Sunday, September 18, 2011

Fun radio station from Canada.

Not too long ago a listener of Happy Station Show in Canada wrote me to tell me about a station he thought I would enjoy. Well he certainly knows my music taste. The station is CJNU in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They broadcast using 50watts on 107.9fm. The station has a special events license from Industry Canada. What I enjoyed about the station first is the music format. Many years ago when I was still living in Canada there was a station, which is now long gone called CFCF 600am. If you like Ray Conniff, Gordon Lightfoot, Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Sarah Vaughn, James Last, Dean Martin ect! You will enjoy listening to them.

What is also amazing about the station is you will get to hear some very well known names from radio past in Winnipeg. One of my favorite announcers is Susan Hamilton. She reminds me of an announcer I would listen to years ago from a station in Boston, Mass. She does not come from a broadcasting background, but you would think she has been doing it all her life. Another time slot I would suggest you listen to is from 1400UTC to 1700UTC with Gren Marsh. He started in radio in 1949. You can also hear his sons with him on air.

The music format is fun because despite the fact the station is really targeting an audience of 50+, in many parts of the world in Germany, England, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Australia and Japan this music tends to attract an audience of under 40. In the Netherlands AVRO the public broadcaster have a daily program called Toppers van Toen presented by my good friend Jan Steeman started off years ago as a program for the 50+, but that has changed now. In the last 5 years his audience has been getting younger. So it's like the old saying. If you keep that suit in your closet long enough it comes back in fashion.

Keith Perron

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