Philly’s “Isis” Radio Station Considers Changing Its Name
iRadioPhilly is a group of Internet radio stations local to the city. The streaming radio site broadcast the pope’s visit and the World Meeting of Families, and has a channel dedicated to Philly artists and talk radio.
It also has one dedicated to pop hits, aimed at women. Five years ago, iRadioPhilly came up with a name for that station. It chose Isis. Whoops.
“In 2010 iRadioPhilly set out to establish a non-offensive brand name that would appeal to a mostly female audience for its pop hits station,” a release from the station says. “Research showed Isis was the name of an Egyptian Goddess. Isis the goddess was worshipped as the ideal mother and wife as well as the patroness of nature and magic. Isis was also a TV series in 1975 that featured an attractive female archaeology school teacher who finds an amulet pendant that lets her turn into the superheroine goddess Isis and fight evil. To the brain trust at iRadioPhilly, Isis was the perfect name for a radio station that would feature the likes of Kelly Clarkson, Katy Perry, Nickelback and Adele.”
After the terror attacks in Paris, which the terror group best known as ISIS has claimed credit for, iRadioPhilly is now (understandably) considering changing the name of that station. It’s now soliciting suggestions on its Facebook page.
We named our female-friendly pop hits station ‘Isis’ back in 2010, a non-offensive brand name, after the Egyptian…
Posted by iradiophilly.com on Friday, November 20, 2015
“In the minds of most people, the name ISIS is now known for radical terror, not ideal motherhood or a superhero goddess,” the company said in a release. “Tune into Isis on iRadioPhilly and one can’t escape horrific images of terror every time the station name is mentioned.”
A quick listen to the station just now reveals it does have an upbeat “Isis radio” ID between a few songs. It does make you take a step back. “Isis — radio hits that keep you smiling,” goes one. Fortunately, I did not hear any Nickelback during a half hour of listening to Isis Radio. Unfortunately, I did hear that Uncle Kracker song about leaving your husband to sleep with Uncle Kracker.
iRadioPhilly says a number of listeners have asked that the station’s name be changed. There’s no timetable for making a decision, but it should be soon.
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