CFRC Partners with Kingston Music Office to Showcase Top Local Music Releases
Kingston, Ontario-CFRC 101.9 FM Radio Queen’s University is thrilled to announce its upcoming broadcast of the first ever Release Radar Top 20 in partnership with the Kingston Music Office. The program will air December 22nd 2024 from 1:00-3:00 PM on CFRC 101.9 FM and stream via cfrc.ca. This exciting and collaborative program marks a significant milestone in supporting local musicians and showcasing the incredible talent in Kingston on broadcast radio.
Local musicians and bands featured in the Kingston Music Office’s 2024 Release Radar Series and airing weekly on CFRC’s airwaves will be featured in Kingston’s first-ever authentically local broadcast radio countdown to the number one single and number one album released by Kingston-based musicians this year. The Release Radar Top 20 features selections from the top 10 ranked albums or EPs and the top 10 singles released by local artists across genres in 2024 that were featured in the Release Radar Series.
To facilitate the ranking process, CFRC opened a Listeners’ Choice poll allowing community members to rank their favorite singles and albums/EPs released by local artists. The online poll was open from December 3rd through 17th 2024 and was promoted on air and via social media.
“We’re so excited to have partnered with the Kingston Music Office in this initiative,” says Dinah Jansen, Executive Director, CFRC 101.9 FM Radio Queen’s University.
“While we have been broadcasting new Release Radar features weekly on our airwaves, the Release Radar Top 20 is another new, unique way to celebrate Kingston’s wealth of creative talent, support artists in their efforts to capture new audiences, provide opportunities to local artists to get airplay on broadcast radio, and to engage listeners with a new means to show their support for and appreciation of local musicians.”
The Kingston Music Office launched the weekly Release Radar series on Instagram in late spring 2024 as an initiative dedicated to promoting new local releases across its platforms. The Kingston Music Office, a partnership between Tourism Kingston and the City of Kingston, serves as the first point of contact for the music community and leads the implementation of the Kingston Music Strategy. This initiative aligns with the Strategy's priority to support and amplify the local music scene.
“The CFRC Listeners’s Choice Survey and Release Radar Top 20 are fantastic opportunities to celebrate Kingston's exceptional local music scene while shining a spotlight on the incredible talent our community has to offer,” says Moira Demorest, Music Officer, Tourism Kingston.
“By engaging listeners to vote for their favorite releases, we’re not only supporting local artists but also creating opportunities for their work to reach new audiences. Initiatives like this align perfectly with the Kingston Music Strategy’s vision to nurture creativity and foster a thriving music ecosystem in our city.”
Release Radars are posted weekly on the Kingston Music Office’s Instagram platform each Friday. CFRC approached the Kingston Music Office about a partnership to support the Release Radar initiative through the broadcast of music featured in the KMO’s weekly series in late summer. CFRC has since aired all music featured in these Release Radar posts each Wednesday at 1:00 PM on its new release radio program called This Just In.
“We’re thrilled to support the Kingston Music Office’s Release Radar project and to continue our historic role in the community to provide opportunities for local musicians to gain notoriety through broadcast radio, in some cases, for the very first time,” says Jansen.
“Campus radio stations like CFRC have long been instrumental to helping local musicians become broadcasting stars. In an era where digital platforms are the new reality, discoverability still remains a homegrown affair. We’re delighted to work with the KMO to announce, feature and celebrate new local releases, nurture the discoverability of Kingston’s local musicians at home and beyond, and to keep our community informed about their tremendous talents.”
The Release Radar Top 20 will broadcast on CFRC 101.9 FM and stream via cfrc.ca December 22nd 2024 from 1:00-3:00 PM.