A nice thing about living in the Detroit area is our access to Canadian Television and Radio. Since I started listening to classical music in high school, the daytime format on CBC Radio opened me up to many composers. I also loved watching channel 9 CBC-TV and channel 32 TV-Ontario. But the best media gift from Great White North arrived every midnight on CBC Stereo.
On weeknights in the 80s I would listen to "Brave New Waves" hosted by Brent Bambury. The show exposed me to alternative and independent music that I was unlikely to hear anywhere else. Brent would profile artists nightly and play some obscure music from around the world. I would set up my reel to reel to record the shows (that way I could get all four hours on one tape) then would mix the stuff I liked down to cassettes.
When the weekend came along CBC aired Nightlines hosted by Ralph Benmergui and later by David Wisdom. Nightlines also played alternative music, but the more accessible kind.
Another notable show that was required listening was Frantic Times featuring the comedy troupe known as the Frantics. They created the greatest of all Canadian superheroes Mr. Canoehead (brother of Ted) and were known for the cathcphrase "a boot to the head". My friends and I would listen every week then have inside jokes that would leave the rest of the school scratching their heads.
I still love listening to what they now call CBC Radio 2. Shows like Shift, Drive, Tonic, The Signal, Deep Roots, and Canada Live ensure that there is usually something good to listen to. It reminds me of what college radio once was. Thank you Canada for proving that sometimes state funded media can be cool, not just a tool.
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