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Russian radio takes over Vancouver airwaves

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Moscow is 11 hours behind Vancouver, so Russians are having a hard time keeping up with the latest Olympic news. That’s where the fast-talking, joke-cracking trio from Russia’s AUTORADIO comes in. They’re renting air time on a local Vancouver station, so that they can broadcast. And thanks to Canadian laws Moscovites are getting a little bit of Canadian culture thrown in as well. The World’s Andrea Crossan has more. (Photo: Andrea Crossan)

• BBC coverage of Vancouver 2010
• On The World: the numbers behind the Olympics
• Listen to Russian radio stations online

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MARCO WERMAN:  Hockey is a big deal in Russia, but people in Moscow are having a hard time tuning in to the Games because of the 11 hour time difference.  But a Vancouver radio station is giving Moscow hockey fans what they want and more.  The World’s Andrea Crosson reports.

ANDREA CROSSON:  It’s 8:00 p.m. in Vancouver.  One local radio station goes off the air and Auto Radio comes on.  Goodbye easy listening oldies station, hello fast-talking, wise-cracking DJ’s.  Russian DJ’s.

ZAHAR:  I think morning shows are similar everywhere.  But we’re the best.  All of them, they cannot do it so good like us.

CROSSON: That’s Zahar.  He’s one of the Auto Radio DJ’s.  Auto Radio transplanted its morning drive time team to the Russian Olympic Pavilion, Sochi House, to broadcast for two weeks during the Games.  8:00 p.m. in Vancouver means its 7:00 a.m. in Moscow.  That’s the regular time when Muscovites are used to hearing Zahar and his fellow DJs, Mikael Bragin and Tatiana Gordeeva.  Zahar says his regular listeners in Moscow want to hear about how Team Russia is doing.

ZAHAR:  Most of the news is about the Games, but of course if Russian athletes win any medal, we try to celebrate it.

CROSSON: Here’s how it works: every night Auto Radio rents the airwaves of a local Vancouver radio station.  So the Russians broadcast to Moscow and Vancouver.  Brad Phillips is the Vice-President and General Manager of CISL650.  He says the decision to allow a Russian invasion made good business sense and it doesn’t shake things up too much.  Most of CISL’s listeners have switched off when the Russian station takes over at 8:00 p.m.  Most, but not all.

BRAD PHILLIPS:  We’ve had some phone calls from our own audience that, a few of them have been a little bit perturbed with us and perhaps a little shocked.  Then we explained to them that don’t worry, we’re not taking away your radio station, we actually are doing this because of the Olympics and it’s all going to be over.

CROSSON: Russian listeners may also be a bit surprised during morning drive time.  Muscovites still hear the three joke-cracking DJs talk about sports and news, and the DJs still play their usual Russian pop music, but now they also play Canadian pop music, and Canadian classic rock and Canadian folk and Canadian easy listening.

ZAHAR:  We know who is Bryan Adams for example, or Celine Dion.

MIKHAIL BRAGIN:  Celine Dion and so many different groups.

TATIANA GORDYEVA:  Yeah.

ZAHAR:  She doesn’t speak English so she just said Lara Quinn and Nelly Furtado.  Of course we Russians not the Island somewhere on target.  Of course we know a lot of music.

CROSSON: They wouldn’t be playing quite as much Canadian music, except that they have to.  The law here requires that if you broadcast on the country’s air waves, you play Canadian music.  One-third of all the music has to be Canadian.  DJ Mikael Bragin reads tonight’s play list.  It’s an unusual mix.

BRAGIN:  Most songs are Russian songs, pop Russian.  Like – - maybe no.  Very popular song in Russia – - , very old style.  But Stevie Wonder you know and Bachman Turner Overdrive is Canadian group, I don’t know, but it’s Canadian.

CROSSON: Canadian classic rock band Bachman Turner Overdrive clearly never made it big in Moscow.  Maybe now they’ll make some new fans.  The next Winter Olympics will be held in the Russian City of Sochi in 2014.  So Russians are following the doings in Vancouver to get a preview of what might be in store for them in four years.  And for Russian listeners, who knows?  After two weeks of this unique format, they may miss hearing those Canadian classics on their airwaves.  For The World, I’m Andrea Crosson in Vancouver.

WERMAN:  This is PRI, Public Radio International.

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