Driving east on the turnpike, there’s an easy way to let myself know that I’m close to home –… Driving east on the turnpike, there’s an easy way to let myself know that I’m close to home — and no, it’s not the smell of cheesesteaks. It’s when Philadelphia’s Y100.3 begins to sound clear on my radio.

Mile marker 264.

That’s when I take out the CD and turn on the station I grew up with. But not anymore. That green mile sign on the side of the always-under-construction road is now back to what it always was — just a sign. And Y100 is nothing but static to me now.

As of Feb. 24, one of the best alternative/rock stations, and Philadelphia’s only, is gone.

No more Dave Matthews or 311. The mix of punk rock, like Blink 182 and Simple Plan, and alternative hits from Green Day and Fuel is lost in the airwaves. More than 500,000 listeners are left scanning the dial.

Owner Radio One Inc., a company that I would take over tomorrow if I had money, sent the Y100 staffers packing and moved sister station 103.9 The Beat to 100.3 on the dial. They quickly threw in some hip-hop CDs. But it doesn’t matter what CDs they threw in. Beethoven could have been spewing from the speakers and I’d still be mad, because now, Philadelphia is without my music.

Philly still has two rock stations, 94.1 WYSP and 93.3 WMMR, but both play modern and classic rock. You will never hear Dave Matthews or Blink 182 on those stations.

“If someone didn’t want to sit through a Lynyrd Skynyrd song to hear modern rock, Y100 was there! And now, it isn’t,” said Zack, who was a late-night DJ at Y100. Zack, who goes only by “Zack,” is now a staff member of www.Y100rocks.com, a Web site that was set up after Y100 went off the air, to counter Radio One’s move.

And there should be a counter to Radio One’s choice. Philly needs Y100. The station was not just about the music. The employees there really cared about their audience.

“I personally believe that Y100, as a station, had a very unique identity as far as a personality went,” Zack said. “Very down-to-earth and very real, for a lack of a better term. This is a credit to the air-staff, who are all incredibly talented individuals and great people outside of work, which I feel translated really well over the air.”

Outside the station, Y100 did several great things for the city of Philadelphia. Every Christmas, it released the Y100 Sonic Sessions CD, which featured live in-Y100-studio recordings of bands who were in town for shows. From 311 to Dave Matthews to Incubus, everything was available on these albums. (And it was wrapped nicely under my Christmas tree every year … Thanks, Mom.)

Since 1993, Y100 has donated more than $400,000 to charity and collected more than 400 tons of food. It has held eight FEASTivals and eight FEZtivals, which brought in great music for very low ticket prices.

Local bands benefited from Y100. There were always contests for them and Y100 never shied away from playing local bands on the radio. There was “Ynot,” where listeners could request songs that no other radio station usually played on the air. Y100 was there for the people.

“The countless amount of charitable work that was done helped not only in a financial way, but helped raise awareness,” Zack said. “The bottom line of it is that everyone at Y100 was proud to be a part of the city and the surrounding areas, and as has become apparent since these recent events unfolded, our listeners were glad to have us.”

And the city is proud of you, Y100. I know I am. Without Y100, going home for me will not be the same. But there’s still hope, and that’s where the students here at Pitt can help. Many of us are from Philly, and this column might come as news for those about to make the trip home for spring break. Others are from Pittsburgh and know what its like to have a music scene deteriorate in front of their eyes.

Besides, if Radio One could do this to Philly’s best, what would stop them, or any other company, from taking away your favorite station?

So I urge you to help modern alternative/rock and sign a petition on Y100rocks.com. You won’t be alone. More than 43,253 have signed as of 5 p.m. March 2 — and the station has been gone for six days.

“Mind you, I’ve been in radio since 1987,” Zack said. “During this time, I’ve seen a lot of radio stations disappear from the dial. It’s a fact of the business that this will sometimes happen. However, I’ve never seen anything like what has transpired since the station went off the air.”

Internet chat rooms filled, sites were built and even a protest is scheduled in Philly for 3 p.m. Saturday at Love Park. (It’s being called the Protestival. Bring your Fez.)

The biggest reason you should help protest — by petitioning or even going to the Protestival — is because of the employees. This was (and is) a tightly-knit staff that wasn’t just made up of co-workers — they were family.

“Though we always will have that common bond of a radio station we all worked at and loved a great deal … That’s what I’ll miss the most, personally. As a listener, though, I feel abandoned too. It was a rare and unique spot on the dial where I not only could hear great music, but, feel like I was a part of something, [and] based on the reaction I’ve seen, Y100 listeners feel much the same way.”

We do, Zack. We do.

Jimmy Johnson is the sports editor of The Pitt News and he was once caller 12 when caller 13 would receive $1,000. But just being a listener and a fan was worth more than the cash prize. Thanks, Y100.