'It's the worst
Radio time of the year!
With re-rolls so boring,
And paid-time so whoring,
I'll cry in my beer...
It's the worst Radio time of the year!'
 

Last edited by Walter (December 15, 2023 5:36 pm)

RadioActive wrote:

And so it begins. 
And when I turn on the radio this weekend? It will almost surely be Funny 820! I will miss them when the new owner inevitably changes the format.
 

I don't know what to wish for. If they do go back to Country music it'll just be digital storage radio anyway...?

Here's a strange coincidence that I'm not sure has ever happened before.

John Tory is subbing for Reshmi Nair on CFRB. 

Anthony Furey is taking John Oakley's spot on AM640.

So a former mayor is on against a guy who wanted to replace him in that office. 

Only in Toronto talk radio! 

Looks like fans of Old Time Radio will be out of luck this year. AM640 is running a promo inviting listeners to join them for non-stop Christmas music during the holidays. Which means both major Toronto talkers will be running music over the holidays instead, oh, I don't know, talk programming...

Guess consistency is no longer a thing in radio.

I agree Jody there isn't always much overly compelling on radio, but I still enjoy listening .  In terms of Tarzan Dan, I haven't heard his show on BOOM either but the fact it is done out west is irrelevant, even five years ago it wouldn't matter.  He certainly would not move back to Toronto just to do a weekend show.  It's just great that Dan is back on Toronto radio, even if only on the weekend. We are assuming his show is voice tracked.  It could be live from XL 103 in Calgary.  Doubtful but still possible. 

In answer to Jody's post, I guess I'm just old fashioned that way. I really don't have the patience to search for a podcast that interests me, although I'm sure there are plenty that would. It's almost like there's too much choice, which just makes it more like work than pleasure. 

In addition, I like live and local. along with updated news. Stuff that affects the place I live. Podcasts don't provide that and that may be why they aren't that attractive to me. As for why I prefer radio itself, I just happen to have a great portable that I use when I walk the dog - which I do up to 4 times a day. Just easier to grab it and go. Finding something on it is a challenge sometimes. 

Even when we get to null periods like the Christmas holidays, I still have to take him out. Sometimes, he likes going for up to an hour. That's a long way to stroll in silence. So radio is my other companion during those sojourns. But  when it's used as a loss leader by big companies like Bell and Rogers, which has pretty much decimated them and have proven they could care less about what's on them, it bugs me. They may be off on vacation for the next two weeks, but I'm not. And when they no longer deliver on their proverbial programming promise, I feel let down.

You and I both know radio can be a lot better. And that's why it bugs me so much when it's not. 

I'm aware many here will disagree. But hey, at least my dog loves me, so I have that. Maybe we should let him program a station. How much worse could it be? (Although an hour on Alpo might be a but too much...)

RadioActive wrote:

In answer to Jody's post, I guess I'm just old fashioned that way. I really don't have the patience to search for a podcast that interests me, although I'm sure there are plenty that would. It's almost like there's too much choice, which just makes it more like work than pleasure. 

In addition, I like live and local. along with updated news. Stuff that affects the place I live. Podcasts don't provide that and that may be why they aren't that attractive to me. As for why I prefer radio itself, I just happen to have a great portable that I use when I walk the dog - which I do up to 4 times a day. Just easier to grab it and go. Finding something on it is a challenge sometimes. 

Even when we get to null periods like the Christmas holidays, I still have to take him out. Sometimes, he likes going for up to an hour. That's a long way to stroll in silence. So radio is my other companion during those sojourns. But  when it's used as a loss leader by big companies like Bell and Rogers, which has pretty much decimated them and have proven they could care less about what's on them, it bugs me. They may be off on vacation for the next two weeks, but I'm not. And when they no longer deliver on their proverbial programming promise, I feel let down.

You and I both know radio can be a lot better. And that's why it bugs me so much when it's not. 

I'm aware many here will disagree. But hey, at least my dog loves me, so I have that. Maybe we should let him program a station. How much worse could it be? (Although an hour on Alpo might be a but too much...)

Podcasts are often less than 8 hours old. All of the daily news podcasts in Canada from the CBC, Rogers and the Globe are produced in the early evening and uploaded by 4 am. Dave Trafford’s podcast is uploaded immediately after it’s recorded. Also, everything is categorized and easily searchable. Don’t like commercials? Most of the talk shows discussed here are uploaded with limited commercials shortly after they air. It’s also pause-able and you can replay anything you don’t catch the first time you hear it.
Want current news? CBC, 680, ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox News, AP, BBC and many other outlets upload newscasts every hour or every 30 minutes.
680 Traffic?  It’s available every 10 minutes right after it airs.
680 Sports? Uploaded every half hour roughly 30 times a day.
It’s everything that makes radio great minus the commercials delivered to your device for listening when you want it. Don’t like something? Skip it.
Ten minutes would change your listening habits for the better if you put in the effort.

Last edited by Tomas Barlow (December 21, 2023 2:15 pm)

paterson1 wrote:

I agree Jody there isn't always much overly compelling on radio, but I still enjoy listening .  In terms of Tarzan Dan, I haven't heard his show on BOOM either but the fact it is done out west is irrelevant, even five years ago it wouldn't matter.  He certainly would not move back to Toronto just to do a weekend show.  It's just great that Dan is back on Toronto radio, even if only on the weekend. We are assuming his show is voice tracked.  It could be live from XL 103 in Calgary.  Doubtful but still possible. 

 
FYI - Tarzan Dan is live on boom.

ig wrote:

Jody Thornton wrote:

I know I sound a tad Irvine-esque about this, but 
 

Well played.  You certainly didn't miss your mark on that one.  
 

Now that's funny 
 

Keep in mind, sports is in full gear, with the NFL playing a full Sunday set of games and on Monday there are 3 games. The NBA's lights are on with a few matches too on Christmas day...Plus on Boxing day, the World Junior Cup (hockey) begins...Go Team Canada.

Both the FAN and TSN 1050 will have some form of live coverage, just no local (daily) shows will be aired on the 23rd. 24th, 25th and 26th.

But tons of live games to keep you occupied and away from the family as you watch! 

Last edited by Muffaraw Joe (December 21, 2023 8:23 pm)

Binson Echorec wrote:

On the subject of rerolls (as I'm not sure this merits its own topic)...

Why are radio rerolls perceived as "so evil"? From where does the vitriol stem?

I'm willing to bet you've all seen a movie multiple times...I'm sure some of you will remember Stafford's frequent "which movie, when you see it on television, do you now have to sit and watch the rest of it?"

I know I've got a few movies like that; I stumble upon them some Saturday afternoon and now I'm going nowhere until the end.

Likewise with a favourite record...I couldn't tell you how many times I've heard Abbey Road, and yet I know I'll listen to it again and am regularly in the mood to do just that.

And how many times have you watched a rerun episode of this or that tv show?

Not to get all Seindfeld-ian here but, what's the deal with reroll being so abhorrent? Why is radio exempt from ever having a replay?

They can be annoying to hear after a major event has happened. Ie. “Later today the Bank of Canada will set its interest rate. Here to discuss it, we have a panel…” Meanwhile the bank set the interest rate 6 hours ago and half of the panelists are wrong. But my question is how people don’t deviate from their Monday to Friday weekday routine even on Christmas Day. I don’t expect Vassy to be sitting in a studio in Ottawa on Christmas Day speculating on whether Trudeau is going to run in the next election while her children open gifts at home. There are 51 other weeks for that.
This is the time of year where I sample podcasts or listen to episodes of the shows that I missed recently. No big deal.

Last edited by Tomas Barlow (December 21, 2023 10:43 pm)

David Marsden's NY the spirit will be featuring his annual Christmas romp, live to air if you're looking for something to listen too online. 

He has been hosting the live Christmas eve show since his early days at CFNY and when he went to the Rock in Oshawa, the legend continued.

Here is more. 

https://www.facebook.com/nythespirit/

Plus on Christmas Day, Darrin Laidman used to host live as well, he is now on 102.9's the Bounce and I wouldn't be surprised if he does some on air duty Christmas Day.


https://www.iheartradio.ca/bounce/hamilton/shows/the-darrin-laidman-show-1.15179420

 

Not really relevant what CHUM did in 1962. That's 61 years ago. I don't think there's anyone in radio doing the same thing they used to do six decades earlier. If so, I can't see them being a success.

But one thing hasn't changed. To me - and to almost all of the program directors I've ever worked for - consistency is the #1 Commandment. Thou shalt be what listeners expect - always, 24/7/365. 

This is what drives me crazy in 640's decision to run all-Christmas music on Dec. 25th. They have endlessly promoted themselves as a news/talk station. To suddenly abandon that, even for 24 hours - especially when you can get the same music in stereo on CHFI and other places - is a middle finger to what small loyal audience they may have. 

Those wanting talk will tune them out. Those looking for music won't even know they're playing it. So what's the point?

I would not turn on CHUM-FM and expect to hear opera. And if Classical 96.3 suddenly started playing Merle Haggard, I would be horribly confused.

It's one of the things that bugs me about AM740. Sometimes on the weekend, I feel like hearing music. But turn them on Saturday morning and you get hours and hours of talk programming, most of it paid time. That's not why I'm listening to them and if they don't serve up what this member of their audience is expecting, I'm gone - and generally, I don't come back. 

It's almost as if these PDs or GMs are saying, 'it's only 24 hours (actually more like over a week before regular programming resumes), everyone's off, we don't want to pay anyone extra time, there's no one listening anyway, so rather than come up with something clever that can fill airtime and still satisfy our regular audience, we just give up.'

What a sad commentary on the creativity of those running these stations. Not worth the time or the money. I can't speak to the money. But these next 24-48 hours sure won't be worth my time. 

And consider this - an increasingly large portion of the GTHA population doesn't even celebrate Christmas. There are Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs and even atheists to whom this is just another day. PDs are abandoning all of them, as well. 

Odd as it seems, after reading that rant, I can honestly say I have nothing against Christmas - it's a wonderfully magic holiday - or the music associated with it. What I'm against is only Christmas music 24 hours a day on almost every outlet. I wonder what the reaction would be if every station suddenly started playing only "Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel" and similar songs on the 8-days of Channukah. You couldn't change the dial fast enough. But there'd be nowhere to go.

I know I'm probably alone in this, and that's fine. You do you.

It's the lack of format consistency and creativity I decry. And the abandonment of the formatics. 

Which is why I'm really going to miss Funny 820 next year!

True, but I would argue that if your store is closed, you can't go there.

Technically, 640 and 1010 are still "open" because they're on the air. Like your restaurant, I would expect them to serve the same menu regardless of the time of year. But every Christmas, they don't. There must be something they can do to be true to their format and their audience and still acknowledge the holiday. 

But playing music is just easier than having to come up with something creative to fill the time while still paying homage to such an important holiday.