Waking up in the morning to a persistent beep of a digital alarm clock is anything but desirable. That’s why I’ve always turned to the radio for a wake-up call. But that’s the extent of my loyalty to the radio — mostly due to the fact that most stations serve up a redundant rotation of the same top-40 singles all day long.
Luckily, radio in Ottawa just got a lot livelier after LiVE 88.5 FM pumped out its first song, “Lust for Life” by Iggy Pop, introducing itself as Ottawa’s newest alternative rock station at the end of December.
After shifting my dial over to LiVE, I felt as though I stumbled upon a broadcasting breakthrough. While some of the on-air personalities could use a little coaching, the lack of repetitive playlists makes the station a breath of fresh airwaves.
One of the most listener-friendly aspects of LiVE is their attention to a variety of musical genres and artists. Old or new, chart toppers or indie gems – the tunes should satisfy a wide range of musical tastes.
Favourites such as Radiohead, the Cure and Alice In Chains are mixed in with buzz-worthy artists like Muse, the Arcade Fire, Bloc Party and Broken Social Scene.
Even local Ottawa musicians like the Eric Eggleston Band creep into the rotation.
Launched by Newcap Radio Ottawa, the station seems to be taking over where the dearly departed XFM left off.
Newcap also operates Hot 89.9, but LiVE appears to be on course to carve a very different niche.
In a press release from Newcap, program director Kneale Mann said LiVE “will be an interesting, intelligent and extremely relevant radio station.”
Judging by the positive responses filling the station’s online message forum, listeners do find LiVE very relevant. They frequently post messages of praise along with personal requests.
Radio has recently become a hot topic. The launch of satellite radio in Canada has developed a new world of options. It allows listeners to subscribe to commercial-free, CD-quality music 24 hours a day.
CBC Radio 3 has been receiving praise as an essential guide to new music. Its one-hour free web broadcast features 100 per cent Canadian artists and is the most listened to music podcast in Canada.
And Ottawa specifically has more radio to look forward to with The Jewel 98.5 set to hit the dial later this year.
It seems as though radio never sounded so good.
As the LiVE deejays brush up on their on-air banter and the requests continue to pile in, it will be interesting to hear how the station shapes up.
A refreshing rotation may not last forever, but for now, my radio dial is permanently parked at 88.5 — for more than just a wake-up call.