“Okay, let’s see if I remember how to do this,” joked Rob Christie, after cracking open the microphone to mark the moment of his triumphant return to the airwaves of Edmonton.
“Okay, here we go: Edmonton’s Official Christmas Station, MIX 107.9! Good afternoon, it’s Rob Christie!”
The moment marked the cherry on top of a format change on the radio station occurring Tuesday afternoon, shifting from playing popular contemporary music to Christmas music.
In typical radio format-flip tradition, listeners were treated (assaulted?) with an unexpected barrage of sound. In this case, an entire hour of a single phrase looped from the end of the Michael Jackson 1982 hit “Thriller” narrated by Vincent Price, famed horror movie actor.
“Your body starts to shiver,” a clever nod to the Christmas format the station would soon offer from that moment until the end of the 2023 holiday season.
“I gotta tell ya, it feel great. It feels great to be back on the air, to be back on the radio. You know, when you’ve been in this business as long as I have, it’s in your genes and it’s the happy place. It’s the happy place,” Rob said in his Christmas format kick-off message.
“I’d be lying to you if I told you I didn’t miss it.
“It’s great to be talking to you, and I look forward to informing you, and entertaining you, and sharing this great music with you. This great holiday music.
“You know, with what’s going on in the world today, the terrible war in Ukraine, what’s been happening in Israel, and that Covid hang-over that many of us are still coping with, there’s never been a greater need for this music,” he said.
“It’s uplifting, it’s joyful, it reminds us of what’s truly important in our lives.”
Rob spent many years with Edmonton radio listeners, including on 630 CHED, Power 92, Magic 99, and Capital 96.3. Rob also entertained listeners in other Canadian cities, such as Sydney, N.S., Calgary, his hometown Monteral, Toronto, and Vancouver.
However, today Rob calls Edmonton home, and he is a major contributor to the local community, as a member of the Board of Directors with the Covenant Foundation, Edmonton Meals on Wheels, and B’nai Brith Alberta.
Rob is also a sought after master of ceremonies, narrator and voice actor.
In addition, Rob is a gold medal winner for Best Comedy/Humour Morning Show at the New York Festivals International Radio Awards.
Stay tuned to Edmonton’s Official Christmas Station, MIX 107.9, for Rob Christie mornings from 6 a.m. until 9 a.m.
