The Southern Ontario/WNY Radio-TV Forum » Is This The Most Ignorant Talk Show Host On Toronto Radio?

RadioActive · November 18, 2018 12:28 pm

I admit I was reluctant to write the screed that follows, only because I don’t want to turn this into a political discussion, which really has no place on this board. But after what I heard on Sunday morning (and in the past) I feel obliged to comment on the one person who I believe is the most ignorant talk show host on local radio.

And it probably isn’t who you think.

There’s a show I’ve been listening to for several years on CHIN Radio, of all places, called the Zelda Young Show. It airs six days a week and deals with issues surrounding the Middle East, with a definite emphasis on Israel. She has interesting guests you don’t hear anywhere else, and I generally find them worthwhile.

She’s also virulently pro-Donald Trump, and if anyone disagrees with anything he does, no matter how minor, she goes off the deep end. That’s her position and I have no argument with her right to feel that way. (Last week she did a talk show segment with a long time sponsor, a liberal-leaning financial advisor, and they got into a huge fight about the U.S. leader, without ever getting a single question about finances on the air!)

But the host regularly shows an appalling ignorance and on Sunday’s show, she went way over the line. During a wide ranging discussion with a guest, the subject of the deadly and destructive fires in California came up. At one point, she made an offhand comment, stating that she believes the blazes may be a kind of punishment from God, intimating it’s because the state usually votes Democrat!

No matter where you stand politically, this is just a horrible thing to say, especially given the unfolding scope of this terrible tragedy. To me, it’s on par with those disgusting morons who picket funerals because the deceased was gay.

But it doesn’t stop there. This host sometimes bitches on air about how she doesn’t get enough sponsors. (I’ve always found that criticizing would-be advertisers may not be the best way to get them to give you their money, but that’s just me.)

A few weeks ago, after that horrific mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue, I actually heard her use that to try and get more sponsors. I can’t give the exact quote, but in rightly condemning this blatant act of deadly anti-Semitism, she actually had the gall to say that if more people lined up to advertise on her show, maybe they could better fight this scourge.

Unbelievable!

And despite often publicly proclaiming how much smarter she is on Middle East matters than most reporters, I’ve also heard her endlessly get facts wrong and mispronounce well known names (she called The View’s “Joy Behar” Jo Bahar on Sunday morning, and in the past, continually referred to the Prime Minister of Japan as “Abe” (as in Lincoln) instead of the proper “Ah-bay,” and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg as “Mark Zuckerberger.”

I suppose if this were anywhere else but CHIN and people were actually listening, there would be outrage. But while I genuinely feel her heart is in the right place, I have no idea where her head is. Or given what I heard on Sunday, if there’s actually anything in it.

Hansa · November 18, 2018 12:46 pm

She really is an idiot. The only reason she has a show is because she pays CHIN for the airtime. The worst part is her "medical" segments featuring a charleton.

Hansa · November 18, 2018 12:48 pm

See http://sowny.net/viewtopic.php?id=2091

Kilgore · November 18, 2018 1:12 pm

RadioActive wrote:
I feel obliged to comment on the one person who I believe is the most ignorant talk show host on local radio. And it probably isn’t who you think

Whoever she is, she may be providing a public service by helping take the heat off poor ol' Mike Bullard

K.

RadioActive · November 18, 2018 1:18 pm

Hansa wrote:
See http://sowny.net/viewtopic.php?id=2091

Yes, this has come up before, and I went on a bit of a rant back then, too.

But the comment about the California fires as possible 'divine punishment' and tieing in advertising to a synagogue shooting left me stunned. I assume it's because there's such a small listenership and it's paid time that this continues to go on and on. But it's still incredible to me in this day and age that this stuff gets aired.

splunge · November 18, 2018 1:25 pm

@RA... this is not intended to be sarcastic... the one point aired is borderline hate speech and the other is far from ethical.

https://www.cbsc.ca/make-a-complaint/

RadioActive · November 18, 2018 1:30 pm

I actually thought about the CBSC, but they're such a toothless tiger it may not be worth the effort.

I'm not even sure if CHIN is a member. Would any decision be binding on them?

And to be perfectly fair, she never actually said it was God's punishment for voting Democrat, just that in her mind, the fires might have been punishment from the Almighty. But since they were talking about Trump's California visit at the time, I don't see how else you could interpret that off-the-cuff statement.

Finally, I don't know if what she said was hate speech. She has a right to her opinion, misguided though it might be to these ears. But I feel I have the same right to call her out on it.

Last edited by RadioActive (November 18, 2018 1:39 pm)

Hansa · November 18, 2018 1:39 pm

CHIN's a member. They joined shortly after someone complained to the CRTC about one of Zelda's shows. Now that they are part of the CBSC listeners have to go there rather than the CRTC

https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/info_sht/g8.htm

Actually, you have to complain to the radio station first and then to CBSC if you're not satisfied and then to the CRTC if you're still not satisfied.

Last edited by Hansa (November 18, 2018 1:43 pm)

RadioActive · November 18, 2018 1:40 pm

So I see I'm not the first. Any idea how that complaint came out?

splunge · November 18, 2018 1:44 pm

smart move by CHIN to join. CBSC is a buffer between broadcaster and CRTC.

Thing is, even if CBSC is a "toothless tiger" it is really a listener's only recourse, other than launching a full-on social media boycott campaign. In my mind, it's all about integrity and an ethical standard.

Hansa · November 18, 2018 1:45 pm

If I recall correctly the complaint had to do with Zelda having the Jewish Defence League on as a regular guest. Not sure the outcome of the complaint but she dropped the JDL's segment after the complaint.

Hansa · November 18, 2018 1:46 pm

I believe if you are unhappy with the CBSC's decision you can still escalate to the CRTC and of course one can also send interventions at license renewal time, which should get the station's attention.

Last edited by Hansa (November 18, 2018 1:48 pm)

splunge · November 18, 2018 1:49 pm

Hansa wrote:
I believe if you are unhappy with the CSBC's decision you can still escalate to the CRTC.

You can try as an individual, but the CRTC defers to the CBSC decisions provided that station is a member of the Council.

Hansa · November 18, 2018 1:56 pm

I believe CHIN's current license expires in 2019. Has it already been renewed or is there still a public comment period and hearing coming up?

splunge · November 18, 2018 2:00 pm

Hansa wrote:
I believe CHIN's current license expires in 2019. Has it already been renewed or is there still a public comment period and hearing coming up?

That is correct. The licence expires Aug. 31/19 which means the renewal will be open to public interventions sometime around April-ish.

RadioActive · November 18, 2018 2:40 pm

O.K. I don't want to challenge their licence based on the stupid remarks of one show! That seems extreme. I just wish someone would talk to this woman and advise her about crossing the line - and where that line is. But she pays for the air time, is extremely arrogant about her own "knowledge" and I can only assume she's allowed a lot of leeway as a result.

CHIN serves a purpose in this market, and I assume most of what they air (not being bilingual in anything) is good for the community it aims at.

As for officially complaining, well, I have a close friend who did just that. And it turned into a disaster. Here's the story.

I won't use any names but there was a guy who did a talk show for a GTA-area radio station who was on during the weekends at not the best hour, and didn't get a lot of calls. But he was marvellously entertaining while also being somewhat controversial. I loved his show and so did my friend and we both listened all the time.

One day, the subject of Israel came up and he took a call from a guy who started in with the familiar anti-Semitic garbage - how the Jews supposedly controlled the media and referencing the long discredited and hate-filled Elders of the Protocols of Zion idiocy. All the usual hateful tropes.

The host made one mistake during all this. I assume it was because he didn't have a lot of calls, so he let the listener go on for about 5 minutes with this nonsense, only occasionally interrupting to challenge what he was saying.

My friend, who happens to be Jewish, was angry because this obvious neo-Nazi was allowed to spew this vile bile for so long. So he complained to the radio station, thinking they would talk to the host, rap him on the knuckles and tell him to be more careful. That’s all he really wanted, despite the fact he loved the show.

But good intentions sometimes don’t become reality. Somehow his complaint got into the hands of B’Nai Brith and Honest Reporting Canada, a watchdog that calls the media on perceived anti-Israel bias, especially the CBC and the BBC.

Well, it escalated from there. And by next week, the guy’s show wasn’t on at its regular time.

No one knew why then, but it turns out the host had been summarily fired by the station that week. And remember, he didn’t say any of those things. He just allowed a caller a little too much chance to speak his biased mind. My friend, who is also in radio, was absolutely devastated that his email cost the guy his gig. As far as I know, he hasn’t been able to find another position since. And my friend has never forgiven himself, calling it the worst mistake he's ever made in his life.

I have no problems with the CHIN show existing. I’d just like to see a little more restraint from the host on some things. But after my friend’s experience, I admit to being gun shy about pulling a similar trigger. Even if I don’t always agree with the target.

torontomike · November 18, 2018 7:39 pm

RadioActive wrote:
As far as I know, he hasn’t been able to find another position since.

Sadly, this host passed away from cancer in June.

RadioActive · November 18, 2018 8:13 pm

torontomike wrote:
RadioActive wrote:
As far as I know, he hasn’t been able to find another position since.
Sadly, this host passed away from cancer in June.

I'm not sure who you're referring to, but the guy I mentioned posted a YouTube video as recently as yesterday, so I don't think it's the same person.

Still, I'm sorry to hear of anyone suffering from that awful disease, especially since I've had that same battle myself.

torontomike · November 18, 2018 8:16 pm

My bad. I was sure you were referring to Gary Bell.

RadioActive · November 18, 2018 9:01 pm

No, it wasn't the late Mr. Bell. I've actually contacted the on air host in question since and he confirmed the whole sordid story. I think in the end, the station wasn't happy that he was so controversial and may have been looking for an excuse to get rid of him. My friend's letter lit that fuse and it exploded all over him.

In exchange for telling me his side, I agreed I would not reveal his name and I intend to honour that promise.

Still really miss his show though and I honestly thought he might have a shot at CKNT. Didn't quite work out but he'd be a lot better than some of the people they have on there now!