Radio Reminiscing With The Boys

Saw some buddies of mine today that had a profound effect on my career. Back in the day we had a more personal touch in the radio business. Radio Trackers were a big part of our weekly routine. A required aspect to the overall sound of radio was the label rep….the Tracker! The role of a tracker was to get the Music Directors to listen to their labels songs. This was not as easy as it sounds. There were radio stations in Canada made up of Rock, AC, Hot AC, Country, CHR, Dance, Campus, Community, Urban and Multi-Cultural formats. Each of these formats has a specific Music Director who collated music through the label trackers and other sources. Two of the best in the biz were Kevin Korchinski and Skip Taylor. There were many times where I didn’t like or care for the song because it didn’t fit our format or I wasn’t keen on the structuring, but these guys could pitch and sell an anvil to a drowning man. They would persuade/convince me that this was the best song for us. Sometimes it didn’t work but for the majority it was “hook, line, & sinker”.

Both of my friends have moved on but they have not strayed far from the entertainment field. Kevin and Skip are integral parts of OSAC situated here in Regina. OSAC is a non-profit arts and cultural organization that enables community arts councils and schools to tour and hold live musical and theatre performances, visual art exhibitions, workshops, and special events across Saskatchewan. OSAC is proud to live and work on the lands of Treaty Four and Treaty Six and the traditional home of the Metis. The organization is committed to continuing to build our relationship with Indigenous peoples as well as those from around the world who make Saskatchewan the diverse place it is. Across Saskatchewan, they bring people and the arts together. In more than 80 towns and cities, local arts councils and schools keep the arts alive. Thanks to their efforts, those communities enjoy live music and theatre performances, visual art exhibitions, workshops, and special events. OSAC is a non-profit charitable organization.

Kevin Korchinski | Executive Director / 306.586.1220/ [email protected]