KEXP
Hacker ApprovedRanked 2 of 14 internet radios by recommenders
Listener-supported Seattle radio station that people recommend for discovering new music through varied shows and live sessions.
Listener-supported Seattle radio station that people recommend for discovering new music through varied shows and live sessions.
19 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 18
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 95%
Recommended in 9 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 18 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 18 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 9 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Discovery of new music
“KEXP in particular is a great way to discover new music that you might not normally listen to.”
Comment from 25 Jan 2026 in “First, Make Me Care” “they do lots of live shows, themed segments, etc, that really do enable discovery”
Comment from 26 Jan 2026 in “First, Make Me Care” “Most of the new music I've discovered over the past 10 years has been from them.”
Comment from 17 Jul 2026 in “CD Sales Growth Outpaced Vinyl in the First Half of 2026” - Comment from 6 Jan 2026 in “Anna's Archive Loses .Org Domain After Surprise Suspension”
- Comment from 7 Apr 2026 on Hacker News
Eclectic, non-mainstream programming
“They have a really varied set of shows and setlists, don't seem to be swayed by "we must play the top 40", genuinely care about music”
Comment from 1 Sep 2026 in “Fastpotify” “excellent listener-supported radio stations that are dedicated to nothing but introducing people to really cool music”
Comment from 1 Sep 2026 in “Fastpotify” “kexp.org is a great one based out of Seattle with a wild variety of shows and decades of history”
Comment from 18 May 2026 in “We let AIs run radio stations” - Comment from 19 May 2026 in “We let AIs run radio stations”
Loved as a local station
“tuning regularly onto your favorite radio station (mine is KEXP Seattle”
Comment from 30 Sep 2026 in “Upgrade your desktop: Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS is now available” “I get plenty good music discovery on my local radio station (KEXP)”
Comment from 16 Jul 2026 in “The lost joy of music piracy” “I love radio more than ever now thanks to KEXP and KCSM!”
Comment from 22 Jul 2026 in “It's a shame what's happened to radio” - Comment from 22 Jul 2026 in “It's a shame what's happened to radio”
- Comment from 18 May 2026 in “We let AIs run radio stations”
Long-running station with history
“kexp.org is a great one based out of Seattle with a wild variety of shows and decades of history”
Comment from 18 May 2026 in “We let AIs run radio stations” “playing interesting non top 40 music that have been operating for decades”
Comment from 19 May 2026 in “We let AIs run radio stations”
Other internet radios people recommend
The four most recommended other internet radios, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SomaFM | 29 | 1 | 97% | 9 | — | Approved |
| KEXPThis page | 18 | 1 | 95% | 9 | — | Approved |
| NTS Radio | 17 | 0 | 100% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Radio Garden | 16 | 0 | 100% | 8 | — | Approved |
| BBC Radio 4 | 13 | 2 | 87% | 4 | — | Approved |
What people said
27 of the 29 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“tuning regularly onto your favorite radio station (mine is KEXP Seattle”
“excellent listener-supported radio stations that are dedicated to nothing but introducing people to really cool music”
“They have a really varied set of shows and setlists, don't seem to be swayed by "we must play the top 40", genuinely care about music”
“I consistently hear good things about KEXP and FIP but I haven't listened to either extensively”
“Public radio is great, NPR and the member stations have some great streaming channels.”
“London Grammar @ KEXP ranks pretty high.”
“Tiny Desk, along with KEXP, are absolutely brilliant at what they do.”
“KEXP in Seattle is on my dial most of the time.”
“I love radio more than ever now thanks to KEXP and KCSM!”
“Eclectic, and if you text or call, a human will often respond.”
“is still amazing as ever (if not even more so)”
“Most of the new music I've discovered over the past 10 years has been from them.”
“I get plenty good music discovery on my local radio station (KEXP)”
“Such a good radio station.”
“playing interesting non top 40 music that have been operating for decades”
“KEXP is a local (and beloved) station for me.”
“kexp.org is a great one based out of Seattle with a wild variety of shows and decades of history”
“I've personally loved over the years stations like KEXP, WPFW, Dublab, WUSC”
“at least good ones like KEXP or Dublab”
“Go on KEXP, find a new band you like”
“It's really difficult to see the right click menu.”
“a few lucky algorithm gems on YouTube, or the KEXP, Tiny Desk, ARTE Concerts, Colours channels”
“I'm a huge fan of KEXP and WFMU. I love radio stations like this.”
“they do lots of live shows, themed segments, etc, that really do enable discovery”
“KEXP in particular is a great way to discover new music that you might not normally listen to.”
“Soma.fm and KEXP are both great for discovering new music.”
“simple, very little time investment required and avoids most modern fuckery”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.