Fun fact: Toronto is not actually the capital of Canada. That’s Ottawa. However, Toronto is the biggest city in Canada, and it’s also the fourth-largest city in North America, following Mexico City, New York and Los Angeles.
Toronto is also one of the few radio markets featuring not one, but two Alternative stations. The big dog is CFNY (102.1 The Edge), which has been an Alt station since the late 1970s; is well-known for championing the format; and initially called itself “The Spirit of Radio,” which Rush immortalized in the song by the same name.
But in 2013, a challenge rose up, as crosstown CIND-FM launched as “Indie88.” Over the past decade, the station has carved out an audience and a path for itself. What’s it like being the younger upstart to a heritage station? “It’s fun, that’s for sure,” admits PD Ian March.
March emphasizes that it’s important that Indie distinguishes itself by being different and, well, independent. He explains what that sounds like on-air: “We have more leeway to experiment to do things in a non-traditional way. We can try out music genres that aren’t traditionally Alt,” he says, describing Indie88’s sound as “authentic.” It’s baked into the station’s DNA that Indie88 sounds distinctive and true to itself, which includes all elements and extends from the imaging to showcasing the differences in the airstaff. “Everyone who’s on-air is different from everyone else,” says March. “You’d never not know who’s talking – even if their voices were the same, each talent gets to showcase their uniqueness.”
March acknowledges there have been times where the Alternative format “sort of painted itself into a corner,” but during the early days of the format, Alternative was much less restrictive and there was plenty of Top 40-style music and content from other genres as part of the mix. “Musically, we’ve imagined what if that era continued, and we play what we think would fit into that,” he says.
What does that translate to? One aspect is that March has evolved Indie88’s sound to expand the timespan the station’s playlist covers. “We pulled currents a bit. But we play more – and more often. We’ve gone farther back,” as March describes widening the lanes of Indie88’s overall playlist over the past several months to include more gold, especially from the 1980s and early 1990s. “We’re being realistic about our demographic,” he says. “The other thing that’s helped it work is that the newer stuff sounds like it’s from the ‘80s, production-wise and sonically, so those songs go together with gold songs really well.”
One of March’s secret weapons is his Music Director, Michael Religa. “I’m incredibly lucky to have an off-air MD who goes to two or three shows a night and stays up until midnight on Friday to hear new stuff,” March says, acknowledging that Religa’s position is a luxury that many others don’t have. Indie88 actively highlights new music on-air with a sounder voiced with the language “may we bring your attention to something new?” and calling out the artist and title with the endcap of “Indie88: where new music belongs” before playing the track.
Next week: How else does March distinguish Indie88’s sound and some of his thoughts on the Alternative format. In the meantime, hear the wondrous sounds of Indie88 personally by streaming the station live at indie88.com.
Sample playlist segment from Monday, August 5:
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Burning”
The Offspring – “Make It Alright”
Arcade Fire – “Afterlife”
Depeche Mode – “Just Can’t Get Enough”
JJ Wilde – “Best of Me”
Eagle Eye Cherry – “Save Tonight”
The Rural Alberta Advantage – “Bad Luck Again”
Soup – “Let’s Go for a Ride”
Moby – “Porcelain”
Sloan – “Who Taught You to Live Like That”
Cage the Elephant – “Neon Pill”
July Talk – “The Garden”
The Raconteurs – “Steady as She Goes”
Noah Kahan featuring Hozier – “Northern Attitude”
Smashing Pumpkins – “Today”
Billie Eilish – “Lunch”
A former air personality and industry journalist, Keith Berman worked at the late Radio & Records for several years, where he held a number of positions before being promoted to format editor. While at R&R, he also served as a writer and reporter, covering breaking news; authoring weekly columns, format roundups and features; and contributing heavily to Street Talk Daily. When R&R folded, he co-founded RAMP (Radio and Music Pros) and spent 3 years covering radio and record labels before taking a hiatus from the industry. His experiences also include time on-air at stations in Connecticut, Boston and Southern California. He can be reached at KeithBerman@gmail.com.
