i was lucky enough to be living in Toronto in the 80's and to be able to listen to the great CFNY, 102.1 The Spirit of Radio
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CFNY-FM
The Spirit of Radio
Written by Neil Peart in 1979, recorded by Rush, inspired by CFNY:
As for The Spirit of Radio – it was written about CFNY and all that we stood for - I was told that by the band and management before the album was released. At that time Rush and their manager discussed with me that there would be no reference officially to CFNY as it could stop other radio stations from playing the track. As a fan and supporter of Rush I agreed that would be the best plan. If you still have a vinyl disc you will find that in the centre grooves you will find the album master number is 1021. - David Marsden, August 2001
Begin the day
With a friendly voice,
A companion unobtrusive
Plays the song that's so elusive
And the magic music makes your morning mood.
Off on your way
Hit the open road,
There's magic at your fingers
For the Spirit ever lingers,
Undemanding contact
In your happy solitude.
Invisible airwaves crackle with life
Bright antenna bristle with the energy
Emotional feedback
On a timeless wavelength
Bearing a gift beyond price
Almost free
All this machinery making modern music
Can still be open-hearted
Not so coldly charted,
It's really just a question
Of your honesty
One likes to believe
in the freedom of music,
But glittering prizes
And endless compromises
Shatter the illusion
Of integrity.
For the words of the profits
Are written on the studio wall,
Concert hall --
Echoes with the sounds...
Of salesmen.
i'm not a huge fan of Rush, but the station deserved all the accolades it received, it played great music, it's funny over the years i've realized how fortunate i was to have this station to listen to, but it was brought home to me again recently while listening to the Howard Stern The Peacock Years Retrospective, chronicling the jock's days at WNBC in New York, the music played in and out of breaks in the show was typical of regular 80's radio and was horrible, Barry Manilow, Hall & Oates, Laura Brannigan etc
It realy brought back some memories 