catapult magazine

Radio 2003

by The *cino Community

What radio stations or programs were you grateful for in 2003 and why?

*cino staff picks: NPR’s This American Life—First-hand stories about every-day people. This is what radio is good for. Also, Sound Opinions, the world’s only rock’n’roll talk show on 93 XRT, Chicago. It’s a weekly education in rock music.

W.D.: John Derringer in the morning on Q 107.1 FM in Toronto. Derringer and his interns are really funny and they help me get a good start to my day.

D.D.: AIR 1 Internet Radio. Because it’s Christian, 24-7, no commercials, and it’s geared to a nationwide audience (although they do a lot of repeats).

G.S.: I love radio. My top five radio programs in 2003: Best Ambience and Wo’Pop from Seattle’s KEXP (via the internet), and the Canadian public radio classical-plus music station CBC2’s Roots & Wings, I Hear Music, and Sound Advice.

T.C.: NPR, which broadcasts Symphony concerts on the weekends.

H.B.: CBC’s new wave festival, because they paid me to write and even sent me to Banff for a week to do it.

C.N.: I rediscovered NPR this year, to find both joy and disgust.

J.V.: NPR. The coverage of the war in Iraq was clear-cut and truthful. Their reporters and anchors seemed extremely knowledgeable about the issues as well as the culture of the Iraqi people. Their approach was not sensationalistic, just precise and to-the-minute journalism that kept the listener informed and updated. They were also excellent at reporting the world’s observations as well the movements of the UN (or lack of movement) in a way that did not seem politically biased (whilst they’re being funded by a largely liberal audience) but kept to the facts and figures.