So I got an email from @THEPEAK last weekend asking to come in to a focus group about the state of the station. I stopped listening to them a while back based on a lot of reasons, mostly which, for what I thought were probably not shared with all of Vancouver.

I decided to go in, to air my grievances, and just kinda say my bit on what I loved about the radio, what I missed, and what I liked. (This is long by the way & all these opinions are strictly my own. I didn't talk to anyone I tagged, I've just been letting this simmer for a week

So I'm sitting at this table with like 20 people and we're all saying the same thing. Like to a T. We all miss everything about the Peak was. And I wish I knew what happened or what made everything change. There's still lots of great content, but it's missing some serious magic

And I know this ramble to my couple hundred followers isn't gonna make waves, but like damn. Sitting around a table talking about 2008-2015, 2015-2018 etc.. man it sure makes you see how good Vancouver really had it with a station willing to take risks and have... fun

The programming was unreal. The music was great. There was so much community with the people you listened to. We're sitting around talking about some of the things we loved and so many awesome things that arguably shaped who I am today in terms of my passion for music came up.

Like @musicbc and the Peak launched the Peak Performance Project back in it's infancy (RIP). I don't think anyone outside of Peak listeners really know HOW much that did for our local community. Thanks to the Peak, tons of bands got an insane amount of exposure, and experience.

Because of the Peak Performance Project, I discovered @saidthewhale, @currentswell, @DearRouge, Gay Nineties, @GoodForGrapes, @jesseropershow, @theRyyka even @Bend_Sinister way back in the beginning.

And beyond that, the peak was THE place to go for new, awesome, indie music. Local music, international music: The Peak played it. Forgive me if I am wrong, but I'm pretty sure they were the first station to play @MumfordAndSons in North America?

Part of my love for the Peak was hearing shit before anyone else. I turn on other stations claiming "new music," and I get such a smirk knowing that my station of choice has been playing it for months ( @thezolas and @teganandsara come to mind for this).

And really... everyone that I listened to in my car was REAL. They were real people in the lower mainland, with similar issues or similar experiences to me. They all knew about how shit the 99 was, or how Vancouver winters really do hit different.

The DJ's truly MADE what The Peak was just as much as the music. The connection to who was putting the next song, and the passion for their work was audibly there all the time. You could hear it every day. And it's still there, to an extent, but a lot of it has gone away.

I'm just a listener so I don't know the behind the scenes. But the staff at the Peak was/is hands down the cream of the crop. There isn't a single other station where you can call and have a chat with the host when it's slow, or know they'll text back when u have something to add

I had my reservations about bringing @TylerOnAir & @LynchOnAir over from Alberta, because I thought I'd miss that Vancouver touch. I'm super happy that I was wrong about it. They moved in and settled down. Their morning show is fresh and real.

Listening to them talk about settling in to Vancouver, and their experiences with Vancouver is awesome. Sure they're corny sometimes, and maybe not every joke hits, since Lynch is getting up there in age, but they hit what a lot of people are looking for in a show.

Every top 40 station morning in Vancouver is exactly the same, and their programming is like listening to someone read People Magazine. And every other "rock" station has programming that hasn't changed since I was in highschool.

The other hosts are/were amazing too. And listening to them for 5, 10, 120 minutes a day is different than other stations. You get to know them. I don't get that from other stations at all. I know that there is probably nobody in Vancouver owns more band merch than @jasonmanning

I know that Emily is an amazing artist, and she's passionate about books and goats. I know that @JamesBWSutton lived and breathed the radio station, and that him and his amazing wife love Vancouver more than anything.

@caseyjoloos is a muse, and the passion she poured in to the station will never be matched. I'd leave work 5 minutes early every day, just so I could listen to James and her talk about their day. It was like sitting in a cafe, listening to two best friends catch up, every day.

And I fear, with this focus group, that what we have or had, is the last of what we have left. That so many amazing things about this small little station is drifting. And I don't know why. And that makes me really really sad.

I emailed in to give my feedback a number of times over the years, never with much of a response. I don't know who I needs to hear this, but maybe it's @Markpatric. I don't know who's going to hear the focus group recording, but I bet the other two groups had the same thoughts

Vancouver needs the Peak. Vancouver needs a station that isn't shifting to align better for advertisers. I don't know if that's what's happening, I'm not smart enough for that, but as an average joe, that's what it seems. We need a station that champions indie and truly new music

The peak championed new music, and gave voices, and platforms to some true talent. Artists in BC, wouldn't be where they are without you. DJ's and programmers have curated such an amazing part of my life. I'm forever grateful for the amount of "time" I got to spend with them all

And now... we get an afternoon show filled with folks who I assume don't even know if they know the difference between West Vancouver, Vancouver West, and the West End. Every time I listen to them, it's a sad attempt at shock jock humour. I've tried to give it a chance. I can't.

I tried for an hour to get through programming tailored to appeal to multiple cities, and it was... trash. It's pseudo-shock jock bathroom humour most of the time. And there's no love, there's no reliability, no connection, and there's no Vancouver to it. It's just another TMZ.

I guess I'm just sad that I realized it wasn't just me that felt this way. I'm sad things are changing. People say that radio is dying, and I really think its because nobody want's to tune in to listen to the same song, stories about eating the snot, and the Kardashians. So long.