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Wave 98.3
Vancouver’s Coolest Vibe
Story by Joe Leary
Photos supplied by WAVE 98.3
With a playlist that features a select mix of classic Motown and R&B, alongside today’s superstar artists such as Michael Bublé, The Weeknd, and Adele, all framed by groove-oriented instrumental pop selections, WAVE 98.3FM continues to offer a unique musical alternative for Vancouver radio listeners. Launched in July 2022, Vancouver’s newest radio station is owned and operated by Durham Radio Inc., an independent Ontario-based group comprised of seven radio stations
Vancouver’s Coolest Vibe, now in its second year on the air, is part of the “New Adult Contemporary” format. Owners Doug and Mary Kirk are thrilled at its warm reception within the local radio landscape. It’s a labour of love, as it gives them the chance to showcase artists particularly exceptional Canadian artists—whom other radio stations have largely ignored. “We love the artists that we’re presenting and we recognize the importance of THE WAVE for these amazing Canadian talents who get little to no airplay anywhere else,” says Mary Kirk. “A lot of them have really developed their careers after being introduced to a much wider audience through THE WAVE.
“We love the artists that we’re presenting and we recognize the importance of THE WAVE for these amazing Canadian talents who get little to no airplay anywhere else”
“We love the artists that we’re presenting and we recognize the importance of THE WAVE for these amazing Canadian talents who get little to no airplay anywhere else…”
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Jazz great, Gabriel Mark Hasselbach, is among the local artists who have their music featured prominently on this Vancouver radio playlist. Hasselbach is heavy on musical accomplishments and honors, with gold and platinum jazz albums and charted Billboard hits. Local airplay, however, was scarce before the arrival of THE WAVE.
Canada has long been behind in the world —especially behind the US—regarding original-driven adult contemporary, jazz, and pop instrumental music and has fallen into the narrowly ned stock airplay formats that are corporate-directed and strictly sponsorship-driven, he says.
However, Mary and Doug Kirk had the vision to unearth the gems (largely under-exposed Canadian material) that typically would fall between the format cracks at ‘regular’ radio and to proudly hoist the flag for the way FM radio used to be.
Every day at WAVE 98.3 is an exciting learning experience for music lovers, bringing the hidden gems of Canadian music to the forefront and mixing them with soulful classics that people love to hear, which also tend to fall between the cracks of the increasingly more format-restricted Airscape. THE WAVE is building a long-overdue culture on the West Coast, one that perfectly matches the lifestyle and the vibe of Vancouver and that of like minded listeners on the web.
Every day at WAVE 98.3 is an exciting learning experience for music lovers, bringing the hidden gems of Canadian music to the forefront and mixing them with soulful classics that people love to hear
Hats off to such a forward thinking, musically-generous guiding hand and music mentor: Mary Kirk! At the end of the day, we’re trying to get the radio station to a certain market share, adds Doug Kirk. The initial response here in Vancouver has been very good, especially considering it usually takes awhile to build awareness out there. It’s not that far a climb to get to a level of commercial acceptability for advertisers.
We’re already seeing accounts renewing expressly because the station works for them. It’s not just a numbers game! THE WAVE is all about a lifestyle. As we develop the format here in Vancouver, we remain convinced that the market is certainly big enough to support and embrace this new entry.
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