In defense of CKRW

I've been meaning to opine on the subject of Whitehorse's most loved/hated radio station, and in a format other than booze/stoner-jive fueled campfires.
(I'll discuss stoner-jive in a later post.)
I've heard through the grapevine for many years about how much people don't like CKRW for various reasons. So I'd like to share some thoughts about this highly subjective topic.
I worked at CKRW for three years, in one of the most relaxed, comfortable atmospheres I've ever parked my arse at. I was the guy that handled all the copy-writing, and pitched in on-air for the Saturday shift, or when the other DJ's got sick.
So - I know that I have a good informed opinion about the operation there.
There are limited number of radio stations in Whitehorse, and they all operate quite differently. CHON has a lot of liberty with their programming, and they do some great stuff, but you indeed know what you're going to get when you tune in. Same for New Life FM, and CBC. These stations have specific formats, that one tunes in to, if one likes that sort of thing.
So comparing these guys to CKRW is a little unfair, as we are indeed talking about apples and oranges. There is also the community radio station, which has music programming that follows no rhyme or reason, and is solely based upon the whims of the various programmers. So, sure, if you like eclectic, there you go.
But - a commercial radio station has to follow some sort of format to be successful. You have to attract people who are willing to buy ad space, then they can get their message to as many people as possible. That's pretty much how the game works.
So, Bob Johnstone, the music director of CKRW, has the unenviable task of trying to please as many musical tastes as humanly possible for the territory.
And let's face it - the Yukon has such a diversity of musical tastes, it's an extremely difficult job to satisfy all these people. The artsy culture in Whitehorse can be blamed for a little bit of music elitism, as they will be the first to complain that their favourite obscure independent band doesn't get any airtime on the radio - etc.
How come I can never hear any (insert name of R&B, hip-hop, metal, reggae, bluegrass, etc band here), is something Bob gets a lot of. And if you were to look through the exhaustive music library at the station, there is a surprising amount of music that hits almost all areas of the musical spectrum.
So why don't you hear that?
Like I said, commercial radio follows a certain format, and to hit the largest audience and keep them tuned in, CKRW has probably one of the loosest formats around. Throughout a day, you'll hear top 40, classic rock and a good chunk of Canadian independent music. As this is what most of the people in the territory want to listen to. Bob's other job is to make sure all this music flows nicely, so you can hear a four song sweep that mixes together really well. You get songs that follow each other musically in a logical, and ear-pleasing pattern.
Music directors plan out which songs would work out at certain times of day, which is why you'll hear lighter tempo songs in the morning.
So, I'd say, Bob does a pretty damn good job.
Plus, there is some specific programming at certain times, to hit other audiences. The nooner (which some people still haven't figured out, runs at noon after the news), is the full-hour request show. You can request whatever floats your boat, and Keith Ellert will try and find it for you. And I do mean anything.
Countless times I've seen Bob run into the production booth to hunt for just one specific song, just for the nooner. Sometimes, he'll hear something that will work for the station, and add it to the rotation. So if you think there's a tune lacking in the CKRW system, don't be shy to drop them a line.
There's the overnight that starts at 11, where songs that are a little too heavy, or contain some adult content that would be questionable to play during the day, so plays late at night.
The DJ's themselves have quite a lot of freedom in picking the music, and can play around with some of what gets played, so you might get an idea of DJ's personal favourites if you keep an ear out.
There's a good reason why Stevie Wonder's "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" got played when I was on air. It's a great tune - one of my fav's. (And it's 2 minutes and 30 secs, great to time-out to the hour with)
Remember folks, the music you listen to may not agree with other people. So if you feel like writing a message of disdain to Bob for playing a piece of garbage like "Jenny from the Block", understand that Bob may not like that particular tune either, but someone out in the territory does.
Still have complaints? Don't be lazy, walk into CKRW at the corner of 4th and Elliot, and say something. While being a commercial radio station, it's still a part of your community.

It's been a while -

So I figure I should make some attempt at writing something.
Now I find myself missing my days as a What's Up writer, firstly because my editor, Darrell, would let me blather about any subject that piqued my interest - but it was also great exercise just to work on something every couple of weeks.
I've been on quite the adventure since I left the Yukon in July. To begin, my fiancee and I packed up our belongings, drove them down to her parents place, stuffed them in a shed, then immediately took off on a long drive to Winnipeg to perform at the Fringe festival there.
Canada has a well known and loved circuit of Fringe festivals, across the country, where any schmuck with the application fee has the chance to put on any kind of show they want in front of an audience. Generally seen as a venue for the weird and experimental, you're likely to catch a little bit of everything at one, from comedic plays, to musicals, beat poetry, dance, clown, classic plays and even some Shakespeare.
It's what appealed to me in the first place, that there's such a scattershot of shows, in such a wide variety, it's like a theatre zoo. Of course, it also means that the quality is highly subjective, from utter crap, to sheer brilliance.
My show was a a bit of a stand-up revue, of material and sketches I had performed and honed in Whitehorse.
The Winnipeg Fringe is not a good place to start for a first timer. The learning curve is quite large, and takes getting used to a lot of humiliation. While each Fringe supplies you with a venue, tech support, and box office - all the promo is pretty much done by yourself. Which entails you hoofing around like a reverse-hobo, begging people to come see your show.
Myself, being introverted, had a hard time at the whole promo thing - but at least we got some audience.
We had a much better time in Saskatoon. The Fringe there is much smaller than the others, but is known amongst the Fringe participants as a bit of an "oasis". This is a real chance for performers to get to know each other, hang out, and socialize. And indeed, we did. Some might say a little too much, but we let them know that people from the Yukon are truly unique individuals.
If you happen upon some lost looking theatre artists from the UK or Australia, don't be suprised. We're pretty sure we sold the place really well on a lot of people.

So - I learned a lot about myself as a performer, but I'm nowhere near having a clue as to where I'm going. Performance wise that is. As for a settling place to call home, we really dig that Saskatoon - and we'll likely find ourselves there in May.
In the meantime, we're hanging out at Erica's parents place in Summerland, BC.

This year was my first discovering the Okanagan. This former Eastern Ontario boy has become Westernized I tells ya. We've already decided that we're going to retire in Oliver, where I have already chosen my old man hobby, forgoeing the usual WWII fascinations, golf or complaining, and instead I'll be working on my grow-op.