I've always been a fan of radio. When I was 12 I would ride the bus from the outskirts of Winnipeg to my high school downtown. Wrapped in parka head-to-toe, I would clutch my yellow Sony sports walkman (you know you had one too) and listen to the radio for the 45 minute drive.
I quickly found out that my growing knowledge of popular music was my gateway to conversations with boys, like I needed a reason to listen to the radio anyways. I listened everyday and loved it. Somehow it made me feel independent.
Then I worked for a non-profit that produced daily radio shows. I produced a few of them myself and found out that the radio was still alive in kicking in the face of new media. In fact, women are the most common listeners of radio. It is the only kind of media they can easily use while doing other tasks.
Vancouver has disappointed me for a long time with its radio. X-FM 104.9 was my fave until it disappeared into elevator-music-land. We've been desolate for the past number of years. There's some recent light - The Peak 100.5. Not X-FM, but getting a bit closer.