Howdy, Welcome to Country Connoisseur!
Manawatū's hottest country music radio programme.
Fancy a Boot Scootin' Boogie or a karaoke session belting out the latest release from Kacey Musgraves or Maren Morris? Then you've got to tune in to Country Connoisseur on Manawatū People's Radio.
Country Connoisseur is a brand-new radio programme and podcast that plays the freshest country music releases from the United States, Canada, Australia, Aotearoa and other countries worldwide, plus your local dose of Manawatūnes. You'll hear all the big artists that are making a name for themselves including Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert, Luke Bryan, Morgan Evans, Keith Urban, Kaylee Bell and Tami Neilson, plus old favourites still releasing new tracks and fantastic collaborations.
Every Tuesday at 2 pm and repeated Saturday at 2 pm, country music expert Mark Wasley educates and entertains Manawatū locals on 999AM on the hottest new up-tempo tracks that y'all are sure to hear at a hoedown or any honky tonk, while Kiwis and listeners worldwide can tune in online. If you'd rather check out for a moment from your busy life, you'll also find tunes to chill and relax with on the programme and Mark regularly keeps listeners up to date with the latest news and views from Nashville, Austin, Tamworth and other country hotspots.
On a road trip in your wagon or pickup truck? You can listen to the podcast below or on your favourite podcast platform, or download it from MPR's website to soundtrack your journey in the best way possible!
Occasionally, Mark will have a conversation with a popular country music star about their career and their memorable songs. Recently, he met Kiwi entertainer of more than 50 years, Brendan Dugan (right), at a gig with fellow legend Dennis Marsh at Feilding's Empire Tavern.
If you love tunes about relationships, geography, tractors, trucks and trains with banjos, fiddles and guitars, then Country Connoisseur is going to be your new favourite radio programme and podcast. There's no need to go anywhere else.
Yee haw!
You'll find on the programme
The latest and hottest country tracks and artists
Country Connoisseur delves into the charts and finds out what's trending around the world. Expect to hear big names such as Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert, Morgan Wallen, Chris Stapleton, Jon Pardi, Kelsea Ballerini, Maren Morris, Maddie & Tae, Brad Cox, Christie Lamb, The McClymonts and Aotearoa's Keith Urban, Kaylee Bell, Tami Neilson, Jenny Mitchell, Katie Thompson and Jamie McDell, playing the hits. New releases from talented up-and-comers like Ashley Cooke, Chapel Hart, Conner Smith, Megan Moroney, Lainey Wilson, Max Jackson, Jade Gibson, Abby Christo, Hannah May and Franki August are also given a spin. They're all favourites, but you can read more about some of the finest on the Artists page.
Conversations with classic crooners and new kids
It might be a legend who has been on the country music scene for a long time, or a new voice changing the landscape of country music in New Zealand. Every now and again Mark will have a conversation with a popular country music star about their career, their memorable songs and how they have, or are, increasing the genre's profile. Mark has met some of Aotearoa's biggest names in country music, particularly Suzanne Prentice, Gray Bartlett, JamesRay, Denis Henderson and recently Brendan Dugan and Dennis Marsh, as well as the up-and-comers and less prolific like Carson Taare, Renée Therése, TJ & Huri and amateurs at festivals and awards.
Everything happening on the country scene
Mark is an extensive researcher and always has an eye and ear across new releases to find terrific fresh tracks, albums and new artists. He's been described as an encyclopedia of country music knowledge. Country Connoisseur reports all the news, events and gossip from Nashville, Austin, Calgary, Tamworth and Gore and wherever else country music is thriving. Whether a concert tour is coming up, an artist has achieved significant success or is working on an interesting new project, you'll find out everything about it on Country Connoisseur so you don't need to go elsewhere.
There are several ways to tune in
Country Connoisseur can be listened to by a range of methods, at your convenience. We broadcast on our programme partner Manawatū People's Radio's 999AM frequency, which can be received extensively across the region, live stream on their website or you can tune in and download the podcast from Country Connoisseur's page on MPR's website.
999AM
From Foxton to Feilding, Rongotea to Rangiwahia and everywhere in between, MPR can be received across the rohe. Whether it's tiny blue or not, turn on the transistor radio and tune to 999AM, because you just can't beat the wireless.
Tuesday at 2 pm.
Saturday at 2 pm.
Livestream at mpr.nz
Wherever you are in the world, you can tune into the livestream of the terrestrial broadcast on MPR's website.
Tuesday at 2 pm.
Saturday at 2 pm.
Podcast
The podcast allows you to listen to Country Connoisseur at your convenience. It's available on MPR's website, through accessmedia.nz alongside other access radio programmes and on your favourite podcast platform. You can also listen to episodes below. If you've heard a great track, or want to hear something again, the podcast is here to rescue you.
Anytime.
Podcast
Catch up on recent episodes of Country Connoisseur on-demand, with our podcast!
Hear what our listeners think of the programme
In Manawatū and across Aotearoa, there are folks that can't get enough of our tunes for hoedowns or slowing down.
Country Connoisseur is absolutely awesome. It's the best hour of my week and I get to hear all the hottest new country music tracks, wrapped with Mark's expertise. It's the best radio programme of its kind in Manawatū, if not Aotearoa. Thanks Mark for updating folks on the latest and greatest country tracks and artists and for all your hard work. If you're looking to discover some fresh toe-tapping country tunes, this is the only place you need to go.
– John Miller, Sanson
My grandmother and I love listening to Country Connoisseur. Mark always plays a wide variety of songs and we sing along if we've heard it before. Every Tuesday night we listen to the podcast at her retirement village and occasionally some of her friends will come along to hear the new tracks. We love hearing and discovering the latest homegrown talent and are huge fans of Kaylee Bell, who is also from Canterbury. Grandma isn't into sports so we often play the podcast again on the weekend when there's nothing interesting on TV.
– Glen Jennings, Ashburton
Here in Hokitika we love Katie Thompson and we know that when she releases a new song, Country Connoisseur will be one of first radio programmes to play it. Mark is like an encyclopedia for all things country music and knows what every country musician is up to and their newest tracks and albums. We don't need to go anywhere else for the latest country music and news as Mark has it all. We have a soft spot for Canadian country pop and we get the latest from the land of maple syrup on the programme too! Keep up the great work, we don't miss an episode!
– Suzanne and George Cline, Hokitika