Alan Cross

Who is Alan Cross?

Alan Cross is a Canadian radio broadcaster and a writer on music. Formerly the host of 102.1 The Edge's program The Ongoing History of New Music and the ExploreMusic radio show and the curator of the ExploreMusic website, he also served as program director of the station from 2004 to 2008. Cross now works for Astral Media on his new show The Secret History of Rock, and as a contributor and "music guidance counsellor" for Toronto radio station CIND-FM, as well as writing his own blog on music and broadcasting.

Originally from the small prairie town of Stonewall, Manitoba, Cross began his radio career with the University of Winnipeg's campus radio station, CKUW, in 1980. He subsequently joined radio stations in Selkirk, Kenora and Brandon before returning to Winnipeg's CHIQ. He then joined CFNY on October 3, 1986 as an overnight announcer. Cross had always wanted to work at CFNY and says on his website that he had, “first heard about [CFNY] through Rush’s "Spirit of Radio" when I was still in high school and remember thinking to myself ‘Wouldn’t it be cool to work there one day?’”

In 1989, Cross became the station's afternoon drive time host. The following year, he moved to the 10 a.m.-2 p.m. slot; in 1993, he returned to afternoon drive and remained there until 2001. Beginning in February 1993, he also became host of The Ongoing History of New Music.