Canada’s Radio landscape just got more countrified with the partnership of 13 regional Country Music radio stations under the iheart logo. Pure Country is the banner that links a network of key regional stations together with a new syndicated programme hosted by Shannon Ella airing four hours a day on each station.
Each segment will feature all the latest country music news on both the domestic and international scene with profiles on new and established artists as well as key coverage on major Canadian festivals such as Cavendish, Boots & Hearts and Country Thunder as well as major music awards shows such as the CCMA’s.
Canada’s Country Music is so family oriented,” enthused Ella. “We have fans all over the country so it’s great that we can link up with the Pure Country format to provide a consistent level of coverage, it brings all of our country fans together, it helps them to enjoy everything that is happening country music wise in this country.”
Ella notes that each radio station in the national network will continue to set their own musical playlists and will continue to promote their own local artists but the Pure Country “puts a fresh coat of paint on the stations” and allows them to benefit from the iheart brand.
An avid Country Music fan who has worked in country radio in both London Ontario and Fredericton New Brunswick, Ella recognizes there is a wide variety of musical styles that cover Country Music and she notes that her program will cover all genres. “If the Rolling Stones released “Dead Flowers” today, that song would be considered as Country Music. I like the way it’s pulling in pieces of different styles. I was at a festival recently where Madeline Merlo performed. She gave off a distinctive R&B vibe and then she was followed by Vancouver’s Washboard Union, two totally different styles but there was no issue with the audience.”
Aside from Ella’s four-hour syndication, Pure Country will also feature a Top 20 Countdown on Saturdays and Sundays presented by Sophie Moroz and Jeff Hopper which aside from featuring Canada’s Top 20 songs, will also spotlight new music via it’s `What’s On Tap’ segment plus a throwback segment called Pure Country Yearbook and a Feature Artist of The Week.
International material will also be featured on Bobby Bones’ Top 30 Countdown but Ella stresses that each radio station in the network retains its own autonomy in setting their own playlists.
“I love getting new music and being exposed to new talent,” enthuses Ella. “But it’s up to each station to determine what they play in their own region.”
International music will also be presented on Bobby Bones’ Top 30 Countdown with Bones, the youngest member of National Radio’s Hall Of Fame inductee, also has his own daily show.
Anyone wishing to submit information or new music can do so by linking to www.iheartradio.ca/purecountry and connecting with each station individually.
Stations included in the Pure Country Network include:
Ottawa Pure Country 94
Fredericton 103.5
Nova Scotia Truro 99.5
London 93
Central Ontario Orillia/Barrie/Midland 106
Pembroke 96.7
Peterborough 105
Sudbury 91.7
Dawson Creek 890
BC Pure North Terrace/Prince Rupert/Kitimat
Brandon 101
Regina 92.7
Kingston 99
