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Fans of alternative rock will be happy to hear 102.7 The Peak has returned to the airwaves after a two-year absence.
The station, owned by Pattison Media, switched formats to NOW! in July, 2022, playing adult contemporary and encouraging its DJs to be chatty. It was based on a model in Edmonton, where NOW! is popular, but in Vancouver it failed to match the high expectations of Pattison Media.
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When NOW! went on air, The Peak remained available through streaming and HD2, which requires a receiver that accepts and interprets a digitized signal.
“New path led us back to where we started!” a news release blared, adding its absence the past two years was a “detour” and that “some valuable lessons (have been) learned.”
The Peak was popular for promoting up-and-coming local acts, and featured artists such as Muse, Green Day, Tame Iimpala, Coldplay, Death Cab For Cutie, Foo Fighters, Twenty One Pilots and Said the Whale.
Mark Patric, general manager of the station, did not respond to an interview request, but did issue a statement.
“The Peak has always been Vancouver’s home of alternative music,” he said. “We couldn’t be prouder to bring it back to FM.”
The station will play more music per hour, he said, limiting commercial breaks to a maximum of two minutes.
Before it moved to HD2, The Peak had a 3.0 market share, appealing to women 25 to 54 in particular (6.1 per cent share) and men of the same age bracket (5.4 per cent share).
That compares to the spring 2024 PPM ratings that have CKNW at No. 1 in the Vancouver market (13.2 per cent overall share). For females aged 25 to 54, 94.5 Virgin Radio was at 19.7 per cent, followed by Move 103.5 (15.9). CFOX led among males in the same age category (15.2 share). A recent figure for NOW! was not available.
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When The Peak moved to HD2, it initially held on to morning hosts Jeremy Baker and Charis Hogg, as well as midday host Jason Manning, but laid them off six months later.
“The Peak’s audience, even though they could only hear us on our stream and HD2 signal, has been impressively dedicated,” program director Russell James said in the news release.
“So many people discovered their new favourite song playing for the first time on 102.7 FM and we want to continue that discovery on the radio and showcasing new bands in The Peak Live Lounge!”
To mark its return, The Peak was offering free tickets to upcoming shows such as Cage the Elephant, Ocean Alley, Arkells and Tokyo Police Club.
Jaclyn Tatay and Braden Mack have been retained as hosts and will be heard on weekdays.
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