Melissa Etheridge, Matchbox 20, Billy Ocean, Shania Twain, Nelly Furtado - the lukewarm hits on…read morethis station induce gentle toe-tapping with their inoffensive lyrics and easy beats. I enjoy being able to tune-in to a station without having to hear most of the current crud that pollutes the airwaves. Okay, I'm being dishonest, I love current crud, but that's another review. The music is all so palatable. It seems as if none of the songs ever have a high tempo, so there's no fear that the party will get out of control. The station's DJs are pretty chill and not loud mouthed in the least; kind of like semi-geeky (in a nice way) Moms and Dads, spinning their favorite 90s hits. This station, which has been a fairly recent discovery of mine, is going to achieve status as one of my pre-sets. It's nice to tune-in to a station where I know every song (mostly by heart), and there's no auto-tune involved. You know the jams I'm talking about, those good old ditties, where people are singing about chivalric love and tame parties. Oh yes, Lite 92.9 has your pop and chip gatherings covered, no lie.

I'll be honest and admit right up front that prior to earlier tonight I had never listened to…read more92.9FM before, and not only that, I didn't even know it existed! I guess I should explain that I usually listen to my own music in vehicles or switch to a country radio station, but I forgot my own mixes on this occasion and was left to the mercy of the local broadcasts. What caught my attention about this station was the fact that it was playing the Backstreet Boy classic "I'll Never Break Your Heart". Naturally as a 90's child this struck a heartstring and my instincts to crank the volume on my moms minivan were undeniable. I listened the whole hour-long commute and was thrilled with their selection of classic hits that can't help but make any generation nostalgic. Tune in and you might find an old forgotten favorite!

Hal's collection is nothing but classics. Big, stinky, raging guitar, drum fills for days, type of…read moreclassics. Hey, aren't these folks also the people behind that rather irritating, "win a manly man's motorcycle" contest? I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure the faint whiff of this incessantly bothersome contest is a baby of this station's. CCR is currently playing, which is pretty fine by me. They play artists like Heart and Aerosmith, and pretty much anything that screams classic rock. I do appreciate that they have a clear cut "Classic Rock" premise, but this station drys up after a short period of listening. Oh golly, they're playing the Foo Fighters... memories of Big Shiny Tunes from the days of yore. This isn't my favorite station in the least, but on a plus note, I don't find it despicable like a number of the other local choices. You can be guaranteed that if you weren't living under a rock for the past forty years, you'll be able to sing along to quite a few of these ditties.

When I find myself without my iPod or CD's on a car ride this is one of the radio stations that I…read moreusually find myself turning to. There is something comforting about the variety of old classics that they play, and while they choose to limit their variety, I'm a fan of the hits so I can't complain. The radio personalities are pretty chill and less imposing than some of the other stations around so their witty banter doesn't come across as annoying. My favorite thing about tuning into this frequency is that there are huge stretches of songs, and less interruptions, something that is boasted by others but rarely delivered. Those long song stretches, and low key classic rock are great for background music or to sing along with when you're cruising around in your car. If you want stimulation or anything new than keep turning your frequency dial. Hot Hint: Follow the 89.9 crew on twitter at twitter.com/899halfm.

While I don't love the music played on Country 101.9, for the most part I don't mind it, as long as…read moreit's not one of the few songs that is played over and over. More-so, it's the broadcasting that I mind, particularly that of Denyse Sibley. I understand that a lot of listeners like her and that she has done a fair bit in the community, but as a broadcaster, she can sometimes be quite annoying. While broadcasting, she often talks about herself and her social life and can frequently be heard taking cheap shots at her co-worker, Jigger. For these reasons, I find Denyse to come across as arrogant and for the most part do not enjoy her broadcasting.

It's really unfortunate that Halifax's only country radio station earns just three stars on this…read morecountry fan's hit list. While a three star rating is nothing to get upset over normally, because I WANT to like this radio station so much, it disappoints me it comes up short of being great. I love the music that this station usually plays, a mix of country new and old, with the top 40 repeated throughout the day. While that might get frustrating for some people, I like hearing those songs repeated, and the songs on rotation get switched about every month so new ones will cycle through eventually. It's disappointing that 101.9 boasts non-stop music stretches, but when those end you are stuck listening to low brow observational humour about average working class people. The on-air personalities are admittedly a little bit obnoxious, but everyone on the air in this city seems to be (with the exception of the ever stone-faced cast of CBC radio). The call-in segments are a little lame, awarding listeners with concert tickets for answering questions like the classic "what do women do 38% more often then men". Hot Hint: A list of current contests and rules can be found on their website, but don't expect to find much else there. Sorry 101.9 but your web design gets a D.

I enjoy the host, BJ and the morning crew, it's the lazy music selection that sucks! It's the same…read morefew songs over and over, day after day. If you like the Hip, don't tune into the Q. You'll be sick of them within a couple days. More than once I've heard them 4+ times before noon. There are more Canadian bands guys and the Hip are not everyone's favorite.

I've been listening fully focused for about 20 minutes now. I would assert with confidence, that 15…read moreminutes of said 20 have been comprised of advertisements and host yakking. I did hear two songs though, one by Eddie Vedder and the other by Kim Mitchell - not bad, but not really all that tasty to me. Ooh, I'm being told that half an hour of non-stop music is on the way being kicked off by... Buffalo Springfield? Currently, I kind of feel like I'm being subjected to a new-to-Halifax, university student's idea of cool music. With bands like Creed, Three Days Grace, Nickleback and Our Lady Peace all being played within the same hour, I must say, that this station's music reservoir is fairly irksome. There's not much talent gracing these airwaves, save for the infrequent Rolling Stones or Plaskett. Verdict says that this station is ripe with crappy music. The good tunes are so few and far between that it's really not even worth tuning in for the possibility of 4 minutes of grandeur. Choose Seaside instead; it's far better than this swill.

CKDU is the Campus Radio Station for Dalhousie University. It is also something that almost none of…read morethe other radio stations in Halifax are: Interesting. While other stations around town are full of boring, same ol' same ol' tunes, CKDU is almost always playing something you haven't heard. It may be great, it may be terrible, but it's something different, which is what radio should always be in my opinion. Because the station is volunteer based, some of the shows are better than others. Even the not so great programs are interesting to listen to and I can highly recommend you tune your radio dial to 88.1 on any day, at any hour to find some form of entertainment. My favorite programs are the classic "Let's Get Baked! With Mat And Dave" (Thursday's at 5:00) and "Car Bomb To The Heart" (Tuesday's at 7:30). Be sure to have a listen the next time you're spinning your radio dial!

Seldom do I stray from my CBC habits, but in a recent flip through The Coast, I noticed an…read moreadvertisement for this seemingly hip radio station. The ad listed a top 10 list with some great bands sans the radio-play stigma. Curious, I tuned in. Is this the solution for the anti pop? Perhaps... ! With a smooth flow of fine musical taste and a side note of educational interest, this is a great station for those devoted to upcoming and indie types. Apparently run by Dal students, I'm certainly glad to have tuned into such tidings. And while I maintain a CBC regular, I will certainly switch things up with a little 88.1. Lovely.

I'm referring here mainly to CBC Radio One, which used to be the only reason I owned a radio…read more What's left of CBC is an embarrassment: (1) way too many music playlists for a talk station (I already have 20 music stations, thanks); (2) too many "5 minutes of this", "10 minutes of that" shows for people with low attention spans; (3) TERRIBLE local coverage (they would even break away from the coronavirus briefing to give us "top of the hour" news!); (4) what passes for news on CBC is pablum -- it's bland, anemic, irrelevant, giving us the impression that there's really nothing going on in our country. Listen to Democracy Now" cover any news story in Canada for how CBC *should* sound. It just isn't what it used to be, and the management is in no way responsive to user feedback. It's time for CBC to go.

You needn't speak elegant French or altogether understand the language in order to tune into this…read morewhimsical station. Espace Musique is CBC's French language equivalent to CBC Radio 2. As it crackles into my kitchen, I feel transported to a time when gramophones reigned supreme and belting tenors seduced the masses. From classical pieces to contemporary artists, all of the song choices seem to be smooth and reminiscent of waltzing along Parisian streets, hand in hand with an attractive mate. I love listening to the hosts speak the news, and even if standard information is being conveyed, it somehow sounds more lustful when spoken in French. Perhaps I'm romanticizing it all, but nonetheless, it makes me happy. Oooh, a sassy samba has just come on! I love this station. Their international palate is diverse and always streaming, with loads of different cultures represented through crooning voices and assorted beats. Don't let the language barrier deter you. Listen to 91.5 for the relaxed vibes and sexy beats. It's a great station.

CBC Radio: The high point of Canadian Culture. I'll forever love curling into my reading perch with…read morethe conversations of CBC serving as a solid backdrop. This is a station that has my utmost love and respect. Although times are tough and job cuts have sadly shaken its core, CBC continues to strive for excellence. International and local news are well-conceived, with conversational approach. CBC avoids the fluffy stuff: it delves deep into our country's creative cultural center-point, and gives listeners an enlightened analysis on many topics. Personal stories, interviews, late night overseas broadcasts, skits, music analysis and more... there is always something different on CBC, and I find it a great source of education. A few favourite shows of my own include Sook Yin Lee's "Definitely Not The Opera". "The Q" with Gene Ghomeshi is a great show for music fans, and "Wire Tap" is hilariously good times. I subscribe to a number of CBC podcasts that get me going during a run and a workout. CBC is all around a fantastic Canadian broadcast, and perhaps a dream job of my own. Hats off, as this station keeps everyday thought outside of the box.

My most serious radio relationship is with CBC. Yes it's true, I do engage in the odd tryst with…read moreother more hip stations. But when the makeup comes off and it's me in my jammies with a cup of tea, it's just CBC for me as I curl up, book in hand, with ears primed for listening. I'm all ears when I rise for Maritime Morning. My internal clock seems to always get me moving on the half hour or on the hour, so I'm just on time for a news update. When I'm working around the house, I love listening to the great interviews and debates that are being had over this relevant station's airwaves. The local news is great, and in the evening, it's nice to hear familiar voices giving me the day's details along with a great playlist of contemporary local artists as well as hip international acts. On the weekend, I dial in to hear Brent Bambury along with The Debaters and of course, 'contest nana,' if not solely for the theme song. This is a great station, both for it's local flavor and national programing. The coverage on international events is unparalleled by any other station, and the informative stories sought out by talented journalists are thought provoking and expertly executed. CBC Radio, you're the top daddy for me.

I used to be a big fan of radio. When I was younger, I wanted to work in radio. And growing up in…read moreNewfoundland, we had OZfm which was unlike any other radio station I encountered while traveling or online. When I moved to Halifax, there was no OZfm so the first station I became friends with was C100. Before the days of Z103, 101.5 The Bounce and Live 105, there was only C100 and Q104, plus CKDU and the country and talk-radio stations. I like a certain level of familiarity when it comes to music I hear on the radio and C100 provided me best with that. However, like most radio stations, familiarity is one of the most apt descriptions of radio. They thrive on familiarity to keep listeners in. People want comfort and radio knows that. C100 is no different. It didn't take me long to sourly realize that. What made C100 different from Q104 in my eyes was that C100 evolved its playlist and still had enough variety to suit my wants. They play mostly lighter rock, pop, some hip-hop, and whatever suitable crossovers are out at the time. After a few months, songs go through the expected levels of rotation, from light to heavy, back to lighter and eventually into "recurrent" rotation if it was a big enough hit, which means it'll likely stay in their playlist for a few years for occasional play. Their "gold" list (Gold = songs older than 3 or 4 years old that they play) I always found was quite limited. With literally thousands of hits from the last 20 years and they always seem to latch on to the same 10 or 15 at any given time, which I always was confused by. (Red, Red Wine is a bloody head-scratcher...!) I enjoy their morning show as I get ready for work. It's friendly and comforting. I purposely tune to 100.1 for that reason. What I always found that C100 lacked was their weekend programming. I grew up on Weekend Countdowns and C100 has their own countdown but I liked hearing Top 40 shows. Z103 has American Top 40 and Rick Dee's Top 40 but there are programs for other radio formats (like C100's Hot Adult Contemporary format) that C100 could acquire. I also really enjoyed their evening Battle of the Block Rockin' Beats. An opportunity to hear new songs...even if the winners would never make their regular playlists. Sadly, they eventually abolished this. Since my days of wanting to work in radio, I've come to realization that like anything, the radio industry isn't what I thought. It's a business and in a lot of ways, is quite flawed. Radio isn't quite as about the music as I'd like to believe. So, knowing this, C100 isn't that bad. Also, hearing people complain about C100 overplaying their songs brings to mind another sobering fact. C100's most played song is played maybe 45 times a week. That's about once every four hours. Compare that to a lot of American radio stations that play songs upwards of 120 times a week. That's about once every hour and a few minutes. Most of my friends hate the radio. I can understand it when you have the internet and endless musical choices at your finger tips. I still enjoy some aspects of radio and for what I expect from radio's limitations, C100 provides suitably.