Hug the DJ
Ted Leibowitz: the John Peel of Internet radio.
By Hiya Swanhuyser
Published: March 12, 2008

I am just old enough to remember real radio. When I say "real," I mean radio that was largely DJ-driven: DJs made the playlists, DJs told you why they played certain tracks, DJs made up special funny names for their shows as they saw fit, and most of all, you could hear in DJs' voices how much they loved music. When I meet Ted Leibowitz at the Lucky 13, he acts like a real DJ from the get-go.

I consider www.bagelradio.com a real radio station, and Leibowitz something like our own John Peel, the famous English radio man whom so many credit with introducing them to their favorite music. Through Leibowitz' show, I've discovered everything from Kelley Stoltz and James to Tapes 'n' Tapes and the Bravery. Nate Grover, lead singer of San Francisco rock act Love Is Chemicals, puts it bluntly: "Most of my favorite new finds from the last two years or so have been bands I heard first on BAGeL Radio, and I'm not the only one." The BAGeL shows — really one big 24-hour show, since Leibowitz does all the programming — are eclectic, carefully balanced patchworks of new local and national indie rock acts alongside the classics, strung together with the DJ's enthusiastic descriptions.