Radio host and long time broadcaster Mike Kear has been nominated as Broadcaster of the Year in this year’s IBMA’s Industry Award category.
Mike has been living in Australia (expat Kiwi) since 1981. He started out assisting on radio 2SER in central Sydney and moved to Hawkesbury Community Radio Station when an opening occurred for a broadcaster. He has been broadcasting for that station now for some 23 years. That is a significant achievement for a volunteer radio host.
Mike has developed a popular format for his radio show called Music From Foggy Hollow where he broadcasts a variety of new release bluegrass and acoustic roots music. His radio show is not just heard within his hometown of Windsor NSW, but Music From Foggy Hollow is relayed globally through bluegrasscountry.org, the mainstay of bluegrass broadcasting in the USA. Bluegrass Country broadcasts bluegrass and roots music 24 hours a day 7 days a week on digital radio in Washington DC and through the Internet.
Since 2001, Mike has worked to build relationships with bluegrass artists, record labels, music managers and music promoters. This ensures his program has access to and can focus on new music from the industry, and indeed some tracks played on the show are yet to be released. Not many new music albums or singles are released in the bluegrass world without being on Music From Foggy Hollow.
In May 2012 Mike announced that he had broadcast his 500th show for Hawkesbury Radio.
Mike also submits Music From Foggy Hollow playlists to Bluegrass Unlimited monthly bluegrass survey compiled by Lee Michael Demsey, and also the Bluegrass Today weekly airplay chart.
I take a systematic approach to selection of material for each show so all new music gets appropriate airtime. There’s a good balance between progressive material as well as traditional sounding music, instrumentals and vocal cuts.
I believe the biggest contribution I can make to bluegrass is to help get the artists and their music exposed to listeners, fans, promoters, festival organisers etc. and help bring new fans to acoustic music the way she is supposed to be – Mike Kear.
How to listen to Music From Foggy Hollow:
The show goes to air in Sydney live for 5 hours, beginning at 10pm Fridays, Sydney time, which is 8am US Eastern Daylight Savings Time and 12 noon GMT.
You can also find the show by going to the station’s web site at Hawkesbury Radio or via the TuneIn site. They also have an app for mobile devices you can download from the App store or Google shop. There is a re-broadcast several times a week in Washington DC on Bluegrass Country. Currently the show times are 10:00am Sundays (US Eastern Time) and 7:00pm Tuesdays (US Eastern time)
Congratulations Mike on a well deserved recognition from the International Bluegrass Music Association.
About IBMA:
The IBMA is the non-profit music association that connects, educates, and empowers bluegrass professionals and enthusiasts, honoring tradition and encouraging innovation in the bluegrass community worldwide. The IBMA is a member-led organization. Its Board of Directors is elected by professional members. Volunteer committees make a large number of IBMA’s annual programs possible. The IBMA office, in Nashville, Tennessee, has a staff of four which implements the directives of the Board.
Congratulations to Mike for a well deserved IBMA nomination ….