The following are samples of music we will play. We have broken it down into 'Day,' and 'Night.' We hope you'll enjoy them, and suggestions are welcome. Within short, we will have these in a linear fashion where you can listen to them just as they will sound on air. Thanks to the ingenuity of YouTube for these gems:
Day:
"Hard to Say I'm Sorry" - Chicago
"That's the Way of the World" - Kim Pensyl.
"Me and Mrs. Jones" - Michael Buble.
"Walking in Rhythm" - Joe McBride.
"This Masquerade" - The Carpenters.
"Mystic Morning" - Hagood Hardy.
"If I Ruled The World" - Tony Bennett and Celine Dion.
"Wave" - Antonio Carlos Jobim.
"My Cherie Amour" - Eliane Elias.
"That's The Way Love Goes" - Norman Brown.
Night:
"Reunited" - Peaches and Herb.
"Lujon" - Henry Mancini.
"Quiet Nights" - Diana Krall.
"Something" - 101 Strings.
"One Less Bell" - Barbra Streisand.
"Memories" - Joe Sample.
"The Very Thought of You" - Harry Connick, Jr.
"Sugar" - Fattburger.
"The Summer Knows" - Johnny Mathis.
"Here There and Everywhere" - Carl Doy.
* * * * * *
What is it like to build a radio station?
The legalese:
Many have asked me that question. Since we have not completed the project, that is not an easy question to answer. However, little by little, we will give you our experiences.
The idea for Coast-FM came about in 2004, and it has been growing in concept and reality ever since. Why on earth, I have been asked, would you want to do such a thing? The answers aren't simple, but they basically are: [a] it is a fun thing to conceptualize and do, and [b] I think we can add value to the community by putting a station on the air, and [c] I believe we can turn a profit which will allow our employees to enjoy life doing what they love. Regarding the former, one has to have fun in what he or she does, and if that's the case, the work they do will shine. And regarding [b], we really want to make a difference - a positive difference, of course - on the South Shore. We want to be a part of the community that will not only embrace us, but be happy we're here. We want to give back to the community in ways we're still working on, and we want to be thought of as a real contributor. We want to help local musicians, and we want to support local charities that really make a difference. We have stated before that we want to help those who are abused by their spouses and parents, as well as families of fallen military.
But, building a station is like building anything - you must have a plan and a direction. We think we have both. So how does a plan come about? Well, in Canada in order to obtain a commercial license, one must do an engineering brief first. This brief, will, first of all, make sure that the frequency that the station will broadcast from will not [a] interfere with aircraft, and [b], other stations. Ten years or more ago this was not a problem, with other stations, but in the past decade the FM band has gone through many changes. First, many more stations have been licensed in Halifax, and secondly, because of the superior sound quality of FM, many AM stations have been 'converting over' to FM to stay competitive, and to have that superior sound. For example there is no longer an AM station in Halifax, and even local CKBW changed in 2001. So, the FM band is now much more crowded than before, therefore getting a frequency is simply no longer as easy as before. To add to this, the CBC has frequencies reserved for use down the road. So, it's a tricky process, but we have found one.
The engineering brief also has to have a coverage map, and a location for the tower, the tower height, the size of the transmitter etc. Our tower will be west of Mahone Bay and at an elevation of about 390 feet above sea level. Since the tower will be over 200' tall, it will be like we are broadcasting from atop a 60 story sky-scraper. That's good.
Once the engineering brief is completed and approved by Industry Canada, then it, along with the application for the station, can be forwarded to the CRTC - The Canadian Radio and Telecommunications Commission - in Ottawa. This application is a complicated affair, but basically the CRTC is concerned about the viability of the applicant, and what the station will do for Canadian talent and the local area. We think we will hit the ground running on all three.
The biggest problem we think we'll encounter will be opposition to this application from Irving Oil owned Acadia Broadcasting, which owns local CKBW and HANK-FM. Those we've spoken with in the area are highly receptive to what we'll be doing, and are encouraging us to go forward. We think our sound, approach to the audience and our contributions to the area will over-shadow any opposition from a Goliath which may view our signal as potentially capable of eroding their profit base. But again, our sound and presentation will be so vastly different from anything else currently on the air in this area, that we don't think we will dilute Acadia's audience to any significant degree - we literally will be apples and oranges. And we will offer an advertising medium to those who currently have nothing available to them of this nature.
Once the station is up and running we will be going on a North American satellite, and then heard all over the continent via cable and satellite services. This will promote the South Shore in a way never before thought possible, and in a manner that will cost no one a cent. So, 24/7 free advertising of the area will be a reality. That's another good thing.
The 'Sound' of the station - and the 'Golden Age' of radio....:
If you grew up on the South Shore in the 60s, 70s and 80s, you are intimately aware of the so-called 'blow-torch' stations out of the States that would roll in at night with the power of a locomotive. Because of international treaties, the Halifax stations which played hit music had to change their broadcast patterns at night to a north-easterly direction, and they literally disappeared from the listening dial on the South Shore after dusk because of this technical move.
These treaties had to be in place - without them there would have been utter audio chaos on the radio dial. And the rationale is simple - and easy to understand. Once a station came on a frequency, it had to protect others already established on that same frequency in a different city, state or province. For example, WCFL in Chicago commenced broadcasting in 1925 at 1000 on the AM dial. So when a local group decided to open the Bridgewater station in 1947 at that same dial location, they had an obligation to protect the 'Windy City' channel and at dusk had to change its broadcast pattern. Since radio waves on AM will follow the earth at night, had CKBW not changed its pattern, then it had the potential to interfere with WCFL. Just out of interest, go to 1000 tonight and you should clearly hear WCFL roaring through.
To illustrate how effective this pattern change procedure was, WNEW in New York at 1130 on the dial could be received better after sundown in our area than it could 30 miles to the west in New Jersey. Hard to believe but true, especially when you factor in that it radiated 50,000 watts, the maximum power allowed in Canada or the U.S. for an AM station. But WNEW was literally funeling its signal to the North-east, and it was one of the best stations on earth to listen to [Click here and enjoy one of their jingles done in the instrumental style of Henry Mancini....]. CKBW could hardly be heard after sundown in Liverpool for the same reason - this is why, for example, its owners opened FM repeaters in Liverpool and Shelburne in the 90s. The qualities of FM do not change its signal at night, and its signal strength is virtually exactly the same 24 hours a day, whereas an AM signal is subject to atmospherics, and to other stations far off interfering at night. To demonstrate the power of AM radio at night, we received 1YZ from New Zealand early one Sunday morning - in Mahone Bay. A weak signal, but none-the-less it was a thrill to hear. This was back in 1959.
But, there was another reason CKBW lost its audience at night - it had a lot of network feeds out of Toronto it had to carry as part of its license agreement. So if you wanted something other than what many considered as very bland programming, you went to WABC in New York City, WPTR in Albany, or WKBW from Buffalo - it was as easy as turning the dial. Those who were South-west of Bridgewater by only a few miles could tune into WINS - 'Ten-Ten WINS New York,' they would incessantly tell you. As soon as CKBW's pattern change occurred there would be a perfect signal. If you lived North-east of Bridgewater then 'spillover' from CKBW would make listening to WINS unpleasant [because they were on adjacent channels] - no worries, just go to WABC, WPTR or WKBW. There were many others that came in, but these were the main three.
And, without question it was the odd person who didn't know these stations, know them well, and identify with them. Everyone knew them, and to tune them in at night was as natural as breathing. Even one of the local barber shops in Mahone Bay would lock onto one of these powerhouses, as soon as the sun started to settle down for the night. "Now why can't the local station play that kind of music?," Edith 'Chuck' Hamm* would intone, grumbling good-naturedly, as her scissors merrily danced and pranced through someone's locks.
Those who have moved here from Southern Ontario will remember Toronto powerhouses CFTR and CHUM. Both were superb at what they did, and were known all over North America as 'great' radio stations - listen to this testimonial about CHUM from one of my favorite announcers, and a guy I almost worked with, Chuck Chistiansen [You'll have to wait for the KCBQ part, but the wait is worth it, and highly entertaining - and the bit on Rick Moranis is priceless!]. Chuck applied to an Ontario station I was working at back in the late 60s, and the program director turned him down. Huge mistake. Chuck subsequently worked at both CHUM and CFTR, and was one of the finest Top 40 announcers anywhere. And we were going to approach him about working with us, but alas he is now up at the big control room board in the sky. Why he changed his on-air name to 'The Magic Christian,' we don't know. But, Gene Scott, a personal friend and former CHUM newscaster, called CHUM "The best station I have ever worked for. They were simply outstanding." Our good friend Dave Hodge who works for TSN in Toronto personally got me into CFTR when 'Dusty Rhoades' was on the air one Saturday afternoon - it was a very special treat.
WABC in particular was revered by listeners and broadcasters alike, heard in over 40 states and most provinces - and God-only-knows how many countries, but they were a favorite in many Western European homes and on car radios over there. They'd steam roller in at night with their great announcers, tight production, and those fabulous PAMS jingles. At what they did - Top 40 - no one else surpassed them, and for that matter, few even came close.
But, because of the afore-mentioned broadcast treaties, we could not pick up any large Toronto or Montreal stations, although RKO-owned CKLW out of Windsor [Ont.] - 'The Big 8' - would often pour in on the South Shore. With 50,000 watts at 800 on the dial, they were essentially a Detroit station, #1 in the Motor City, and #1 in Toledo and Cleveland and many other markets. They held that position for years until the mandated Canadian talent law in 1972 started to make them not as competitive. Also, the change to FM by many stations caused listeners to gravitate to this better set of frequencies - FM offered Hi-Fi and stereo, something AM has never been able to successfully do. By the mid 80s, CKLW was pretty much gone.
We all remember the personalities on these stations - Cousin Brucie, Joey Reynolds, Jackson Armstrong, Dan Ingram, Jefferson Kaye and our good friend with the golden voice [who has been helping us with this project], Dick Summer - and so many more. These guys were slick [In a good way!], funny, and very, very likable. Dan Ingram had about a 21 year run on ABC, and his hilarious presentation and quick wit were the love of New York - and way beyond. He truly was a radio announcer's radio announcer.
Those in Southwestern Nova Scotia could listen to some of the higher-powered Boston stations all the time - WBZ and WHDH would blow across the water like a couple of cannon balls, 24/7. Often, WMEX - also out of Boston - would surface in our neck 'o the woods and Arnie 'Woo Woo' Ginsberg would light up faces with his infectious humor and funny sounds of car horns and slide whistles. He was so popular in Nova Scotia that Acadia University brought him in to host a record hop in the mid 60s one night. Unfortunately, WMEX was at 1510 on the dial, a frequency also populated by many other stations in North America, so the atmospherics had to be just right to hear it clearly.
These names were radio-friends on the South Shore, and if you wanted the hits - and many chuckles - you simply dialed in one or more of these incredible radio stations. They were always there at night, their signals were always first rate, and they could always be counted on to entertain. Of course, they still come in, just now they've have gone to talk because FM took over the music, and FM signals do not follow the earth as AM ones do.
More to come....In the meantime, here are some of North America's great radio station air-checks....
* Edith Hamm, or 'Chuck' [pronounced 'Chook'] as she was known to her friends and customers, was one of the most colorful people to ever come out of Mahone Bay. For years, a haircut, a shave and a head-rub - which she was famous for - cost about a buck. This tantalized other barbers in town who could not raise their prices without risking losing their clientele. Chuck sold her store in the early 70s, and her building - which was replaced by a larger [at that time] Bill's Store, now the Mahone Trading Company - was disassembled and moved down to the government wharf where it was reassembled for a movie prop in 'Run Stranger Run.' This movie, while not one of Hollywood's best, shows a lot of Mahone Bay as it looked almost 40 years ago, and it still comes up on eBay and is available at various movie rental outlets. Chuck, we miss you - you were truly a bright spot in so many lives!