Music, life, discussion and FUN

That is what listeners of Kyiv's Radio Continent 94.2 FM are in for every Friday during their drive home, wrapping up things at work or simply just listening to a station that was once a bastion of free news prior to being shut down on March 3, 2004 when it was broadcast on the 100.9 frequency.

Prior to Ukraine's Independence Day celebration in 2006 I received an e-mail from an old friend Serhiy Sholokh who said his radio station was to start broadcasting again on Independence Day. He was right... They came out but under a completely different format.

Early this spring I finally saw Serhiy once again at a press conference at UNIAN, after a journalist friend had told me that Serhiy was looking for me. A lot of time had passed since he fled Ukraine back in February of 2004. We discussed what he was doing with his station, and I started to tell him some of my plans for my business. As a result, this Friday July 6, after many months of planning and discussions our very own show called Skhidna liha will be airing at 17:15 [Kyiv time] on Radio Continent as well as via their multimedia server. The show will be rebroadcast on Saturday mornings at 11:15 for those who missed the original broadcast. If the musical intro doesn't wake listener's up, I am not sure what will.

I think anyone in Kyiv who manages to listen to the show will clearly understand that our approach is nothing like the approach to radio that many of the FM stations in Kyiv have. Hosted by my business partner Rostyslav Shtyn, and his side kick William Patrickovych, I am sure that anyone who listens, and likes good music will enjoy this program. If you do listen, and enjoy it, let your friends know.

Just like the title of this entry suggests, the program is all about Music, Life, Discussion and FUN. Tune in!

A Good Friend of Music Returns

Last night on my way from the office I heard my old mobile ring. Later when I examined the missed calls I didn't recognize the number! Shortly thereafter I received a text message from a good friend: "Sholokh just came into Baraban looking for you!"

I immediately called her to see if he was still there... Unfortunately not! By this time I had realized that the number I didn't recognized was that of my good friend Serhiy Sholokh, the own and General Director of Radio Kontinent, the only listenable and informative radio station in Ukraine, until it was shut down on March 3, 2004 on the eve of the presidential elections which culminated in the Orange Revolution.

Sholokh himself had a thing for music, after all he had studied at the R.M.Glier Kyiv State Higher Music College, named after Reinhold Glière played Saxaphone and loved jazz. Some of the best jazz could be heard on Radio Continent, including licensed rebroadcasts of BBC's Dinner Jazz.

A few days before Ukrainian Independence Day I received an e-mail from Serhiy. Continent was going back on air, but on a different frequency. He told me this was his gift to Ukraine on its 15th anniversary of Independence.

When I meet him later today after his press conference we will have a lot to talk about. After all the last time I saw him and heard from him was two or three days before he slipped across the Ukrainian-Polish border early on the morning of February 29, 2004. He sent me a text message which read:"Brother I am in Poland and I'm fine!"