Hal's collection is nothing but classics. Big, stinky, raging guitar, drum fills for days, type of…read moreclassics. Hey, aren't these folks also the people behind that rather irritating, "win a manly man's motorcycle" contest? I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure the faint whiff of this incessantly bothersome contest is a baby of this station's. CCR is currently playing, which is pretty fine by me. They play artists like Heart and Aerosmith, and pretty much anything that screams classic rock. I do appreciate that they have a clear cut "Classic Rock" premise, but this station drys up after a short period of listening. Oh golly, they're playing the Foo Fighters... memories of Big Shiny Tunes from the days of yore. This isn't my favorite station in the least, but on a plus note, I don't find it despicable like a number of the other local choices. You can be guaranteed that if you weren't living under a rock for the past forty years, you'll be able to sing along to quite a few of these ditties.

When I find myself without my iPod or CD's on a car ride this is one of the radio stations that I…read moreusually find myself turning to. There is something comforting about the variety of old classics that they play, and while they choose to limit their variety, I'm a fan of the hits so I can't complain. The radio personalities are pretty chill and less imposing than some of the other stations around so their witty banter doesn't come across as annoying. My favorite thing about tuning into this frequency is that there are huge stretches of songs, and less interruptions, something that is boasted by others but rarely delivered. Those long song stretches, and low key classic rock are great for background music or to sing along with when you're cruising around in your car. If you want stimulation or anything new than keep turning your frequency dial. Hot Hint: Follow the 89.9 crew on twitter at twitter.com/899halfm.

While I don't love the music played on Country 101.9, for the most part I don't mind it, as long as…read moreit's not one of the few songs that is played over and over. More-so, it's the broadcasting that I mind, particularly that of Denyse Sibley. I understand that a lot of listeners like her and that she has done a fair bit in the community, but as a broadcaster, she can sometimes be quite annoying. While broadcasting, she often talks about herself and her social life and can frequently be heard taking cheap shots at her co-worker, Jigger. For these reasons, I find Denyse to come across as arrogant and for the most part do not enjoy her broadcasting.

It's really unfortunate that Halifax's only country radio station earns just three stars on this…read morecountry fan's hit list. While a three star rating is nothing to get upset over normally, because I WANT to like this radio station so much, it disappoints me it comes up short of being great. I love the music that this station usually plays, a mix of country new and old, with the top 40 repeated throughout the day. While that might get frustrating for some people, I like hearing those songs repeated, and the songs on rotation get switched about every month so new ones will cycle through eventually. It's disappointing that 101.9 boasts non-stop music stretches, but when those end you are stuck listening to low brow observational humour about average working class people. The on-air personalities are admittedly a little bit obnoxious, but everyone on the air in this city seems to be (with the exception of the ever stone-faced cast of CBC radio). The call-in segments are a little lame, awarding listeners with concert tickets for answering questions like the classic "what do women do 38% more often then men". Hot Hint: A list of current contests and rules can be found on their website, but don't expect to find much else there. Sorry 101.9 but your web design gets a D.

Whomp-Whomp. As I…read moretrudge up Cogswell Street on a hot day, the invasive beats sounding outside of Z103.5's quarters aren't helping my pace. Yes, we know, Miley Cyrus is making her transition from Disney Tart to Sexified Superstar. But must I be reminded at every passing moment? I feel violated. Personally, its just not the sort of material I prefer to load my brain with. These are the kind of tunes calculated by beat wizards to suck in young children and their parents cash-flow. Unfortunately, there are side effects that undertake innocent passer byers. And it makes me uncomfortable. The station rips rapid beats, remixes, and hip-pop to drown you for hours! Parents: do your kiddies a favour, and avoid this station at all costs. Or else live with the knowledge that they may never know what constitutes real music. Sometimes I'm just glad so to have been an 80's baby. Sidenote: As I vent away my own song, my background noise is provided with the iTunes library on shuffle. Silverchair's "Freak" has just made the play, and I laugh to myself about lecturing good music. But hey. At least less than fantastic music used to be inspired by something significant. (In this case: Nirvana) Nothing seems to stem beyond Lady Gaga nowadays. Back on topic... I can't make a case for this one. Its not good. Do yourself a favor and walk right on past.

Come on guys. Have some poor dude spill his guys on radio at lunch today with how his wife is mad…read moreat him because her friends put the idea in her head he is not a great guy over how he went about buying a wedding ring with her at the mall and did not provide the cookie cutter experience to her with the sunset blah blah bullshi$% that we call a standard wedding proposal. What is worse is how you treated me. I hear on radio stations all the time stories and people are asked to call in with their story. I thought it was one of those so I called and all I have to say to you Z103 girl is have some guts. You should have just told me you were not taking calls on this but rather you played a game and asked me what station as if I did not hear your voice on the radio right before I called talking about this guy then you proceeded to say you would transfer me where I heard a CLICK. Weak play grow up!!!

CKDU is the Campus Radio Station for Dalhousie University. It is also something that almost none of…read morethe other radio stations in Halifax are: Interesting. While other stations around town are full of boring, same ol' same ol' tunes, CKDU is almost always playing something you haven't heard. It may be great, it may be terrible, but it's something different, which is what radio should always be in my opinion. Because the station is volunteer based, some of the shows are better than others. Even the not so great programs are interesting to listen to and I can highly recommend you tune your radio dial to 88.1 on any day, at any hour to find some form of entertainment. My favorite programs are the classic "Let's Get Baked! With Mat And Dave" (Thursday's at 5:00) and "Car Bomb To The Heart" (Tuesday's at 7:30). Be sure to have a listen the next time you're spinning your radio dial!

Seldom do I stray from my CBC habits, but in a recent flip through The Coast, I noticed an…read moreadvertisement for this seemingly hip radio station. The ad listed a top 10 list with some great bands sans the radio-play stigma. Curious, I tuned in. Is this the solution for the anti pop? Perhaps... ! With a smooth flow of fine musical taste and a side note of educational interest, this is a great station for those devoted to upcoming and indie types. Apparently run by Dal students, I'm certainly glad to have tuned into such tidings. And while I maintain a CBC regular, I will certainly switch things up with a little 88.1. Lovely.

CBC Radio: The high point of Canadian Culture. I'll forever love curling into my reading perch with…read morethe conversations of CBC serving as a solid backdrop. This is a station that has my utmost love and respect. Although times are tough and job cuts have sadly shaken its core, CBC continues to strive for excellence. International and local news are well-conceived, with conversational approach. CBC avoids the fluffy stuff: it delves deep into our country's creative cultural center-point, and gives listeners an enlightened analysis on many topics. Personal stories, interviews, late night overseas broadcasts, skits, music analysis and more... there is always something different on CBC, and I find it a great source of education. A few favourite shows of my own include Sook Yin Lee's "Definitely Not The Opera". "The Q" with Gene Ghomeshi is a great show for music fans, and "Wire Tap" is hilariously good times. I subscribe to a number of CBC podcasts that get me going during a run and a workout. CBC is all around a fantastic Canadian broadcast, and perhaps a dream job of my own. Hats off, as this station keeps everyday thought outside of the box.

My most serious radio relationship is with CBC. Yes it's true, I do engage in the odd tryst with…read moreother more hip stations. But when the makeup comes off and it's me in my jammies with a cup of tea, it's just CBC for me as I curl up, book in hand, with ears primed for listening. I'm all ears when I rise for Maritime Morning. My internal clock seems to always get me moving on the half hour or on the hour, so I'm just on time for a news update. When I'm working around the house, I love listening to the great interviews and debates that are being had over this relevant station's airwaves. The local news is great, and in the evening, it's nice to hear familiar voices giving me the day's details along with a great playlist of contemporary local artists as well as hip international acts. On the weekend, I dial in to hear Brent Bambury along with The Debaters and of course, 'contest nana,' if not solely for the theme song. This is a great station, both for it's local flavor and national programing. The coverage on international events is unparalleled by any other station, and the informative stories sought out by talented journalists are thought provoking and expertly executed. CBC Radio, you're the top daddy for me.

I'm referring here mainly to CBC Radio One, which used to be the only reason I owned a radio…read more What's left of CBC is an embarrassment: (1) way too many music playlists for a talk station (I already have 20 music stations, thanks); (2) too many "5 minutes of this", "10 minutes of that" shows for people with low attention spans; (3) TERRIBLE local coverage (they would even break away from the coronavirus briefing to give us "top of the hour" news!); (4) what passes for news on CBC is pablum -- it's bland, anemic, irrelevant, giving us the impression that there's really nothing going on in our country. Listen to Democracy Now" cover any news story in Canada for how CBC *should* sound. It just isn't what it used to be, and the management is in no way responsive to user feedback. It's time for CBC to go.

You needn't speak elegant French or altogether understand the language in order to tune into this…read morewhimsical station. Espace Musique is CBC's French language equivalent to CBC Radio 2. As it crackles into my kitchen, I feel transported to a time when gramophones reigned supreme and belting tenors seduced the masses. From classical pieces to contemporary artists, all of the song choices seem to be smooth and reminiscent of waltzing along Parisian streets, hand in hand with an attractive mate. I love listening to the hosts speak the news, and even if standard information is being conveyed, it somehow sounds more lustful when spoken in French. Perhaps I'm romanticizing it all, but nonetheless, it makes me happy. Oooh, a sassy samba has just come on! I love this station. Their international palate is diverse and always streaming, with loads of different cultures represented through crooning voices and assorted beats. Don't let the language barrier deter you. Listen to 91.5 for the relaxed vibes and sexy beats. It's a great station.

The declutter and organize package is a scam. There arent professionals working here. I'm a working…read moresingle mom, I paid a lot of money for this service. I got 3 cleaners with no declutter or organizing skills. They didn't know how to sort recycling, they dumped out my apple cider vinegar and threw out some containers I use. They didn't declutter, they stacked stuff in piles. The dishes were still greasy and cloudy. I would not ever recommend this service or this company to anyone I actually care about. I needed help and I got scammed. This is a stress no one needs. Find a better service.

tl;dr: Cleaners have no attention to detail, didn't actually organize anything, showed up late and…read moreleft early, then the owner got shady with me when I tried to get a refund for all the work they chose not to do. -- I hired this company for a four hour organizing package because I was overwhelmed to tears with the mess my house was in and realized I desperately needed some help with it. The three cleaners showed up an hour late and did a light cleaning. The girl working in the bathroom was okay, she actually took everything out and tidied it up. I pointed out that my kitchen cabinets were in disarray and that was one of the things I really wanted organized. When the cleaners were done I was shown the "work" they did, but everything in the kitchen looked the exact same; the tupperware I'd shoved into the top shelf didn't look like it had even been touched but the cleaner just waved at it and said "this was fine so I just left it." After I explicitly told them it was not fine and I wanted it organized... I had pre-paid for 4 hours but after about an 1.25 hours they told me they were done and just needed to mop. They didn't touch any of the bookshelves and beyond vacuuming and mopping the bedrooms I don't think anything in them was organized. The lead cleaner told me they'd let the owner know the job didn't take as long as expected, so I figured that meant they would refund me for the rest of the time. After the cleaners left, I was beyond disappointed. After paying all that money, my house was no more organized than it was before I came, and I could have done the amount of cleaning in under an hour that the three of them did in an hour and half. After two weeks I still hadn't gotten a refund, so I emailed the owner, who was very rude to me. She told me there was a 2 hour minimum charge, which is not mentioned anywhere on their website or in the policies I was given by them. I pointed that out, and that if there was a 2 hour minimum charge they should have stayed and cleaned for 2 hours. She then told me the cleaners had actually been there for 1.75 hours so she just "rounded up." Super shady. She also snarkily offered to send a team back to my place to clean for 15 minutes. The whole interaction with her was very unprofessional.