Montreal's Mix 96 Gets Virginized

Welcome to my first post of 2009. Yeah, I know, it's several days late, but as the old adage states, "Better late than never."

As you all know by now, I work in radio. I'm also a bit of a radio geek. I often record format changes because of their historical signaficance, because hey, what's more historic than the end of one thing and the beginning of something new?

On January 12th, something of that nature happened on Montreal radio. Hot AC station Mix 96 (CJFM) rebranded itself as Virgin Radio 96, as indicated by the above graphic.

Usually when a radio station changes names like this, everything else at the station changes with it, from the airstaff to the call letters. That wasn't the case with this name change. The current airstaff and schedule remained the same, albeit with a few new additions. The music remained intact as well. So, in a nutshell, it's basically the same old station with a brand new name slapped onto it. There are similarly branded stations in Toronto, Ottawa, and Vancouver. The Ottawa affiliate, however, is a rock station; the other two are Top 40 stations. The Toronto affiliate, Virgin Radio 99.9, is the oldest of the foursome, having been launched in August of 2008.

That being said, there is one thing that I fail to understand. A lot of people - some of my friends are included within this bunch - have been crying foul to the name change for some inexplicable reason. It even got to the point where a Facebook group protesting the name change was created. I honestly don't find that there is a need for these people to be complaining, because as I just said, the airstaff and music have not changed at all. Radio is a buisness where change can happen in an instant.

Now, I don't even listen to 95.9 FM anymore; they've been dead to me ever since they canned The Lounge King Show and Atmosphere 69 several months ago. Those two programs, in my opinion, were the only reasons I listened to what was once Mix 96 at all. But still, I find all this complaining about the name change to be a massive waste of time. As previously stated, it's just the same station with a different name. Nothing else has changed, really. So please, stop your whining already. It's enough.

Being the radio geek that I am, I took the liberty of recording the last hour of Mix 96, and first 42 minutes of Virgin Radio 96. It also includes the transition from Mix to Virgin. For the record, Mix 96 ran on autopilot from noon until 4 PM on January 12th, with the only interruptions being commercials, station IDs, and "X hours (or minutes) until Virgin Radio 96" announcements. The last song played on the Mix 96 branding was Simon Collins' Unconditional, which was interrupted halfway by a record scratch and replaced with Great Big Sea's It's The End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine). They couldn't resist to end the Mix 96 branding with some CanCon. A fitting choice, nonetheless. After a few seconds of silence, the transition to Virgin Radio 96 began, complete with cheesy opening montage. And then, a mighty cry rose from the station's airstaff at the Fort & St. Catherine St. studio, for Virgin Radio 96 had begun. The first song played on the new branding was the strategically chosen Like A Virgin from Madonna. Nice touch, I suppose.

For those for you who are interested in hearing this little bit of Montreal radio history, you can download the clip of the transition from Mix 96 to Virgin Radio 96 here: http://www.mediafire.com/?1wld1mzx22n . At 93.38 MB, it's a relatively large file, but I suppose if you're a radio geek like me, it's well worth it.

Anyway, that's all for now. I'll be back next time with more exciting randomness for y'all.

Mad Mark Gets Published

Hello again, my friends. Again, I apologize for the lack of updates over the past few weeks. School has practically taken over my life, which makes it hard to update the ol' blog one in a while.

Anyway, I recently got a feature story published in The Link, one of my school's (Concordia University) student-run newspapers. It's about an event that I had the pleasure of covering back in September. Here's a link to my article in The Link (Ha ha ha, get it? A link to The Link!)
http://www.thelinknewspaper.ca/articles/193

For a clue to what the article is about, you need not look any further. Just take a look at my avatar, or the above photo.

And yes, I'll be contributing another story to The Link very soon. In fact, it may be even more interesting than this story was. More details to follow.

Until next time...
I remain,
-Mad Mark.

The End of an Era

Above: The Lounge King (right) and Super Agent 69 in happier times.

First of all, I'd like to apologize for not updating my blog for the past few months. I guess if you're going to have a blog, you should update it periodically. Why not do that now?

August 31st was a sad day for nu jazz, exoitica, space-age pop, and chillout music fans in Montreal. The Lounge King Show and its sister show, Atmosphere 69 ended their respective runs last night. Both shows had been on Mix 96 for six years, and provided a much-needed alternative to the crappy Top 40 pop music that the station plays on a regular basis. The Lounge King Show, hosted by The Lounge King, a guy with a deep, Latino-sounding voice, Paris, France-born Super Agent 69, and their Mexican butler / valet, Dimas, specialized in lounge music. Lounge is a musical genre which features an eclectic mix of jazz, space-age pop, and other musical styles. A great deal of the music was '60s-inspired, but a great deal of modern music (nu jazz) was featured as well. The majority of the music played came from up-and-coming artists from around the corner to around the world. Of course, lots of classic music from prominent artists was featured as well. In addition, the show sometimes featured profiles of lounge artists. Thus, it can be said that the show was a showcase for all of these great talents. The Lounge King Show was originally one hour long and slotted at 10 PM on Mix 96. However, it was later expanded to two hours and and moved to the 6 PM time slot which it kept through out the remainder of its six-year run on Mix 96.

Sister show Atmosphere 69 premiered shortly after The Lounge King Show moved to its 6 PM time slot. Hosted by Agent 69, the show specialized in downtempo chillout music. When listening to the show, it would not be uncommon to hear a melange of techno beats, drum-and-bass music, and even some old classics as well. Like The Lounge King Show, it also played music from well-known artists on occasion. Profiles of up-and-coming chillout artist were also a major part of the show, and it too served a showcase for new talent. Like its sister show, Atmosphere 69 initially lasted for an hour, beginning at 10 PM once The Lounge King Show migrated to the 6 PM time slot, but it too eventually expanded to two hours. It remained in the 10 PM time slot until its eventual cancellation with The Lounge King Show on August 31st, 2008.

Now, I have been a loyal friend and true of these shows since their inception six years ago. I listened to both shows on a regular basis. I even won a CD (Pink Panther's Penthouse Party) while listening to The Lounge King Show a few years ago. This eventually led me to starting up a friendship with Mauricio (Maurice) Svanstrom, the producer and creator of both shows. Maurice is a wonderful person who is friendly, approachable, intelligent, and dynamic. We would often have chats on MSN about the show, where he'd ask me what I liked and what could be improved upon in both shows. And whenever he asked me these kinds of questions, I almost always had an answer for him. Mauricio was also instrumental in helping me to get an internship at Mix 96 in the summer of 2005. Unfortunately, it didn't last very long, but it was still an enjoyable experience, to say the least. I was attending Dawson College at the time, and I was working at CIXS Radio, hosting my own show that was loosely based on The Lounge King Show. When I mentioned this to Maurice, he wanted to come in and see what I was capable of. So one day, he did that, and it was a lot of fun. Basically, Maurice and his two shows were ultimately responsible for launching my radio career, and Maurice, if you're reading this, thanks a lot for your support, your help, and for getting me involved in broadcasting. Also, thank you for six great years of some of the best music in the world. My Sunday nights will never be the same without The Lounge King Show and Atmosphere 69, and in my opinion, Mix 96 made a huge mistake by canning your shows.

If you're still looking to satisfy your lounge and chillout fix, you can listen to Xcentrica Radio online at http://www.live365.com/stations/munecon. It often features past episodes of The Lounge King Show.

And speaking of listening, here, for your listening pleasure, are some audio memories of the show, in the form of promos that were once heard on Mix 96. Enjoy.

Promo #1: http://www.mediafire.com/?jyvxzidm1gm

Promo #2: http://www.mediafire.com/?3l3jmd9mnsj

Promo #3: http://www.mediafire.com/?zsbdmuewj3s

Promo #4: http://www.mediafire.com/?z51mpdkmgcg

Promo #5: http://www.mediafire.com/?zx3qmq1mjd1

I'll eventually post links to the recordings I did of the very last episodes of The Lounge King Show and Atmosphere 69. Both will be posted in 2 to 4 parts each due to their size (over 100 MB each; they're both 2-hour shows, after all).

Format Change in Montreal

Montreal news / talk station 940 Montreal became AM 940, Montreal's Greatest Hits on Saturday, June 14th at 5 PM (EST). They are playing what's being described as the greatest hits of the '60s, '70s, and '80s. I am listening to the new format online as I am writing this, and I must say, I like what I'm hearing so far. In fact, just by listening to their current playlist and their retro-style jingles, I see lots of similarity between AM 940 and New York City's legendary WCBS-FM, which features a similar format and tagline (hence the above picture). Even their new, cool-looking logo has a very retro feel to it, but I think they could have gone with something a bit more colorful. I guess there simply wasn't enough money in the budget for fancy colors, so they just slapped something together really fast. Maybe they'll inject some color into the logo later on.

Anyway, this format change gives the city its first greatest hits station since the former Oldies 990 (CKGM) flipped to a sports talk format known as The Team 990 in 2001. The station's official launch will take place on Canada Day at 9:40 AM; until then, they're playing a preview of what the new format will sound like. CBS-FM is currently doing well in NYC, so that might mean that AM 940 might have a legitimate shot of having similar success here in Montreal. Here's hoping the format change pays off for them.

Now, the reason why this format change occurred was due to the fact that the ratings just weren't there. According to some articles I read, under its news / talk format, 940 had the lowest ratings among English stations in the Montreal market. And thus, something had to be done. So they handed pink slips to 18 of their regular staffers, including morning man Dennis Trudeau, midday host Joe Cannon, and afternoon host Aphrodite Salas - all of whom are fine individuals, by the way. The announcement of the format change came as a bit of a surprise to yours truly, as when I was there serving as an intern for a day for a school assignment, newscaster Michael Dean came in and said that the AM ratings for the station were great. About a month later, they announce they're changing formats. This is a prime example of how quickly things can change in the radio business. One day, you might have a steady job at a radio station with your own show and everything, and the next day, your boss will be handing you a pink slip. And just like that, it's all over. You're without a job, and your only option is to look for a new one at whatever station will hire you. To the 18 people who were let go by 940 - especially those that I met during my 1-day intern stint - , I wish you all the best of luck with your careers, and I hope to hear you on the Montreal airwaves sometime soon.

Have any of you out there heard the new AM 940 yet? What do you think of it so far? Do you think it will last? Do you remember Oldies 990? Post your comments, reactions, and memories here.

Speaking of format changes, starting next month, I'm going to premiere a new segment here on my blog called the Format Change of the Month. Every month, I'll post an audio clip of a radio station undergoing a format change. I'll post a clip of the official launch of 940's new greatest hits format when it occurs next month. That will be the first in a series of format changes that will be posted here for you all to enjoy. After all, what's more historic than then end of one thing and the beginning of another?

Until next time...

I remain,

-Mad Mark.

Random Ramblings No. 1

This is what I originally intended to do with this blog - empty my mind of its contents for all to enjoy. Isn't that what blogs are supposed to be used for, anyway? With that in mind, here we go...

Phreak615 continues to do his thing. All I can say is keep phreakin' it real, dude. Hope you accomplish whatever it is you're out to accomplish.

The Toronto Blue Jays are doing relatively well. They recently wrapped up a 4-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals. Apparently, getting swept is a regular happening for the Royals, who are most likely the MLB's worst American League team. Go figure.

Everyone's favorite (?) game show, Deal or No Deal recently launched its latest gimmick in a season that's been full of them. This one is called Million Dollar Madness. For those of you that remember the Million Dollar Mission, AKA, the show's past 3 failed attempts at giving away a million bucks, this one's a bit different. Before their game, the contestant is placed in a glass booth with air blowing around inside. Numerous golden balls are then released into the booth, which float around the contestant due to the blowing air. The contestant then grabs one, and inside each ball is a number between 2 and 13. That number represents the number of million dollar cases that will be available in their game. Personally, I still don't think this series will ever crown a millionaire. Yes, they're desperate for one, but I still don't think it'll ever happen. Even with 38 million dollar cases available, it still won't happen. Maybe the show will get its first millionaire 20 years from now, when no one cares anymore. The way things have been going lately, that's most likely what will happen.

Speaking of Deal or No Deal, for some strange reason, the contestants on the UK version that everyone seems to like also seem to have the worst luck in their respective games. Why this is I'll never know, but I don't think it's fair. Sure, the game is pure luck, but for some strange reasons, the likeable players often have the worst games. Some of those unfortunate souls went away with a very impressive 1p. For some reason, doing so gives them "legendary" status. I beg to differ. If I were in charge of Endemol UK, I would have chosen not to air those episodes. I'm sorry, but watching someone win less than 30 seconds' pay does not make for good television at all. If anything, it's rather embarrassing, especially for the person who played. I think the 1p winners should all be brought back at one point for a second shot at winning some actual money. In those games, the 1p would be removed so that they wouldn't be able to have a repeat performance.

I have the world's greatest microphone. I use it to record just about anything (radio airchecks, projects for school, interviews, etc.), and the quality of the audio recorded with it is always great. The best part about it is that I bought it for only $2.99 at the dollar store. This just goes to show that you don't alwys have to spend a lot of money to get something that's of good quality. Despite what some people think, you can actually get some pretty useful everyday things at the dollar store, and at massively discounted prices as well. It's awesome, to say the least.

Speaking of prices, I think Drew Carey is doing a fantastic job as Bob Barker's heir to the skinny microphone on The Price is Right. Instead of completely channeling Bob and hosting the show as he used to, Drew has made the show his own. He's also brought his own unique brand of humour and fun to the show, which makes for good TV. An example of this is when he gets the contestants to hold his hand and say "Alakazam" when he reveals the price of whatever prize is being played for. Drew has renewed my interest in the show, and as a result, I try to watch Price whenever I can.

At this point, I'd like to thank American Apparel for creating the 4415. For those of you who own some, you'll know what I'm talking about. Simply put, they're awesome, and they fit great. The royal blue and red are the best colors, in my opinion. I have 7 (3 red, 4 royal blue), and I love wearing them. Now, I am not a vain person in the slightest, but I think I look good in them. There, I said it. I guess we all need our moments of vanity once in a while. Anyway, the 4415 (a men's style) is so good, women started wearing them too. Needless to say, they liked them as well. The 4415 is also one of the many styles that comes in 76 different colors, which means there's something for people of all tastes. Again, thank you, American Apparel for coming up with this awesome style. Much appreciated.

Well, that about does it for now. Check back soon for more randomness. Until then...
I remain,
-Mad Mark.

Sense or Nonsense?

All right, so I said I'd stop talking about phreak615 since I pretty much figured him out. Well, as the days go by, your friend and mine, Mr. phreak615, head of the phreak615 Talent Agency, continues to make random posts about seemingly random topics. 90% of these posts don't make much sense, in all honesty. Do they contain clues to something, or are they just full of random nonsense? I honestly have no idea. But to sum it all up, days come and days go, but phreak615 goes on forever. Literally. Come on, Mr. phreak. Stop beating around the bush and make your point already, whatever it may be. Many of us are beginning to tire of your randomness. It is getting old fast. However, I would like to thank you for making me famous, so to speak. In the note you left in the mask, you said to "send proof." Well, as you can plainly see, I did, and you found it. Good for you. And just for doing that, I will reward you with some likeable limericks. Here goes...

How lovely to know Mr. phreak
A man who knows how to speak
He's seen 'round the nation
When he hacks TV stations
That remarkable man Mr. phreak.

There was a young man, Mr. phreak
A man who was truly unique
He tells girls and boys
About his big rhomboids
That amazing young man Mr. phreak.

And there you have it. Enjoy.

The works of Edward Lear served as my inspiration for these poems. If you ever get a chance, visit your local library and check out one of his poetry anthologies. They're really a good read, and while the author calls them nonsnese, they certainly make more sense than Mr. phreak ever will. 'Nuff said.

In other news, the Habs played one of their worst games ever last night. Although I am a true Habs fan, being from Montreal and all, I kinda had a feeling they would lose, and lose they did. They Flyers outhit, outplayed, outscored, and outlasted the Habs. Oh well. Better luck next season, I guess. Looks like I need a new team to follow now. Hmmm... How about the Toronto Blue Jays? I hear they're quite good. My best friend, who is one of the biggest baseball fans I know says that they have a great ptiching staff and team this year. Now, if only they could win some more games...

That's it for now, I guess. I'll leave you with this penny for your thoughts.
If you fail to prepare, prepare to fail.
Think about it.

See you next time.

Update 05 / 05 / 08 - phreak615 has confirned that he will be hacking the MMVAs. He still wants everyone to send him videos. Thank you for confirming my suspicions, Mr. phreak. I suppose that won't stop you from posting your randomness, though. Oh, well. I guess there's just no stopping some people. This is more proof that MuchMusic is continuing its descent down a steep slope into oblivion.

Let's end this now...

Well, after being away for a few days due to Passover, I'm back. I'm sure you've noticed that I've made a few changes around here. The most notable change is thar I'm no longer Matsuto77, but instead, I have become Mad Mark. Mark is my real name, and I tend to be on a first-name basis with everyone I meet. Thus, you, the readers of this blog, should be no exception to this rule. As for the mad bit, I just thought it sounded cool. Radio is my racket, so if I ever get another DJ job - I'm currently the community update reporter for a small station in Montreal - I might use it as my on-air handle.

Now, the original reason I started this blog was so that I could sound off about whatever was on my mind. However, the first two posts were dedicated to MuchMusic's phreak615 saga, my involvement in it, and my assumptions and analysis of the situation. This will be my final post about phreak615, as there are many other things I want to talk about here. phreak615 took up a bit too much of my time, and maybe I became a bit too dedicated to it. However, I'm going to end my involvement in this little viral marketing ploy with one final statement about it.

I think I have finally figured out what exactly Much is trying to promote here. As I noted earlier, the 615 in phreak615 seems to point to June 15th (6/15). I have learned that this is the date of the 2008 MuchMusic Video Awards (MMVAs). A user named tongue tied confirmed this on Mad Morten's Dabbler.ca blog at http://www.dabbler.ca/news/phreak615-the-plot-thickens-20080418/. He (or she) said, and I quote:

"The tag line for the MMVA’s is “the fans take over”, that would be in the theme of this for sure. I assume at this point it’s an ARG (alternate reality game) to provote the MMVA’s, a new show, or both, perhaps a segment will be on the MMVA’s to premiere it."

However, one Dabbler.ca poster, identified only as Wow, has other ideas...

"After reading certain statements on phreak615’s blog I’m not completely convinced this is being run by much. Plus I know all the facts and that it is unlikely to be a hacker but I have a gut feeling telling me something is going on..I strongly believe subliminal messages and riddles are being used..."

Well, I guess that sums it up. The phreak615 "hacks" seen on Much might simply be buliding up to the MMVAs in an inventive way, and a new category or show will be launched then. The tagline of "the fans take over" seems to fit perfectly with this scheme, as this phreak615 person - rumoured to be Much VJ / news presenter Devon Soltendieck, a fellow Montreal native, or his brother - is trying to "take over" the station's broadcasts so that he can promote some new aspect of the MMVAs, or the fact that the fans will be taking over in some way. Expect to see more fan voting and fan-favourite categories in the MMVAs as a result. Some of them may also allow fans to send in their own videos saying why they are voting for X, and why X deserves (insert name of fan award category here). phreak615 was testing this by telling fans to send him videos via YouTube, with the guatantee to put their videos on TV. That is what might happen at the MMVAs. Fans will be encouraged to send in their videos via YouTube or some other means, and their voting videos might be shown during the MMVAs. And there you have it. Of course, this too is merely a guess. I could be completely off, but hey, at least I tried. As Wow stated, this whole thing might not be a product of Much, but that remains to be seen. I'm willing to bet that it is, though, as the interruptions always occur during Much's original programming, and never during their syndicated shows or commercials.

And that's about it, I guess. This viral marketing campaign was designed to create viewer awareness about something new, and get viewers guessing, so it can be said that it was successful on all of those fronts. It certainly had that kind of effect on myself and several other people. Ad campagins are designed so that people will buy into them at some point, and I clearly fell into that trap. The phreak615 saga also kind of took over my life for a bit, much like this game called Polybius that he and others often made reference to. But now that the answer finally appears to be clear, there seems to be no need to continue taking guesses and creating controversy. phreak615, whose blog now features a video of him in Paris, will most likely have some snappy remark about me and whatever he's going to do next, along with yet another sub-30 second long video clip within the next few days, but I don't care. As far as I'm concerned, the myth has been busted, and the case is now closed.

You may now return to your regularly-scheduled lives, already in progress.