Vancouver’s favourite radio station

Credit: Flickr / bestfor / richard

Results from our reader poll on Vancouver radio stations prove both interesting and predictable

Something interesting happened on the site last month when we posted Jess McMahon and Christine McAvoy’s piece “Six Vancouver DJs prove video didn’t kill the radio star“: you paid attention. Site traffic went through the roof. Twitter got chatty. And even Facebook “liked” it.

Which tells me there’s something going on over the airwaves. Still. 

Growing up, I can remember there always being a radio on in the house, in the car, at people’s offices, everywhere. But these days with so much music available on demand, and personal music players so ubiquitous, I have to purposely decide to choose the radio in order to hear it; no longer is it so pervasive.

But that obviously doesn’t mean it’s dead. Our web stats can prove it.

And our previously conducted poll proves something else quite interesting. When asked “What’s your favourite Vancouver radio station,” you told us radio has gone beyond the dial and is now just as much at home online as it is off.

First place: CBC Radio 3

Garnering 33 percent of the vote, the top ranked radio station in Vancouver according to our poll was CBC Radio 3, a web-only radio station that plays exclusively Canadian music—much of it from Vancouver. Now, I’m cognizant of the type of reader an online-only magazine would attract—the kind accustomed to digital media and likely to use social media to promote (and vote for) their favourite digital content providers—but I also know a number of Radio 3 listeners, and these guys, let me tell you, are die-hard fans. They love Canadian-only music, are proud of the artists who grace this station’s playlists. Too, the station itself loves them, and shows it, providing excellent resources and information about each musician with opportunities to sample, rate and share their tunes. Radio 3 is an incredible resource and I encourage anyone interested in expanding their musical horizons to give it whirl, and often.

Second place: The Fox (99.3 FM)

A close second in our poll was The Fox (99.3 FM), receiving 31 percent of the vote. What I find funny about this is how predictable it is. There isn’t a city/town/county in North America where the local Classic Rock station wouldn’t rank among the most popular; I dare you to find an exception. I love me some Classic Rock—truly I do. Give me some CCR any ol day. (I’m from Indiana, after all…) And apparently you love you some AC/DC, Eagles, Stone Temple Pilots and Green Day, too. So does every construction worker, cabinet maker and machinist I’ve ever known. 

Third place: The Peak (100.5 FM)

Alternative radio station The Peak (100.5 FM) came in third, receiving a respectable 21 percent of reader votes. This is also not surprising to me. I don’t drive a car myself, but for my friends who do The Peak is their Preset 1. Playing indie bands and other gems that otherwise don’t get much airplay, The Peak seems to do a good job of satisfying both music snobs and those just looking for something interesting to play in the background. And they play quite a few local and local-ish acts (big and small) as well, including Dan Mangan, Bedouin Soundclash, Mother Mother and the New Pornographers.

Full results: Vancouver’s favourite radio station