Okanagan’s 10 best radio personalities
The valley has lots to choose from, here are the announcers we appreciate the most
The Peach City Beach Cruise that’s on this weekend in Penticton, was a gentle reminder of how great radio is.
Like print newspapers, radio is timeless... and like print, still very relevant.
For this week’s Okanagan Top 10, we picked who we consider to be the 10 best in the valley, whether it’s in news, sports, talk radio or announcing.
This is an opinion column and choices were made by the Okanagan Weekend’s editorial staff. Did we omit your favourite? Let us know at: letters@ok.bc.ca.
ANDY & TJ EZ Rock
Kelowna’s longest-running morning show is hosted by two people who have chemistry both on and off the air.
Andy and TJ have been hosting the morning show on 101.5 EZ Rock together for 15 years.
It all began on Feb. 3, 2003 when Andy James and Tamara Joel said good morning on what was then Silk FM.
The professional pairing turned romantic and Andy and TJ married in 2009.
Andy and TJ play well off each other with light-hearted banter, and bring a positive energy to the morning commute.
They are on the air weekday mornings from 5:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Along with their morning radio gig, Andy and TJ are also involved in many charitable organizations in Kelowna.
ARA Beach Radio
Fans who can’t get enough of Ara Andonian on the Beach Radio 103.1 morning show are affectionately known as “araholics.”
After a change in format to the best music of the 80s and 90s, 103.1 went looking for exceptional morning show hosts and came up with Ara and former Global Okanagan TV news anchor Toby Tannas. Ara is no stranger to the Okanagan. A decade ago he had the top-rated afternoon show in Kelowna at Sun-FM.
But, he left to play in the big leagues, hosting the morning show on 91.7 The Bounce in Edmonton and the afternoon show on KISS Radio in Vancouver.
But Kelowna and Beach lured him back, and the araholics are sated.
REGAN BARTEL AM 1150
Regan Bartel has been the voice of the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets on AM1150 since 2000. With his patented “pitter, patter, let’s get at ‘er” intro to every game and his signature goal call, Bartel is unmistakable and the local station is fortunate to have a broadcaster of his calibre.
Bartel is entering his 19th season covering the Rockets — and 24th overall in the WHL after getting his start in his hometown of Swift Current, Sask. — and he’s called a total of 1,899 games for Kelowna, including 23 over five Memorial Cup national championship tournaments, 231 in playoffs and 1,645 in the regular season.
Bartel is always full of insight and his colour men mix in their share of humour, keeping it light for listeners. Bartel is an all-around good guy and he’s got a face for TV to boot.
B MACK Sun FM
His real name is Brian McCune, but everyone who listens to the 99.9 Sun-FM morning show in Kelowna knows him as B Mack.
He’s one-half of the B Mack and Karly Show, which tends to be made up of silly interactions between the two co-hosts when they aren’t playing hit songs.
However, there’s a serious side to the show too.
They tout charity and community causes on their show, everything from the B Mack and Karly Cold Weather Clothing Drive and Gutsy Walk to Let’s Talk Day (mental health) and the BC-SPCA.
Penticton-born-and-bred B Mack worked his way up to the coveted radio morning slot.
He started at Sun-FM on what’s known as the swing shift, working evenings and weekends, then landed a regular evening show before doing a short stint on afternoons.
RAINA DOURIS CBC Music
Raina Douris is a music-savvy radio host who plays everything from emerging artists to old hits.
Douris is the host of Mornings on CBC Music.
She is full of trivia about the music she plays so you not only hear the songs, but also many of the stories behind them.
Douris can describe any song in a way that makes you notice elements and details you may never have paid attention to before.
A graduate of Ryerson University’s radio and television program, Douris began her career at a Toronto rock station, before moving onto CBC Radio, hosting daily music shows.
Douris is based in Toronto, but she can be heard on the air in Kelowna every weekday morning on 89.7 FM from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.
PHIL JOHNSON AM 1150
Hosting a morning show on a talk radio station requires an engaging personality, encyclopedic knowledge of local issues, and folksy yet authoritative manner.
Phil Johnson is the man many Kelowna residents wake up to, Monday through Friday.
The longtime host of the AM 1150 morning show covers a dizzying array of topics on a typical shift, from city council shenanigans to U.S politics, Okanagan business trends to cutting-edge medical research.
Private radio can be a cutthroat environment, with on-air careers waxing and waning according to the fickle interests of the listenership, as measured by the all-important ratings books.
Some personalities try snark or silliness to cut through the noise. But, Johnson’s tenure at the mic is testament to his ability to come across as a genuinely-interested observer of local events, and his ongoing desire to involve the voices of ordinary residents in the conversations that matter in Kelowna.
MARE McHALE New Country 100.7
To describe Mare McHale as a radio DJ is a bit of an understatement.
While her voice is familiar to listeners throughout the valley, it’s on YouTube where the Penticton woman has the biggest following.
Mare, as she prefers to be called, produces daily inspirational video blogs that have now been viewed more than a million times by fans known as “Mareathoners.” She has also become a passionate and outspoken advocate for mental health.
You can catch her on New Country 100.7 Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and weekends from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Yes, she’s on the air seven days a week.
DONNY TAYLOR AM 1150
For many years, Donny Taylor was one of the most recognizable TV sports personalities in B.C.
As the host of Sportsnet Pacific’s lateshow, Taylor drew a big audience to a humorous and fast-paced show that wellsuited his folksy manner and impressive knowledge of sports trivia.
These days, Taylor is a main attraction on TSN 1040 Vancouver, whose programs are heard throughout the day in Kelowna on AM 1150.
Unlike some radio showmen, Taylor never takes himself seriously. He’s lighthearted while being informative, funny while being insightful.
One telling measure of his popularity is he’s often asked for his autograph when the show leaves the studio and goes on the road.
While he obviously cares about sports and shares the fans’ enthusiasm, Taylor seems to recognize that, in the end, it’s just a game.
CHRIS WALKER CBC Daybreak
As host of CBC Daybreak, Chris Walker is by far the best interviewer in the valley.
He’s tough, but fair, and always entertaining. Walker also has a sense of humour and you never tire of listening to him. Walker’s team lines up some great guests and the show does a good job of reaching all across the Okanagan and into the Kootenays.
Walker came to the Okanagan via Prince George and prior to that time he reported in the Middle East and spent a few years in Ottawa.
A journalism graduate from Carleton University in Ottawa, he won a documentary award from the Radio Television Digital News Association.
When he serves as a panelist at Herald all-candidates election forums in Penticton, he always draws the loudest applause.
(Kudos to the entire Daybreak team.)
DENNIS WALKER So Country
This one should have an asterisk as “Dumas” (no relation to Chris Walker) hasn’t been on the dial in Penticton since 2012 after the new owners of Giant FM let the announcing and advertising teams go.
He is now the morning man with Summit 107 FM in Cranbrook, and many Penticton residents listen to his show online.
He still operates an internet radio station called So Country (internet radio continues to grow in popularity), but admits he doesn’t have a lot of time to update the site, based in the South Okanagan.
One of his interesting quirks is he always rides a bicycle — unless he has to go out-oftown. He’s also never owned a credit card.
There was one word Dennis understood better than anyone — local. He wasn’t necessarily the best announcer in the history of Penticton radio, but he was the absolute best with people, never having a bad word to say about anyone.
If Dennis Walker ran for mayor of Penticton, he’d win.