The Ongoing History of New Music is back at Edge 102

by Mark Teo

August 26, 2014

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After Edge 102 lost fiery morning host Dean Blundell — and fistfuls of listeners — last year, the beloved Toronto radio station was left seeking an identity. And over the months that ensued, the station’s strategy seems to have crystallized: The Corus-owned station looking to return to their roots as an alternative radio powerhouse by capturing some of CFNY’s former glory.

Indeed, they’ve gone restructured themselves, and their programming, to resemble the Edge 102 of yore: First, they rebooted the Spirit of Radio with beloved host Scot Turner. Then, they announced that they were bringing back Alan Cross—a name synonymous with prime-era Edge, and one who spent 15 years working for the station. And today, they announced their future plans for him: He’s leading the revival of The Ongoing History of New Music, one of the station’s most popular shows.

That’s huge news for both the Edge and Cross—it’s arguable that both built their reputations with the show. After a three-year hiatus, the show returns with a 12-hour (yes, you read that correctly) marathon on Labour Day. A week later, The Ongoing History of New Music will air every Sunday at 7 p.m. with a repeat on Mondays at 11 p.m.

Cross will also debut a new feature called Adventures in Vinyl—which Cross describes as “a daily feature, but I have a feeling it will morph into something longer and more comprehensive, too.” It’s set to document the vinyl resurgence in Canada and, hopefully, support the nation’s network of music stores.

“I am soooo glad to be back at the Edge and doing Ongoing History of New Music again,” Cross said in a statement. “Since 1993, there have been 691 episodes produced and more than 5,000 daily features — and now we can build on that number and continue to chronicle the artists, themes, facts and myths behind today’s music culture.”

The resuscitation of the show will begin with an Smiths-referencing episode called “Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One Before,” and a press release details future episodes centring around the Ramones and music-industry self-sabotage. Indeed, it looks like The Ongoing History of New Music is picking up right where it left off.

The station’s honchos seem to believe so, too.

“We are very excited to resurrect Ongoing History of New Music and are looking forward to Adventures in Vinyl becoming a favourite,” Corus general manager Dave Farough said in a statement “These additions are just another way that the Edge is returning to its musical roots by offering intelligent, original and curated content that can’t be found anywhere else.”

Glad as we are that Cross is back, though, the station’s new direction raises a few questions: Can the Edge revive some of CFNY’s former glory? Is this an exercise in rote nostalgia? Will new listeners be attracted to the station’s time-tested programming? Time, of course, will tell.

In the meantime, here’s a classic episode of The Ongoing History of New Music.

Tags: Music, Cancon, News, Alan Cross, CFNY, edge 102

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