Now that progressive/free-form station WRNR is officially our FM-radio roots-rock connection, we appreciate the magic of Michael Buckley even more. Buckley can spin folk, acoustic, roots, and jam-rock tracks with the best of them, but on his Sunday Brunch show (9 A.M.-noon), he takes us on musical journeys that can go just about anywhere, from roots to jazz to blues to even classical. He plays a wide range of records and dips into his own extensive collection of vintage vinyl for cuts that you won't hear anywhere else. And he features guest artists and celebrity DJs who share their musical gems with us as well. But Buckley's the star. He's a knowledgeable tour guide who speaks intelligently about what he plays--about the artists, their influences and histories, and the music itself. That gives us the opportunity to learn as we listen. And his World Party show (Sunday, 10 P.M.-midnight) takes us on even farther flights of fancy. Most world-beat shows focus on music from Africa, Ireland, England, and the Caribbean, but Buckley goes on to explore sounds from places such as Germany, the Czech Republic, and African countries beyond Senegal and Nigeria. Most of the time, radio serves as the white-noise background to our lives. When Buckley's on the air, we become active listeners--and that's radio as it should be.