Potato Radio Report

["Roger Kirk" <rogerkirk@ttlc.net>]

Back from vacation on Prince Edward Island.
Belly full of lobster and just enough room 
left for a double helping of Canadian Radio.

720 CHTN - Charlottetown - Still playing oldies, but
the play list has tightened and Canadian Content
seems a bit higher.  Good Gord!  The format seems
to be mostly unchanged (Good Times & Great Oldies)
but I did notice a lot of song-to-song segues without
sweepers, liners, positioners or jingles. Also, if 
the last spot in the set was live or tagged, they went
directly to music without talkover.

Funniest thing heard:  The contest at 4:50 in the
afternoon. If the Nth caller answers a multiple 
choice question correctly, they receive a prize 
and qualify to "Live Like A Millionaire"  The 
question was dirt easy:  Who wrote "Anne Of Green
Gables?"  Was it (A) Stephen King, (B) John Grizzem
(not a typo), (C) Lucy Maud Montgomery or (D) Mary 
Higgins Clark.  And yes, the PEI lady's final answer 
was "C".

This same DJ also backsold "Heatwave" by Martha And 
The Vandells.  I was waiting for Tommy James & The 
Shondellas.

N.B.  On the return trip, I could still detect 
recognizable music (through beaucoup QRM) as far 
south as Calais, Maine.  
I'm sure you all can imagine how well that went over
with my significant other (NOT A RADIO GEEK!)

-----------------------------------------------------
CJRW - Summerside.  1240 AM Country is GONE!  It's 
Now C102 (102.1) and the format is still the same -
local radio done quite well.  Down-to-earth, but
without being hokey.  They sent the CJRW station
wagon (with station's logo, Subway & Pepsi logos 
and the name of the sign company that lettered the 
car) and a Pepsi fountain dispenser to Spinnaker's
Landing on Thursday afternoon.  Unfortunately, the
young lady (late teens) handing out Pepsi just wasn't 
a great representative of the station.  Probably she 
was just hired to dispense Pepsi.  She knew nada about 
radio and the station.  My guess is that she probably 
doesn't even like country music.  A shame.

---------------------------------------------------
I tried to pick up WJIB, but nothing seemed alive
on 740 in Summerside.  Same for 730.

Roger Kirk
rogerkirk@ttlc.net