At the apex of Japan’s miracle “bubble” economy in 1990, a new broadcasting company named St. Giga put forth a utopian vision for radio programming, envisioning a new direction for the world of media as mankind drew close to the 21st century. Conceived by creative director Hiroshi Yokoi (横井宏) after his success establishing the legendary terrestrial J-Wave station in Tokyo, St. Giga followed a radically new set of principles: no commercials, no DJs, no news and a seamless flow of audiophile-quality digital sound, using a subscription-based model for long-form environmental home listening that re-oriented the relationship between listener and transmitter — what Yokoi envisioned as the radio model of the future. “We are about to enter a period of major historical change not often witnessed in the history of mankind,” Yokoi wrote in Dream Tide (夢の潮流), the station’s wide-eyed programming manifesto. “I believe that people involved in media have an important obligation to fulfill - that is to truly grasp the spirit of this period.”