You are What You Listen To

A STREET LEVEL RADIO INTERVIEW

Whether we realize it or not, what we let into our ears has a way of shaping our hearts. Music and media don’t just fill the silence between classes or during late-night drives, they reinforce our beliefs and subtly forge how we see the world. Street Level Radio (SLR) cuts through the noise with music that actually stands out, biblical teaching that doesn’t put you to sleep, and news that highlights perspectives you may not hear elsewhere. Going strong for more than two decades, “you are what you listen to” isn’t just its slogan. It’s a warning and an invitation. SLR broadcasts from the Blind Munchies Coffeehouse in Menomonie, Wisconsin, and you can tune in locally at 101.7 FM or stream it worldwide at streetlevelradio.com. 

The Music 

When it comes to music, Street Level Radio breaks the mold by not shying away from different genres. With most stations, you might tune in and get a specific genre like Pop or Rock, but with SLR, the music is distinctly Christian across a broad range of genres, including Rap, Post-Bossa Nova, Garage, Punk, and Indie. They even play secular music. That’s their key: that the music slaps. The curators and DJs spend a lot of time making sure the music is the kind that you’d want to hear when you tune in. They understand that holiness doesn’t have to sound like elevator music. 

The Teaching 

As a Christian radio station, it’d be remiss if it lacked biblical teaching. You are what you listen to, right? The station features teaching from local pastors alongside clips from recent sermons and well-known voices. The teachings aren’t just feel-good sound bites; they’re asking if you’re comfortable; they’re asking if you’re awake. It’s the kind of content that catches your attention mid-study because it stands apart from overly sweet Christian stations that tend to wrap the Good News in bubble wrap. 

Faithfully Relevant News 

SLR also approaches the news differently. They look for topics that a lot of media ignores. By sharing news from a Christian lens, the goal is that instead of just hearing yet another tough bit of news, we get connected to the bigger picture. God is working through these events; SLR just shines a light on them. The goal is not to just inform the listener, but to get them thinking more critically about the world in which we live. 

It’s More Than Music 

Good music is undeniably at the core of SLR. But when you’re listening, it eventually hits you: this thing is bigger than music, bigger than radio. It’s not here to help you zone out, it’s here to sharpen you. The next time you’re half-awake and caffeinated, cramming for exams and questioning your life decisions, you should tune in to tune out the noise. (You should definitely also tune in when life is not so stressful.) There are a lot of stations out there if you just want to listen mindlessly. Street Level Radio wants you to engage and listen like it matters. They said it best in one of their former slogans: “It’s More Than Music.” And if it’s true that you really are what you listen to, then SLR might just be the last station you’ll ever need.