Bit by bit we are being changed

22 posts / 0 new

Wed, 2009-11-11 14:13

Sarann

I used to listen to CBC overnight programming which came from the World Radio Network and featured Radio Prague, Poland, Australia, South Africa, Netherlands, Sweden etc. and best of all the BBC. It was enjoyable and informative and gave one a well needed window on the world. I once won a T-shirt from Radio Prague. They announced that the entry was from '---------- from way up in the Canadian north who listens at 1:30 in the morning'. All true.

Now the overnight programming features US public radio world programming.

So we are made poorer.

Wed, 2009-11-11 13:56

ennir

I am sorry to hear that, I have listened to that programming, although not for a while.

I cannot say I have appreciated the changes made to CBC radio.

Wed, 2009-11-11 14:09

remind

Do you tune into world net radio on line then instead?

Wed, 2009-11-11 14:12

oldgoat

Let's move this to the media section.

Wed, 2009-11-11 14:28

radiorahim radiorahim's picture

All of the programming that was carried on the CBC Overnight Service is streamed on the World Radio Network.

If you don't want to be "tied" to listening on your computer, you can buy an inexpensive FM radio transmitter...some as cheap as $20-30. You plug the FM transmitter into the speaker jack of your computer's sound card, tune the FM transmitter to an FM channel that's "empty" in your part of the world and you'll be able to listen to whatever your computer is playing on any FM radio in your house.

In my part of Toronto, 90.7 MHz. is "empty" (one of the few channels that is empty in these parts!) and so if you drive by my house...you'll hear whatever I happen to be playing on that channel

Wed, 2009-11-11 19:02

George Victor

I'm sure that I can still hear news from Korea, Australia, Germany, Poland and Prague, and the BBC, overnight CBC. Or was that last week? (edited for spelling error)

Wed, 2009-11-11 19:25

WillC

This is the schedule from Radiorahim site above. I usually have trouble sleeping from 2 until 4, and so those of us awake at that time either have to listen to right wing talk radio, or some boring programme called the "Link."

The current CBC Overnight schedule is (November 1st, 2009):

Weekday Schedule (Tuesday mornings to Saturday mornings)
1:05 a.m. The World
2:05 a.m. The Link
4:05 a.m. BBC The Outlook and The Strand
5 a.m. World Report (everywhere but Atlantic Canada) BBC and Regional Programming

Saturday Schedule (Saturday mornings)
1 a.m. Radio Netherlands
2 a.m. BBC Programming (African Perspectives/Documentary)
3 a.m. BBC Assignment
4 a.m. Deutsche Welle Living Planet, BBC Science in Action
5 a.m. World Business News, Witness, BBC Programming

Sunday Schedule (Sunday mornings)
1 a.m. The Strand Weekend
2 a.m. Radio Netherlands and BBC Programming
3 a.m. Radio Netherlands The State We're In
4 a.m. ABC Radio Australia
5 a.m. BBC Heart and Soul and One Planet

The schedule can change without notice, so please check www.cbc.ca for the latest details.

Thu, 2009-11-12 00:19

thorin_bane

Mark me as one who is also not happy with the all war CBC as of late. I was bitterly disappointed when Northern Lights was taken off the air. There is NO classical anymore near detroit. Radio 2 has gotten rid of much of it as well. I am still waiting for CBC to go FM since they removed 2/3 of the their broadcast tower some 5+ years ago....also no HD down here. Not happy with CBC for much lately. Too much propoganda and just lousy ideas.

Thu, 2009-11-12 07:39

ennir

These days I tune into the University of Winnipeg radio station more often although I still listen to some CBC. Thanks Radiorahim for the link.

Thu, 2009-11-12 08:32

#10

George Victor

You must mean, TB, that you are unhappy with the bastard philistines and cons who are making it impossible for CBC to serve its failthful audience, to function!

Thu, 2009-11-12 14:09

#11

kropotkin1951

George Victor wrote:

You must mean, TB, that you are unhappy with the bastard philistines and cons who are making it impossible for CBC to serve its faithful audience, to function!

Since at least Carole Taylor's reign at CBC the middle and upper management have been hired for their consistent views. Those views are that Canada's rightful place in the world is as the first colony of the American empire. They present that view over and over so it is not the outside forces anymore that are bringing down the CBC it is the internal neo-cons who have been hired to run the place over the last 10 years.

The mantra is clear; global capitalism as defined by the American hedge funds is the only possible way to run an economy and anyone who disagrees is a fool. And America has only ever waged just wars and if you don't think so you are likely a terrorist. We have lost the battle to keep a public broadcaster and instead we are funding a state media. I hate state media.

___________________________________________

Soothsayers had a better record of prediction than economists

Thu, 2009-11-12 14:16

#12

Michelle

Oh wow, when did this change come about? I could have sworn that I was hearing the various world news programs one time when I woke up around 4 a.m., like Deutsche Welle, etc. It was just a few months ago, I think.

Quote:

In my part of Toronto, 90.7 MHz. is "empty" (one of the few channels that is empty in these parts!) and so if you drive by my house...you'll hear whatever I happen to be playing on that channel

Oh, that station! Yeah, that station's pretty good. Lots of Brazilian jazz, and Beatles and stuff. ;)

Thu, 2009-11-12 14:43

#13

WillC

Quote:

Oh wow, when did this change come about? I could have sworn that I was hearing the various world news programs one time when I woke up around 4 a.m., like Deutsche Welle, etc. It was just a few months ago, I think.

Right, see the schedule above. That must have been a Saturday morning.

Thu, 2009-11-12 20:25

#14

radiorahim radiorahim's picture

You might find some useful streaming audio links here. Although it's not always up-to-date.

Lots of links to CBC/SRC, NPR, Pacifica, BBC, ABC, RNZ, SABC, RTE and Canadian campus and community stations

Thu, 2009-11-12 22:43

#15

Lard Tunderin Jeezus Lard Tunderin Jeezus's picture

I think sarann has a point, despite the fact that other world services are still available in other time slots. What small fraction of the country is not already directly served by NPR? I know that I can receive NPR more consistently than CBC radio during the drive from Toronto to Ottawa or Montreal.

Fri, 2009-11-13 11:49

#16

Sarann

Thanks Radiorahim. I'll get a bright young guy I know to help me. This is a recent change. Can't take my computer to bed very easily.

Tue, 2009-11-17 07:18

#17

thorin_bane

kropotkin1951 wrote:

George Victor wrote:

You must mean, TB, that you are unhappy with the bastard philistines and cons who are making it impossible for CBC to serve its faithful audience, to function!

Since at least Carole Taylor's reign at CBC the middle and upper management have been hired for their consistent views. Those views are that Canada's rightful place in the world is as the first colony of the American empire. They present that view over and over so it is not the outside forces anymore that are bringing down the CBC it is the internal neo-cons who have been hired to run the place over the last 10 years.

The mantra is clear; global capitalism as defined by the American hedge funds is the only possible way to run an economy and anyone who disagrees is a fool. And America has only ever waged just wars and if you don't think so you are likely a terrorist. We have lost the battle to keep a public broadcaster and instead we are funding a state media. I hate state media.

___________________________________________

Soothsayers had a better record of prediction than economists

Exactly the people in charge have been doing this. The business type who have no idea or will to have the CBC perfrom it's mandate. At the same time it was also forced from friends of CBC management at the post(CBC watch) showing how "left wing" and what a money waster it is. Instead of having people undertand the mandate of the CBC the privates kept saying why aren't they like us whne they go after our revenues. I think getting rid of commercials would allow hinest reporting once again.

Ask any TV exec and they will tell you many program ideas are nixed because it would have a direct impact against one of their customers...by customer they aren't talking aboout the idiot viewing public, they mean their advertisers. So since we aren't in charge of OUR TV STATION we need to free it of the ads that are hurting it.

However the privates are also against it because they have long argued that they would lose viewership when people change channels and not find the same commercial showing on their channel. Why else wouldn't they change their commercial schedule for beginning and end of the programs. This would allow for Ads and not losing viwers during the course of the program which makes more sense. Unless your mandate is to sell eyes to ads, which of course it is. Shows are only about the best ratings to leverage the most money out of advertisers. Not how good they actually might be. Or giving it timeto find an audience as once was the case.

Intelligence is a case in point. Good show but not given half the effort of some sloppy shows they are hyping. Battle of the blades....good, I am all for out canadianisms like skating, but comeon....reality shows only exist because profit margins are relatively high compared to drama.

Tue, 2009-11-17 07:32

#18

George Victor

Notice the concern for the loss of local programming, particularly news, by privates as well as CBC (where it has been happening for many years):

Cable TV distributors pay nothing to conventional broadcasters like CTV, Global and CBC for the national and local programs they provide. Yet, the cable companies earn substantial revenues distributing these programs.
Public opinion research confirms that Canadians care about local news on television more than any other kind of programming.
Changes in the advertising market have taken all the profit out of local television. In smaller cities TV stations are closing down, and more closures are likely.
The most recent CRTC data show that Canada's private conventional over-the-air television networks made a profit before interest and taxes of only 0.4% in the broadcasting year ending August 31, 2008.
And that was before the onset of the recession. CanWest is now in bankruptcy protection, CTV has lost more than $100 million in the past year and CBC, as you know, is short $171 million.
Local news is expensive for the broadcasters because it requires staff, cameras, and facilities in each city, rather than a national feed from a single location.
Meanwhile, CRTC data reveal that the big cable monopolies, Rogers, Shaw, Videotron and Cogeco had a combined profit before interest and taxes of 32% in 2008: that's almost $2 billion - much larger, for example, than the CBC's budget.
All that money is travelling from the pockets of cable subscribers right out of the Canadian broadcasting system into the hands of cable shareholders.
So we have a crisis in local television at a time when the cable monopolists are laughing all the way to the bank.
CTV, Global, CBC as well as other local TV broadcasters have told the CRTC that they can no longer afford to provide their local signals to the cable monopolies without compensation.
Cable refuses to pay, and says that if the CRTC forces them to do so, they will pass on their payments along with a mark-up to their customers.
The CRTC has the power under the Broadcasting Act to force the cable monopolies to pay the local broadcasters for their signals and to regulate cable's basic rates so that they are not able to pass on these costs to the customers.

The question is: "Does the CRTC have the gumption to do this?"

Tue, 2009-11-17 20:33

#19

radiorahim radiorahim's picture

Lard Tunderin Jeezus wrote:

I think sarann has a point, despite the fact that other world services are still available in other time slots. What small fraction of the country is not already directly served by NPR? I know that I can receive NPR more consistently than CBC radio during the drive from Toronto to Ottawa or Montreal.

Most NPR stations broadcast on the FM radio band.

Since the range of the typical FM radio station transmitter is about 100-150 KM, anyone who is further away than that from an NPR transmitter isn't able to receive NPR. I listen to NPR a fair bit...sometimes "over the air" from the AM transmitter in Buffalo, NY and other times streaming online. There's some very good and reasonably progressive programming on NPR.

And I'm also a fan of Garrison Keillor's "A Prairie Home Companion" ;)

To be truthful though, I'd rather that CBC Radio One broadcast some "original" Canadian programming in the overnight time slot.

Tue, 2009-11-17 20:44

#20

radiorahim radiorahim's picture

George Victor wrote:

Notice the concern for the loss of local programming, particularly news, by privates as well as CBC (where it has been happening for many years):

Cable TV distributors pay nothing to conventional broadcasters like CTV, Global and CBC for the national and local programs they provide. Yet, the cable companies earn substantial revenues distributing these programs.

The question is: "Does the CRTC have the gumption to do this?"

I don't for a second "buy" the TV networks sudden "concern" about the loss of local programming. They've been cutting local programming for decades...long before the current economic crisis.

And, there have been funding cuts to the CBC for years too.

As far as the cable/tv network battle is concerned it's "a pox on both their houses" as far as I'm concerned. They can both go to hell.

There's a small micro-powered community TV station in Toronto's east end called "Star Ray TV". They've been broadcasting (without a license) on "over the air" UHF Channel 15 for years.

The TV networks have fought the granting of a broadcast license to this little TV station tooth and nail.

Tue, 2009-11-17 20:55

#21

George Victor

Kinda like to see local news maintained, at least. Give some reason to watch Canadian news for the Great Misled. You know, the citizenry of this fair domain. Shouldn't be all U.S. eh?

Tue, 2009-11-17 22:41

#22

Lard Tunderin Jeezus Lard Tunderin Jeezus's picture

radiorahim wrote:

Most NPR stations broadcast on the FM radio band.

Since the range of the typical FM radio station transmitter is about 100-150 KM, anyone who is further away than that from an NPR transmitter isn't able to receive NPR.

Yabbut most CBC stations also broadcast on the FM band, and my point was that they are fewer and farther between along the border where most of our population is huddled.