk. It looks like a power grab by the radio station management-- they are more important to NPR HQ when they can raise money to buy expensive programming, and therefore they can justify higher salaries etc... They will soon learn the power of the marketplace... latest fund drive showed a precipitous drop in donors, me included. read more

This was a great classical music station but with the change to the mostly news format and by putting classical on the digital channel it is now more of a trash talk station and a pain to the ears. Management needs to listen to its upset listeners and bring back the old format. And many people have stopped giving any funds at all to this public radio station. read more

If I could I'd post negative stars, maybe dark matter ratings. The virtual elimination of classical music has made WABE unlistenable. I counted on the music to be a positive part of my day. The constant chatter of news, views and sometime mindless talk makes the day tense and creates a atmosphere of angst. I may never go back to WABE. I've been able to use my subscription to Sirius XM to stream classical music and when I want tune to NPR. What a dismal programming decision by WABE to keep up with the Jones' (GPB). For God sakes be unique. Enough said! read more

No stars. I no longer listen during the bulk of the day. Just All Things Considered. Have moved to the AM side for City Cafe. Embarrassed for poor Lois. The content during the day is inane. Can't figure out why they did this in such a sneaky manner. Can't figure out the politics of it. Probably has to do with the competition stealing Georgia State's outlet and the Atlanta market. Got to be a financial angle here. Any ideas folks? read more

I'm a pharmacist and I like to think of WABE as my daily nutritional supplement: all of the right ingredients, well balanced, and easy to assimilate. Most importantly, it is something one chooses to "consume" and it is available without a prescription - not even the warning to "Ask your doctor if this is right for you"! Sometimes it is like a homeopathic remedy - one perfectly distilled comment or word which lights up a whole field of connection/reality/truth/Life! read more

Sad to say there once was a good public radio station in Atlanta, but no more. Chasing some talk radio demographic, WABE's senior management team abandoned their loyal classical music listens to mimic AM talk radio. What is worse, it's not even good talk radio. Mostly inane "features" and fluff,. Like a segment today during which a teenage video gamer taught the program hosts how to play a video game. On the radio. "Intelligent Radio" indeed. read more

I listen to the radio when I am in my car. I do not drive much at night. When I realized it had been several months since I had heard ANY music on WABE 90.1, I could not figure out what was going on. After some research, it became obvious that WABE will no longer be the #1 button on my car radio. Who wants to hear the same news stories over and over again. WABE used to be my reprieve from that. read more

One listener said on air to tune in wrr radio rather then this current hog feed wabe currently offers. I am so thankful to her.

Before January, 2015, I would have given WABE 90.1 5 stars. I loved the mix of NPR, local news and classical music during the day. However, now that WABE has jettisoned classical music during the day, and jumped into the already saturated news/talk market, I no longer financially support the station (I was a sustaining member) and can barely stand to listen. When people can listen to talk/news up and down the dial all day long for free, why would WABE think that people will now pay to listen to the same talk/news on 90.1? When WABE has been the "Home of the Classics" for years, why would they drop the ONE thing that made the station unique? The same interviews and stories are now played multiple times a day (to fill all those hours devoted to news/talk), the forced friendly banter between the hosts of A Closer Look makes me cringe and is a terrible distraction to those trying to work and concentrate in the middle of the day. Two hours of BBC news in the afternoon is overkill. All the new local news reporters that WABE keeps bragging about hiring all sound like they just graduated from high school and then when A Closer Look hosts interview their own reporters, the result is truly painful. These young reporters aren't awful when they are recording a story, but on air live and and off the cuff, they sound like the very young "like, you know, um, like" cubs that they are. Finally, WABE's argument that classical music lovers can simple listen to music on the 90.2 station online is specious. Classical music cannot be properly appreciated playing from the tinny speaker on a computer, and I don't have HD radio in my car, nor do I intend to purchase an HD radio for every room in my house. Why not move all the news/talk to the online station - where sound quality doesn't matter - and leave the classical music on the radio. I am so bitterly disappointed, and I pray that the leadership will realize they have made a mistake and return classical music to the airwaves. read more