Hey Jody:

Love your traffic reports! I have nothing to do with this forum, but I've been under the impression it's on autopilot. Which means anyone who signs up is automatically granted permission to post here. If you go to the user list, you'll see a ton of junk address and names from places like Russia, South America and other places, which are obviously bogus.

Yet they've been given automatic access.

So if anyone wants to sign-up, my suggestion would be just do it and then try to access the site. Chances are they'll get right through.

In lieu of that, you can also suggest they try the SOWNY Board, which discusses KW radio frequently and is definitely monitored. 

Hope that helps!

Well, I guess that makes it official. It's now been 3 months since the last post was put up here. Maybe we should play the board The Last Post as it seems to be officially dead.

RIP Big Blue. It was fun while it lasted. 

Today, Jan 21st, marks exactly two months since anyone has posted anything here. I hope this isn't evidence that the board is all but dead. If so, RIP.

He's been 680's weekend weather guy for years. 

I also notice that one of the shows Antenna TV has picked up (it's actually been on for a while) is "Good Morning World." It's a one season and done series that aired on CBS in 1967, starring Ronnie Schell and Joby Baker (although Billy De Wolfe as the mean boss was the real standout) and a rare sitcom set in a radio station. The stars played two morning men, although if memory serves only part of the story actually took place in the studio. 

It wasn't a great show, but I mention it only because a) it's also on Antenna TV and b) it's one of the few comedies that centre on radio. WKRP and Frasier are the most obvious and there was a show called "Midnight Caller" with Gary Cole that ran for a few seasons on NBC. But other than that, I can't think of many radio-set shows on network television. 

And that's too bad, considering the places I worked had enough characters to be a show in themselves. Still, it's interesting to see an early example of a program that dealt with a medium it otherwise generally ignores.

.  

Maybe we should start an unofficial online poll:

Who has the worst customer service?

Bell

Rogers

Other

Here's one PD, from Charlotte, N.C., who is taking a huge chance:

Former Charlotte Mayor Patrick Cannon hosts radio show after prison

I can't answer question one, although my guess would be that if a local station is taking the CP Newscast it's because they're not doing one of their own, so there'd be nobody around to do an update. Why use nationally syndicated filler if someone is already there to read local news?

A few stations sometimes cut away before the sports sounder comes on, in order to air extra spots, which is why there's always that very brief pause before they hit the stinger. 

But I can respond with some authority to your second query. About a year ago or more, CP changed the way it distributes its newscast, going from live on satellite to a much cheaper Internet delivered product. As a result, that requires a few minutes of uploading at the source and downloading at the stations. Which means the thing is pre-taped about 10 minutes or so before it actually airs.

So there's no way to give a score in any game because it might have changed since the thing was recorded. Better to obfuscate than to sound completely wrong. But it can backfire, such as if the Super Bowl ends in that 10 minute window and the newscaster is talking about the big game as though it's still going on.

I've also heard from a source I know at CP that they've thought about doing away with the sports minute entirely, but so far, it remains part of the package. 

My problem with it is that it won't allow you to listen to U.S. stations, of which plenty are listed but few work. Like so many other things broadcast related, you get penalized for living in Canada. I can understand it in the case of an entity like Netflix, but if a Texas station is playing the latest Katy Perry single, there can't possibly be any rights issues.

And the Corus-Rogers-Shaw etc. thing isn't any better. That one at least doesn't list any other countries and the only choice you get are Canadian stations. Yeah, I want to use up data to hear more Can Con.

Big yawn to both of them.

GOD HELP US wrote:

How about job notices to some of their on air staff.

It's too soon for that. They have to wait until, say, December 23rd to destroy their livelihoods and their holidays. This IS Bell we're talking about after all.

Still, when those jobs are gone, they can always recommend counselling as part of "Let's Talk Day." Sorry, "BELL Let's Talk Day."

We have to get the corporate name in there every single time or otherwise, what's the point?

Yes, we're eating a turkey while they'll be voting for one.

Eric Burdon's audience? I've heard they were all Animals.

From the Waterloo Record:

http://www.therecord.com/news-story/6704966-kitchener-radio-stations-move-to-boardwalk/

"NYPD Blue" opened to the door to that kind of language on prime time network TV - although generally later in the evening, around 10:00. The big four (ABC, NBC, CBS, & Fox) all realized that cable was able to get away with a lot they couldn't. So they gradually managed to push the envelope, until the Steven Bochco show blew the doors wide open.

The "F" word is still the most taboo on the Amnets. Almost everything else - shit, bitch, fart, asshole, etc. - that would never have made it past the censors are now regularly heard just about everywhere. (Although I think the so-called standards and practices departments limit how often they can be said per show. How would you like to be in on those meetings? "You can have two bastards, but you can only give one "shit" this week.")

Although "All In The Family" really opened up television, their swear words were kept to "damn" and "hell". And that was considered controversial in 1971.

But consider this: in 1990, a terrible CBS version of the John Candy movie "Uncle Buck" created North America-wide controversy when a little kid told the lead character "you suck!" in the debut episode. Thousands of articles like this one were printed, condemning the terrible language and wondering about the standards of network television.

How far we've come.

Or maybe, reversed, depending on your point of view.

(One last thing - not sure if anyone else has noticed this, but if you watch network TV with the closed captioning on, those same words that are stated on air are often printed only with either "bleep" or the symbol "---" to indicate someone said something nasty. Ironically, it would seem the deaf are perceived as having delicate ears.)