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'RB Listens To AM 640 & Other Morning Show Follies
Ever wonder if one radio station monitors the other during their all-important morning shows? One answer came on Tuesday, during the TTC downtown meltdown, when NT1010's John Moore snidely criticized his counterparts down the dial. Just before 8 AM, he noted his station was doing wall-to-wall coverage of the subway mess, while "the other talk station" in town (i.e. AM 640) was yammering on about skinny basic cable - a topic he insisted was three days old. And he finished with something akin to "get on it guys!"
It was a pretty unusual reference to the competition and it once again demonstrates the big differences between the two outlets. CFRB has reporters it can send out to cover the emergency, and can also rely on the resources of sister station CP24. CFMJ has no extra personnel or additional producers to chase down and get vital guests on the phone and on days like this, it really shows. But I can't ever quite recall hearing one morning show critiquing another on air.
But 640 wasn't the only one lacking. During 7:30-8, I flipped through the local TV morning shows to see how they were covering the ongoing emergency. Maybe it was just the few minutes I picked at random, but that would seem to be a pretty important half hour as people get ready to leave for work.
City TV's BT had a small graphic and crawl about the subway outage, but was otherwise doing Happy Birthday greetings and then some cockamamie segment about prom dresses. Global's morning show was reciting headlines about U.S. stories. And CTV's Canada AM, which is admittedly more national in scope, was also offering a small local bottom of the screen graphic about the TTC mess, but was otherwise endlessly engaged in watching some guy cook a steak in the middle of your breakfast (when you're likely to be eating almost anything else.) I don't receive CP24, but I'm guessing they were covering the transit disaster non-stop and eating the other stations' lunches (and maybe that steak on CTV.)
I've done a fair amount of TV news producing in my day and I'm baffled by what I saw this morning - especially if you add into all this the fact there's a huge winter storm coming for the afternoon drive, another major story that was also getting short shrift.
During this kind of emergency, when the entire downtown core is in chaos, you throw out the regularly scheduled script and guests and go wall-to-wall to cover it. I simply can't even begin to guess what these guys were thinking.
But at least we now know that someone at 'RB is listening to Oakley.
Last edited by RadioActive (March 1, 2016 10:16 am)
- radiokid
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Re: 'RB Listens To AM 640 & Other Morning Show Follies
With all due respect, I watched BT before leaving for work this morning and they actually did offer fairly good coverage. Every news cutin and traffic cut in had live cameras and reporters at street level. It wasn't wall to wall, and after 8am, MOST of their audience who is getting to work for 9am likely was already on the road.
I never turned on the other stations, but I have a feeling you didn't watch long enough if you only walked away with them doing the "BIRTHDAY" feature they do around 7:50.
With the graphic crawl, and updates approx every 15 mins or less, I don't have an issue if they are not doing wall to wall when the issue was starting to resolve by the opening around that time of the university line.
As for radio NT1010 and 680 was way ahead where I agree.. 640 just failed hugely.
Last edited by radiokid (March 1, 2016 11:02 am)
- Radiowiz
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Re: 'RB Listens To AM 640 & Other Morning Show Follies
Charlie wrote:
For the most part, 640 is a waste of a bandwidth.
...which is quite ironic, since they do have Global TV to work with, at least in the morning show.
Last edited by Radiowiz (March 1, 2016 1:06 pm)
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RadioWiz & THE Wiz are NOT the same person.
- RadioQuiz
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Re: 'RB Listens To AM 640 & Other Morning Show Follies
RB and 680 are in the "Breaking" business and 640 is in the "Talk" business. 1010 and 680 do an excellent job. 640 is an "ok" talk station - which makes it an alternative. 640 needs some fresh talent and energy. Oakley and Stafford are fine but they need a show that sounds different.
As for Moore commenting - the leader should never acknowledge the stations in their dust - they have nothing gain. That's my humble opinion.
- WilliamT
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Re: 'RB Listens To AM 640 & Other Morning Show Follies
Moore likes reaching for the low hanging fruit. Bill Carroll isn't around to take shots at him anymore.
- the original hank
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Re: 'RB Listens To AM 640 & Other Morning Show Follies
With all due respect, I watched BT before leaving for work this morning and they actually did offer fairly good coverage. Every news cutin and traffic cut in had live cameras and reporters at street level. It wasn't wall to wall, and after 8am, MOST of their audience who is getting to work for 9am likely was already on the road.
I never turned on the other stations, but I have a feeling you didn't watch long enough if you only walked away with them doing the "BIRTHDAY" feature they do around 7:50.
With the graphic crawl, and updates approx every 15 mins or less, I don't have an issue if they are not doing wall to wall when the issue was starting to resolve by the opening around that time of the university line.
As for radio NT1010 and 680 was way ahead where I agree.. 640 just failed hugely.
i watched bt early this morning and they had extensive coverage including reporters at various spots where shuttle buses were located. personally, i thought bt had the situation covered.
- rawkgurl
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Re: 'RB Listens To AM 640 & Other Morning Show Follies
I drive to work. I don't drive downtown. Why should I care if the subway is shut down? I want to hear what is relevant to me.
I don't drive downtown either but it's going to affect my drive anyway. Subway and street car shutdowns affect the entire city whether you realize it or not.
- Radiowiz
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Re: 'RB Listens To AM 640 & Other Morning Show Follies
I don't drive downtown either but it's going to affect my drive anyway. Subway and street car shutdowns affect the entire city whether you realize it or not.
Yes indeed. I'm surprised there was no word of an Uber rate adjustment during such a horrible time for poor transit.
(ie Premium rates)
RadioWiz & RadioQuiz are NOT the same person.
RadioWiz & THE Wiz are NOT the same person.
- geo
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Re: 'RB Listens To AM 640 & Other Morning Show Follies
I drive to work . . . Why should I care if the subway is shut down?
REAL men bicycle to work (although if John Oakley heard that he would say it's a slippery slope)
- Errol Bruce-Knapp
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Re: 'RB Listens To AM 640 & Other Morning Show Follies
I drive to work. I don't drive downtown. Why should I care if the subway is shut down? I want to hear what is relevant to me.
I don't drive downtown either but it's going to affect my drive anyway. Subway and street car shutdowns affect the entire city whether you realize it or not.
no they dont
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- Ms. C.
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Re: 'RB Listens To AM 640 & Other Morning Show Follies
"Look, I didn't come here for an argument..."
Gentlemen: you can't fight in here, this is the war room