When Avenue Magazine came out a few years ago - I thought "Fantastic!" A high quality magazine with…read morevibrant photos, local content, fresh writing - you know, a magazine that reflects the metropolitan city Calgary is quickly becoming. Three, four, five (?) years later, sometimes I feel like I can predict the issues before they come out. The wedding issue, the style issue, the Top 40 under 40 issue, the Stampede issue, the this and the that issue. They have a formula it seems but in my opinion, at least it works. The articles are usually fresh and new as the writer's at Avenue clearly keep up with local trends. They seem to have a pretty good idea of what sells ads in each issue. And they sell a lot of ads. A lot. Of ads. And I'm not judging because I get that to produce a free monthly magazine, something has got to pay the bills. I'm a big fan of businesses that actually cover their operating expenses. My favourite part of the magazine is the very last page, a little diddy they call "The View From Here" where they select photograph's taken by local photographers. I like to see different perspective's of Calgary and I love that they give away a free one year subscription to a magazine that's already free - hey it's the thought that counts.

By a few years ago, I think the last reviewer means 16 years ago. The first issue actually came out…read morein 1994. It is so wonderful that Avenue has managed to survive so long but yes, they have definitely adopted a formula for both their content and design. A surprise now and then would be nice.

Since I was a J-Student, working on the Calgary Journal - it sure has come along way in just 4…read moreyears. The layout is looking great and I see it around the city a lot - good work.

I have to admit: While I listened to CJSW a little during my University days, I never really kept…read moreup with it after I convocated. Then again, to be fair, I'm not much of a radio guy myself. In fact, when I went to University, CJSW was stuck in the basement of old MacHall, and now, they're in the upper level in a new space. Anyways, just the other day, I was asked to guest on a show (specifically, Aubrey's Shindig!) to talk about one of my volunteer endeavors. So I'll approach this review as a radio station guest. The doors lock down early, so you'll need to rely on someone to get you in. There are couches in the lobby that you can sit and chill at, and a waiting room closer to the studio. The staff are friendly, and they regularly joke and rib one another. It was amusing listening to the banter as I waited for my segment to come up. The studio is clean and tidy (or at least it was when I was there). There are at least three stations for guests and one host, each equipped with microphones and headphones. Behind the studio lies the largest collection of vinyl records I've ever seen, all sorted by musical genre. I can only imagine what that collection's worth. I had a blast doing my segment, and they even gave me a PSA to read on air (which terrified me, as I initially didn't know what to do with the sheet of paper they gave me, which probably resulted in about 5 seconds worth of dead air live, oops!), which I thoroughly enjoyed doing once I figured out what was expected. I can say for sure that my pleasant experience was to do how warm, friendly, and professional the people working at the station were. Hopefully I'll get to do another segment there one day in the future. 15/30

"Ew no, of course I don't listen to the radio. What do you take me for? A Nickelback fan?!"…read more This phrase often slips out of my mouth when questioned if I've ever heard some crummy generic Top 40 song I would never wish upon my worst enemy. And, while I like to consider myself an honest person, I secretly actually do listen to the radio. Only to CJSW 90.9 though, a station after my own heart. In a world where most every Calgary radio station is the same, playing the same dozen songs with superficial dialogue to the point where I would rather undergo Clockwork Orange like torture than listen to any of them, CJSW is a shining beacon of hope for radio. Stationed at the University of Calgary, this radio station is full of rad folks (mostly volunteer run), who collectively care about producing unique, quality radio for the greater good. I can't say enough good things about CSJW. What are my favourite programs? Probably Mind Folk'd, Dirty Old Country, Folkcetra, Halfway Home, Yeah, What She Said, and What Will the Neighbours Think. Every time I am in my car, I am usually tuned into CJSW. I love catching some good folk music and talk radio in the mornings when I am usually grumpy. Cheers me right up. The only bummer, is when I happen to be an area of Calgary that doesn't have the greatest reception for this station. That is why you should all donate to their funding drives and support local radio. For example, the Friends of CJSW card is great; CJSW has many friends. Some of the perks include discounts at Oolong Tea House, Phil and Sebs, The Yoga Passage, Bodhi Tree, Hop n Brew, Purr, Swizzlesticks, etc. Okay, so maybe I just listed all of my favourite places but there are SO MANY MORE. Another perk of supporting CJSW is that one day maybe their signal will be so strong, that I will NEVER ACCIDENTALLY LISTEN TO 90.3 AGAIN BECAUSE IT IS THE WORST STATION ON EARTH. K thanks. Review 35/30 of Yelp's 30 Day Challenge 2012

I've listened to CJ for years. Had it on iHeart when we lived in Vancouver island and now we're in…read moreEdmonton and I still can't stop listening to it!!!

Everything that rocks is their slogan and having listened to them for a couple of days, I'd agree…read more Mostly focused on the well known classics of rock and roll - AC/DC, Aerosmith, Zeppelin, Nirvana and Metallica get the most play (yes, I took their recently played lists and popped it into Excel). But there are still lots of others that I think need more play - The Eagles and The Doors, for instance. But hey, that's my musical taste and not everyone's. Not too many commercials, I'll keep the dial in the office tuned here.

This is another business that would have had a 5 star review if not for the peculiar behavior of…read moreit's proprietor Diane L.M. Cook. Between her comments which could easily be interpreted as discriminatory statements about visible minorities, boundary issues in asking personal questions about personal finances, and not so subtle hostile temperament, the only reason I'd work with her again is if it were by email only and would require no personal contact. Cook is clearly intelligent and precise, very knowledgeable about the industries she covers, and capable of professional editing and writing quality. Unfortunately, EQ counts far more than IQ in this world, and Cook is a sharp writer with an even sharper tongue well used to put down and rip apart others for no reason.

"Jack I am your father". I was so over Vibe that I needed to find another radio channel so I am…read morenow trying Jack FM 96.9. Let's just say "more rock less talk" please. The commercials just keep on pouring out, and although it is not as excessive as Vibe, there is still quite a lot. I must admit I did like this channel at the beginning, some great David Bowie, Supertramp and New Order, they do mix it up but after a week of it, it has lost a bit of my fan ship. I do love songs from the 70s, 80s and 90s but after listening to Jack it's kind of like someone discovered the dusty cassette box in the attic and put it on, or the CD collection that hasn't been revised since the 90s. After awhile you just want to collect all this music and sell it at your next garage sale at 1.00 a piece. I love nostalgia, but the more I listen to Jack the older I am starting to age, I mean I ain't that old. I also love mixing it up with electronic, alternative, underground and some indie. But never fear I am sure my dial will find that permanent spot soon, in the meantime, I always have my trusty IPod car player.

It's funny, but I've always thought of Jack FM as being my parents radio station. In fact, I'm…read morequite sure it's the radio station of choice for my mom. So it's only recently that I've started listening to Jack FM, which I suppose is a sign of my increasing age. To be clear, I'm still a diehard metal fan and listen to that almost exclusively. But Jack FM is great because it is always a pleasant trip down memory lane. I have never switched to Jack FM and heard a song I didn't like. They play the songs I grew up hearing around the house. Jack FM doesn't take requests, which I think makes them a better radio station. Their tagline, "Playing what we want", generally means they are dictated by the pursuit of playing good music, versus playing what everyone wants to hear. As a result, they have yet to disappoint my hears. So the next time your favourite radio station is playing that same song again, try switching to Jack FM. You may find yourself forgetting to switch back.

Of all the main radio stations in Calgary, I find my dial tuned to X 92.9 the most. As a rocker…read moregirl at heart, I love to sing along and rock out as I'm driving. It's actually pretty dangerous. I like that X 92.9 is pretty eclectic, and tends to cover the gamut of my tastes. I don't really listen to the radio all that often, so I don't hear too many repeats of the same ten songs over and over. They play some classic rock, some metal, some punk, some ska, some indie, some current, a little bit of everything over the rock spectrum. I dig it. I like the personalities, I like the contests, and I enjoy the variety in genres that they have. The guys on air usually have some pretty funny raunchy jokes, or trivia tidbits about upcoming songs. But the commercials drive me crazy. I will channel skip at any hint of commercials. They go on for what feels like five minutes at a time. Just get back to the music already!!!

X92.9 is definitely my top choice amongst Calgary radio stations. The music is the closest any…read moremainstream radio will come to matching my tastes and the personalities are, for the most part, entertaining and enjoyable. With that said, they aren't perfect. X92.9, with a few exceptions, are a top 40 radio station without the top 40 music. What does that mean? Well, it means that you are likely to hear the same song 3 or 4 times a day. Might not seem like a huge deal to most, but nothing drives me crazier than hearing the same song again, and again, and again and again. But how about those exceptions? Well, for one, they definitely offer more free tickets than any other radio station. And they make it ridiculously easy to win them. No stupid contests or trivia questions or reciting their top 12 songs. You get through, you win. Sometimes they will ask you some trivia question, but if you're wrong they'll still give you the ticket. After making fun of you of course. X92.9 also has a great community presence. They do a lot to encourage local bands and try to be part of the community. But they've had some difficulties on the community front as they tend to insult the community on air a lot. They also support The Doorway, a great local group that focuses on helping street youth get back into society.

I was lucky enough to be invited to be a guest on one of the noon hour news shows to speak on one…read moreof my many volunteer commitments, so I've had the pleasure of visiting the facility at least once. When I was a child growing up in this city, this station used to be known as CFCN, and the hill that the station currently sits on was uninhabited. Fast forward to today, and the entire hill is covered with residential housing. In fact, the road leading up to the station literally winds through residential streets; it was very confusing for me the first time I visited, as I was expecting it to be connected to a main road. The TV station is actually accessible to transit via Route 101, although nothing runs directly up to the station, so you do have to disembark and walk for a bit up the hill. When you get into the building, even though you can see the reception desk as you enter, make sure to ring the buzzer as the inner doors are indeed locked (despite there being signage, I learned that the hard way :P). The next thing once you get in is to register and sign in at the reception desk and pick up a visitor pass. The green room was very comfy, and the staff were friendly and inviting. Despite this being my first-ever live TV segment, they made me feel very welcome. The news studio was smaller than I had imagined (the magic of television, I guess), but it looks just like on TV (obviously) and exactly like I remember growing up. The way it's set up, you can imagine the news desk is to the North, the weather desk to the East, easy chairs for guest interviews to the West, and a table or staging area to the South with the cameras located in the center which can rotate to the part of the set that's most appropriate for the segment. I was quite surprised at how they could manage three-camera coverage or more in-studio live with just one person. This station is an icon in Calgary (anyone remember the Buck Shot Show?) and has been here for 50 years. Here's to another 50!

After an anti lockdown protest at Calgary City Hall, CTV reported attendance at " a few hundred"…read morewhen, in fact it was over 1000. Also, they filmed one man shouting at a reporter for promoting "fake news" their biased story painted the protest as "aggressive" when in fact, many families, children in strollers and polite attendees were the norm. CTV is funded by the Canadian government's radical leftist ruling party and is promoting a fake news narrative. I called the station manager in Calgary and was told that the police provided them with the attendance figure. That is like letting the rats conduct the cheese inventory. CTV should be questioning all sides, providing an unbiased report.