I personally don’t get country radio where I live. However, recently I discovered that one of my local radio stations 2RE, actually gets the CMR (Country Music Radio) for late night and weekend radio (e.g. when there are no radio personnel available to host). I have only heard the re-routed CMR twice, and I would love to find out when exactly it is on, but the times I heard it I was amazed at how many songs I actually knew. Don’t get excited though. I only knew about 5 out of the top 50, but I didn’t even think I would have known that many. The more I get into the country music genre, the more I find it hard to turn away. I am sucked in.
So, after having a small dose of country radio, I went out in search of more. I went on the internet and I found the web page for FM88 – The Tweed Coast and Gold Coast’s Big Country Music Radio Station. The page isn’t anything amazing, but there is a link on the page that allows you to listen to the live feed of the station. So I clicked on the link, and straight away I was connected to the station in the comfort of my own home, which usually has little to none of any sort of reception, never mind radio or something from the Gold Coast.
The station was great. They had a wide variety of music playing, so even though I am still not yet a huge country lover, I found songs that I could definitely sing a long to. And yes, they even played some Keith Urban! But what was the best part? Virtually no adds. It was just song after song, with only a few interruptions from the host. And this was a Friday night at 6pm. Not late night radio or Sunday radio that no one listens to.
I really enjoyed the station. It downloaded fast, no excessive buffering or streaming, they played good songs, good variety, and unlike most commercial radio, they didn’t clog up the airs with 15 minutes of adds to every one minute of music time. They played what we were there to listen to – the Music!
So if you want a wider view of some country songs, or are just sick of spending hours searching for CD’s or downloads you might like to hear, give this station a go and widen your country music knowledge for free!
By Jacki Tipton
On the subject of radio I came across a news article that discusses radio in Africa. It says
‘American-style country music might not seem like just the thing to catch on in Africa. But listeners in Nairobi, Kenya, are crazy about it. They’re particularly fond of Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton.’
Its funny to think radio stations on the mid-north coast in Australia rarely play country music but people in Africa love it!!!