Darlene Check is taking Giant FM listeners to school with new Saturday afternoon network show, Darlene’s School of Rock.
Familiar to listeners as the morning show co-host on Niagara’s Classic Rock, 91.7 Giant FM (CIXL-FM), Check told Broadcast Dialogue that the new show is borne of her own music obsession.
“It started with my mom’s Fats Domino records and hit high gear in the ’80s, doing smoke shows in muscle cars with my three older brothers while building the soundtrack to our lives,” said Check of her own rock and roll education. “When I brought the pitch to the programming department, it was an easy sell—I needed a space where my creative filter could finally come off. Upper management trusted me with this concept because I eat, sleep, and breathe all of this.”
She describes the classroom-based show as part fact and part fantasy, “delivered with a heavy, unapologetic wink.”
“These are class-based lessons with a thematic spine,” explained Check, pointing to her upcoming show “Aqua Net Armageddon” which will ironically air close to Earth Day later this month.
“We’re going to burn through the ozone with two full hours of hair bands,” said Check. “This is consumption concept music. It’s meant to evoke an emotion because this isn’t just a playlist—it’s a look back at the miles we’ve already driven and the trouble we’ve made…and there’s a lot of fun stuff in there.”
Check has been given the freedom to play whatever she wants – from J.J. Cale to Jackyl.
“The classroom is really just a club where you might actually learn a thing or two about your favourite band. In the Teachers Lounge, I get to chat with the very folks who created the anthems of our lives. It’s totally interactive, too, with special assignments that give you a chance to win some great prizes, including concert tickets. You’ll be graded on your assignments, so you might even be called out for your effort—good or bad.”
Darlene’s School of Rock is airing Saturdays from 4 – 6 p.m. ET across My Broadcasting Corporation’s Giant FM Radio Network in Niagara Falls, Brockville, and Cobourg, with the show set to expand to Tillsonburg on April 25.
“I just fired this show up and the response has been insane,” said Check. “Apparently, everyone was starving for the real deal, and I’m just the one finally feeding the habit.”
