1 of 1- Peter the K
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A Little Breath of Scotland Breathes its last
No. Denis Snowden has not passed away.
As I was driving home this afternoon I switched the radio to AM740 and heard Neil Hedley instead of Mr. Snowden. I didn't hear much but it sure sounded like they were paying homage to Denis Snowden and there seemed to be a hint of "damage control" to it all.
So I just checked out Denis' web page at and found this:
August 10, 2015
“A LITTLE BREATH OF SCOTLAND”
We are sorry to advise you that after fifty years on the radio, Toronto’s longest
running radio show with the same host, “ A Little Breath of Scotland ” will be going
off the air.
Radio host, Denis Snowdon met with AM740 station manager Dan Hamilton and
music director Neil Hedley after Sunday’s show, and was told that the show would
be reduced to one hour per week from its traditional two hour time slot and that
only half the shows would be broadcast live. He was told that the other half of his
shows would be broadcast as “the best of” shows, taken from previously archived
shows, which would contain no local news or information. Mr. Snowdon was not
consulted about the proposed changes.
Mr. Snowdon feels that the position of Am740 is completely unacceptable, and
undermines the integrity of a show that has served a loyal listening audience since
1965. He accordingly has told the station that the August 9th show was his last on
AM740.
They say that all good things must come to an end and Mr. Snowdon would like to
thank all of his listeners and advertisers for their loyalty and support over the past
50 years.
If you feel you would like to let the station know your feelings on their decision,
they may be contacted as follows:
Mr. Moses Znaimer
AM740 Radio
70 Jefferson Ave.,
Toronto, Ontario
M6K 1Y4
Phone : 416-367-5353
E-mail:
Dan Hamilton : d.hamilton@mzmedia.com
Neil Hedley: n.hedley@zoomermedia.ca
Please feel free to pass on this release to any interested parties.
-30-
So just how expensive could it have possibly been to keep this show, which apparently has a following, on the air?
Are they going to axe the Irish program as well?
I wonder what AM740 is going to do with the time? Perhaps two more hours of homage to Leonard Cohen?
- Kilgore
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Re: A Little Breath of Scotland Breathes its last
Impossible to compete successfully with the enormous listener popularity of the Chris Robinson Travel Show
- Dale Patterson
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Re: A Little Breath of Scotland Breathes its last
>> The show first aired on October 21, 1965 as a half hour programme on CHWO Radio in Oakville.
Couldn't they have waited a couple more months to let the show celebrate its 50th anniversary?
"Life without echo is really no life at all." - Dan Ingram
- Lorne
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Re: A Little Breath of Scotland Breathes its last
Here's the wonderful, heartfelt tribute that AM740 posted at :
A sad announcement for fans of Scottish music: as of this Sunday, one of Toronto’s longest running radio shows, A Little Breath of Scotland, is off the air. Thank you Denis Snowdon for 49 years of wonderful, heartfelt programs.
But all is not lost, Scottish music lovers! Please tune in to ZoomerRadio this Sunday at 4pm for 2 hours of hand-picked magical music from a very special guest.-
- geo
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Re: A Little Breath of Scotland Breathes its last
G. Stevens "Vintage Favorites" was just one hour (down from two) on Sunday, however there's no evidence that he acted out of line
D. Snowdon could have put together a dignified "so long, its been good to know 'ya" exit program, without which he may be not-so-fondly remembered for having thrown a tantrum and walking away
- Peter the K
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Re: A Little Breath of Scotland Breathes its last
The other issue is that Snowden was set to leave on his trip back to Scotand on Tuesday the 11th and had pre-recorded the shows for the time he was away. The first of those programs was to air last Sunday.
So, it seems as this was thrown at him literally at the last second without even being given a chance to digest it. (where have we seen this before?)
The part that rankles here isn't that they effectively gave him the axe, that's the norm in Radio, but that a program on the cusp of its 50th anniversary was litteraly cut off at the knees with no consideration.
Typical of what radio has become, but I somehow, foolishly, expected more from the likes of Znaimer and company.
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Thread Starter- Hansa
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Re: A Little Breath of Scotland Breathes its last
Well that's sad. Was Snowden paid by the station for his show or was it brokered programming? I always assumed the latter but it it sounds like it wasn't Is this a money saving decision or does Moses need a spot to give one of his girlfriends?
- Peter the K
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Re: A Little Breath of Scotland Breathes its last
Hansa wrote:
Well that's sad. Was Snowden paid by the station for his show or was it brokered programming? I always assumed the latter but it it sounds like it wasn't Is this a money saving decision or does Moses need a spot to give one of his girlfriends?
I don't know for sure but I'd guess it's a bit of both since there are (or were) spots that only ran during his show. Perhaps he got a vew avails he could sell at will or maybe he got a comission on anything he sold himself.
No change has yet been indicated on the schedule. I wonder what they're going to do this Sunday?
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Thread Starter- Kilgore
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Re: A Little Breath of Scotland Breathes its last
if there's a positive outcome, it is that listeners enjoyed Ronnie Hawkins' Bluebirds Over the Mountain @ 4:15, however no indication whether Hawkins is from Aberdeen, Glasgow or Edinburgh
Last edited by Kilgore (August 23, 2015 4:31 pm)