If all of Trent Radio is an iceberg, then Radio Free Peterborough (RFP) is the deep, lurking, mammoth part—the kind that sinks ocean liners.
Each night as we sleep, an unending game of musical roulette broadcasts over the airwaves. Thousands of local music tracks have been lovingly archived over the last decade and the result is an Internet radio station as unique, weird, and awesome as you could ever find.
And it’s right here! Available on your radio dial after midnight, or 24/7 on the Internet, thanks to the genius of Steve McNabb.
I first encountered RFP as a newcomer to Peterborough with an early-morning baker’s job. I set my radio-clock alarm to 92.7FM (I wanted to become a cool local). On the first morning, a resounding yell pierced through my dreams at 4:45 am.
“RIDERS! MANY RIDERS ON SWIFT STEEDS ARE COMING TOWARDS US!”
I ran over to my radio, pantless, and turned it down just in time to realize that a local production of Lord of the Rings was broadcasting. The riders of Rohan were coming and my roommate was calling a house meeting. I learned quickly that you never, ever knew what would be playing on RFP. I was hooked.
Three years later, the radio is nearly always playing at my house, ostensibly to keep the dog company. The real reason is that I love the surprises of RFP. One night, the pup crawled into my bed whimpering in fear. I got up to investigate only to catch a re-broadcast of Weird Music Day. Loud shrieks do not make a happy border collie.
For the record, the dog seems to enjoy the music of Dave Tough and also Kay Pettigrew. The puppy has excellent taste.
If local music roulette sounds like something you might like, tune in late at night or visit radiofreepeterborough.ca. The magic is right at your fingertips.