WINNIPEG — Chris Reid’s radio program is just a Mickey Mouse outfit, but that’s exactly how he likes it.
He is the host and driving force behind Cosmic Reid’s Starlight Cafe, a weekly online radio program broadcast on Magical Mouse Radio that originates from a simple little setup of a laptop and a microphone in a spare bedroom in Reid’s home.
The 90-minute show, which features music from Walt Disney movies and tracks from various playlists overheard at Disney resorts, airs noon Mondays. It’s one of a dozen or so online destinations that offer similar programming.
The music you hear playing at the Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster ride might come on after a song from Snow White, or that Jimmy Buffett track played in the hotel lobby at Disney World might play into a song from Lady and the Tramp.
“I became obsessed with the music of the parks back when I was 12 years old,” said Reid, 27. “So I always had an interest in it. Next thing you know, I’m hosting a show.”
Reid, who works in the Public Affairs department at the University of Manitoba, pre-records the show Sunday and is one of the few online jocks under the Disney radio umbrella who provide information to listeners headed to a Disney-themed park. He also opens a chat room as the taped broadcast runs, checking in on the conversation between 20 to 30 people during his lunch break.
Reid’s show is so popular among Disney disciples that it recently picked up a handful of awards handed out by an organization called the Disney Driven Life, an online community that embraces all aspects of the online Magical Kingdom.
Dial up Reid’s radio work at www.cosmicreid.com