The Southern Ontario/WNY Radio-TV Forum » CFRB: Food For Thought?

RadioActive · October 31, 2015 11:23 pm

Can anyone please tell me what CFRB’s obsession is with food and eating? It’s particularly irritating on the weekends. Ted Woloshyn’s show constantly features chefs, discussions about food, restaurant reviews and even worse, hearing them chow down on the air.

And now that they’ve moved Pay Chen from Sunday nights to Saturday, it’s even worse. Her very first guest on her first afternoon show this week was introduced as a “chef and cookbook author,” but I couldn’t tell you who it was, because I was already gone. If they both deal with dining, as they always do, that makes up to four hours of foolish foodie folderol in a row.

But it doesn’t end there. Zane Caplansky hosts an entire hour devoted to eating on Sunday mornings, as well as being a regular panellist on Jerry Agar’s show. Agar also has a Friday feature with a nutritionist discussing – what else? – healthy foods.

Ryan Doyle frequently has a celebrity chef as his co-host on his afternoon driver, even though I can’t imagine why anyone would care about what such a person has to say about the events at City Hall, Queen’s Park or what’s going on overseas.

And I’m assuming they still run that absolutely execrable Dine.TO restaurant review segment, which I can’t get away from fast enough. And don’t get me started on those regular Night Side segments on wine. There is nothing more pretentious - or boring – to these ears than an oenophile pontificating endlessly on vintages and vintners. It’s like listening to paint dry, which is actually far more entertaining.

I know The Food Network is one of the most popular cable channels, although for the life of me, I’ll never understand why. But at least on TV, you can see the dish being served and talked about. That’s not the case on radio.

I’m beginning to wonder if 'RB is turning from Newstalk 1010 to FoodTalk 1010. Either way, when it comes to these endless edible excursions, I’m about fed up.

Last edited by RadioActive (October 31, 2015 11:23 pm)

Radiowiz · November 1, 2015 3:25 am

While food talk may be another possible hole in the Toronto market to fill, it still remains to be an idea that might have worked better for AM 640 long before now.

Corus/Shaw owns Food Network Canada. They may have better connections for a food related talk radio idea than Bell's NT 1010...that is, if it's even a smart move in the first place.

Radiowiz · November 1, 2015 11:51 am

grilled.cheese wrote:
I don't listen.

As far as I know, neither do I, but I also don't have facts to suggest that there may or may not be a demand for food talk radio in Toronto as a format. Nice idea for something new though.

Last edited by Radiowiz (November 2, 2015 3:19 am)

November 2, 2015 10:39 am

If it wasn't for Cam Stewart, the Ragin' Redhead and his all-chicken-wing diet, I'd probably eat nothing but junk food

November 2, 2015 1:28 pm

Christine Cushing

Peter the K · November 3, 2015 2:53 pm

I always had this fantasy involving Christine Cushing and Anna Olson but I digress... But actually, that's part of my point.

Food television is all about personality. From the days of Julia Child and Graham Kerr, it was the personality that attracted you to watch what they were doing. In Kerr's case, once he found "good nutrition" and became more serious, his popularity never rose to the same heights.

I still remember the first Food Network (the real one) program my wife and I watched when it first came on was Emeril Live. At first, we couldn't believe the circus we were seeing, but it didn't take long before we embraced the schtick, enjoyed it, and actually learned a thing or two. Having a house full of New York firefighters (this was _way_ before 9/11) who were into everything just made things work even better.

Can you really do the same thing on radio? You can't see the food and the sound of chomping or lip smacking without the accompanying video is just rude.

Radiowiz · November 3, 2015 9:45 pm

Peter the K wrote:
Can you really do the same thing on radio? You can't see the food and the sound of chomping or lip smacking without the accompanying video is just rude.

Radio is more for News/talk about food, not the presentation of it.
One example would be
Discussing ingredients, something as simple as the difference between real grocery store (1.5-2L) ice cream
(does that even exist anymore?) and "frozen dessert".
Or maybe even the difference between processed cheese slices and "sandwich slices".

It still sounds like week end filler rather than 24/7 format though...I suppose.

Last edited by Radiowiz (November 3, 2015 10:01 pm)

November 4, 2015 10:54 pm

Radiowiz wrote:
Radio is more for News/talk about food, not the presentation of it. One example would be . . . the difference between processed cheese slices and "sandwich slices"

There's a difference? Why hasn't grilled.cheese told us about this?

G.

Last edited by geo (November 4, 2015 10:55 pm)

November 4, 2015 11:51 pm

Radiowiz wrote:
While food talk may be another possible hole in the Toronto market to fill, it still remains to be an idea that might have worked better for AM 640 long before now.

Corus/Shaw owns Food Network Canada. They may have better connections for a food related talk radio idea than Bell's NT 1010...that is, if it's even a smart move in the first place.

Corus hasn't figured out synergy. They have radio stations aimed at men and only have TV properties aimed at women and children. It's pretty weird to run a promo for W on Q107, or a promo for AM 640 on Treehouse. Nothing lines up in a way that allows for multi-platform selling at all.

November 5, 2015 3:11 pm

RadioActive wrote:
Can anyone please tell me what CFRB’s obsession is with food and eating? It’s particularly irritating on the weekends. Zane Caplansky hosts an entire hour devoted to eating on Sunday mornings

the Chef Z. Caplansky hour of fame is Saturday a.m.

You evidently have Caplansky confused w. Chef Iain Grant who is on Sunday morning's menu

Can't wait for grilled.cheese to get a news/talk program

G.

RadioActive · November 5, 2015 3:28 pm

You're right and I actually knew that. I meant to type "Saturday" but for some reason, the fingers went for the day after. Still doesn't make the show any more (you should pardon the expression) palatable!

By the way, a day or so after I posted this, one of CFRB's panel guests was chef Mark McEwan. Again, I'm sure he's a wiz in the kitchen. But what does he know about bribing unions to negotiate with the Ontario government or the so-called nuclear limitation agreement with Iran? Perhaps when the subject is bribing unions with food to get the Ontario government to negotiate a new, clear deal with Iran I'll be more inclined to take his opinions seriously.

November 5, 2015 7:35 pm

RadioActive wrote:
one of CFRB's panel guests was chef Mark McEwan. Again, I'm sure he's a wiz in the kitchen . . . when the subject is bribing unions with food to get the Ontario government to negotiate a new, clear deal with Iran I'll be more inclined to take his opinions seriously.

Mark McEwan operates five top-end restaurants, all in high-rent areas of this city. North 44 has been successful + popular for a couple of decades. He takes the hospitality industry seriously. People interested in the topic and that industry consider him more than a "wiz in the kitchen"

He's not talking about the Canary diner

RadioActive · November 5, 2015 11:36 pm

ONEIL wrote:
Was he there to answer those questions or are you postulating that those questions had more merit then another food oriented segment?

Obviously those are facetious questions, used to make a point. But NT1010's supposed format is to deal with news and events of the day, especially in afternoon drive. So while Mr. McEwan is undoubtedly an expert in things culinary and restaurant business related, I simply don't care about his opinions on the issues of the day. Perhaps that's just my own peculiar prejudice. But as far as I know, he's not a current affairs expert nor does he have any special expertise or insight that would make him a worthy pundit on any non-food newsy topics. The fact that he's on so often doing just that is what irks me.

But then again, I suppose I'm easily irked.

Ms. C. wrote:
Mark McEwan operates five top-end restaurants, all in high-rent areas of this city. North 44 has been successful + popular for a couple of decades. He takes the hospitality industry seriously. People interested in the topic and that industry consider him more than a "wiz in the kitchen"

He's not talking about the Canary diner

And if he's talking about the hospitality industry or if that's the subject of the show, then he's the perfect guest. But if he's opining on the latest Liberal scandal at Queen's Park or Justin Trudeau's inauguration, I fail to see how he has any more credibility than the average random caller that gets on the air. Yet they're on for perhaps 60 seconds. He's there for up to an hour. At least I think he is. Because when I hear he's on, I'm no longer listening.

RadioActive · November 6, 2015 12:34 am

Most of these foodie types - McEwan, Caplansky et al - are on as either a "guest host" or as part of a panel discussion with other commentators. While food related topics do come up sometimes, they're not dwelt on for very long and instead, the chefs, restaurateurs etc. are asked to comment on the goings on at City Hall or some other headline in the news, for which they have no apparent expertise. That, in a nutshell, is my objection. And of course, when they do start talking food - where they most certainly qualify as knowledgeable - it's simply not an area I care about in any way. So I'm gone, then, too.

Last edited by RadioActive (November 6, 2015 12:35 am)

Kilgore · November 7, 2015 8:44 am

Peter the K wrote:
I always had this fantasy involving Christine Cushing and Anna Olson

Nigella Lawson

verger · November 7, 2015 10:16 am

PAULA DEEN.

Wait, am I doing this wrong?

(I'm on mobile and can't access the text editor to make letters bigger and coloured.)

Kilgore · November 7, 2015 10:42 am

Paula Deen is no Nigella Lawson

Mark Elliot · November 7, 2015 4:02 pm

At Christmas the phones are always slow and normal everyday topics get little interest. Even the most topical politics were failing to get listeners for a frustrated host:Michael Coren.
With dead phone lines, Michael turned to Robert Turner, his producer and said: "Give me a topic".
Without missing a beat, Robert said: "Ask what cheese you should serve for Christmas?"
Now the phones lit up like a Christmas Tree!
"Cheddar" was a hot topic, but others got exotic tastes like "Limburger" or "Smoked provolone".
Never underestimate an audience. (Never over-estimate it either)