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July 24, 2020 4:22 pm  #1


The Week That No One’s Working In Toronto Talk Radio

Pandemic, schmandemic. Nothing gets in the way of vacations! Silly season is upon us, viruses, WE scandals and abusive Governors-General nothwithstanding. Next week, local talk radio looks to be substitute city.

Consider:
 
-John Moore is gone for two weeks from CFRB. Dave Trafford is subbing for him, leaving Jason Agnew to take weekends. 

-Mike Stafford continues to recuperate from his terrible accident and won’t be on GNR640 for a while.

-His temporary replacement, John Oakley, may finally be on his long delayed vacation. (Alan Carter was taking his place on Thursday and Friday.)

-Peter Shurman is subbing in Oakley’s afternoon shift.

-Jim Richards is recovering from his own accident and wasn’t on ’RB Friday.

-Jay Michaels is on a two week pause on NT1010's afternoon shift.

-Barb DiGiulio is off all next week and possibly longer.

-So is Bill Carroll who won’t be back on his Friday show until the second week of August.

-And Evan Solomon has been off all week and I’m pretty sure isn’t back next week, either.
 
Whew! I can't remember a time when so many regulars were gone from the one format where their absence will be the most noticed. How’d you like to be the person in charge of making the skeds for either 1010 or 640? After this, they'll need a vacation!

Sure glad nothing much is going on next week, like the Prime Minister testifying before a Committee looking into a huge scandal or the Blue Jays beginning a home run in Buffalo or Toronto possibly moving into Phase 3 or...

 

July 25, 2020 12:49 am  #2


Re: The Week That No One’s Working In Toronto Talk Radio

Having Tina T and Supriya D team up to do 640's morning show probably won't happen, but with the station being so snake bit, and Tina being such a fan favorite, I don't know why they don't give it a whirl for a few days and see how it goes. It could be an amazing on-air combination.

Last edited by betaylored (July 25, 2020 12:53 am)

 

July 25, 2020 9:13 am  #3


Re: The Week That No One’s Working In Toronto Talk Radio

I'll give Tina and Supriya a chance, what does 640 have to lose?  Summer lineup is a like a country farmer's market anyway - everyone's in a different place from week to week.
 

 

July 25, 2020 10:54 am  #4


Re: The Week That No One’s Working In Toronto Talk Radio

grilled.cheese wrote:

No one is working and no one is listening
It's a perfect system. 

Surely people will tune in Dave Trafford?  Long before 680 News, 30 minutes to midnight was an excellent news program on AM 640 (1992) hosted by this very gentleman! 
He's been in radio for quite some time so I'm sure he can put on a good show...hopefully not too far to the right of the scale, but still  a great radio show!

 


RadioWiz & RadioQuiz are NOT the same person. 
RadioWiz & THE Wiz are NOT the same person.

 
 

July 25, 2020 7:58 pm  #5


Re: The Week That No One’s Working In Toronto Talk Radio

Radiowiz wrote:

grilled.cheese wrote:

No one is working and no one is listening
It's a perfect system. 

Surely people will tune in Dave Trafford?  Long before 680 News, 30 minutes to midnight was an excellent news program on AM 640 (1992) hosted by this very gentleman! 
He's been in radio for quite some time so I'm sure he can put on a good show...hopefully not too far to the right of the scale, but still  a great radio show!

 

I will absolutely listen to Dave Trafford as well, he does a really good job doing mornings, he's upbeat without being false and hearty. I just need at least two stations to listen to at all times. There's only so much covid/WE are not ethical politicians conversation I can deal with.

Tina T for the win 🤞

Last edited by betaylored (July 25, 2020 8:02 pm)

 

July 27, 2020 3:19 pm  #6


Re: The Week That No One’s Working In Toronto Talk Radio

Turns out Sapriya was back solo on Monday morning on GNR640, but I wonder how long they can let that go on. 

Meanwhile - and I'm not sure if it's the whole week or not  - Jeff MacArthur was gone during the first show of the weekday, replaced by Arlene Bynon, who admitted she was doing a remote from Prince Edward Island. So even some of the people still on the air at 640 are on vacation!

What a weird week! 

     Thread Starter
 

July 27, 2020 5:36 pm  #7


Re: The Week That No One’s Working In Toronto Talk Radio

I have to admit I'm not a big fan of hers on the air, either. She really does need a co-host, especially if this is going to continue for weeks or even potentially months while Stafford recuperates.

She's perfectly passable in some ways, but doing mornings alone in the biggest media market in Canada? I just don't think she's a big enough name or talent.

     Thread Starter
 

July 27, 2020 6:26 pm  #8


Re: The Week That No One’s Working In Toronto Talk Radio

i hear hr really likes her.

 

August 4, 2020 3:22 pm  #9


Re: The Week That No One’s Working In Toronto Talk Radio

While I admit last week was crazy, it doesn't hold a candle to what happened on GNR 640 Tuesday.

-Peter Shurman handled the morning show for Supriya and the still recuperating Stafford.

-Greg Brady is in for Kelly Cutrara all week. 

-Jeff Semple took the place of Jeff MacArthur on his afternoon show.

-And Arlene Bynon was sitting in for the apparently still vacationing John Oakley, who was supposed to be back by now. 

If you're counting (and even if you're not) that means the station did not have one single regular voice on the air at all from 6 AM until 6 PM. (I believe Alex Pierson will air in her usual slot at 6:30 but you never know.)

Unless a lot of people called in sick, who agreed to let every single regular take time off in the exact same week? I can't recall a non-Christmas time period in Toronto radio when that ever happened.   

     Thread Starter
 

August 4, 2020 4:50 pm  #10


Re: The Week That No One’s Working In Toronto Talk Radio

RadioActive wrote:

Unless a lot of people called in sick, who agreed to let every single regular take time off in the exact same week? I can't recall a non-Christmas time period in Toronto radio when that ever happened.   

Brings to mind the saying "Go big or go home" ... apparently they decided to go with the latter. But this is one of the most popular weeks of the year for people to take off in general, with it being in the middle of summer and it only requiring people to use four vacation days instead of five. There were three other people who I would sometimes cover for where I used to work, and it was quite common for at least two and sometimes all three to take this week off since I was able to mostly put my own work aside and cover for them. And this year there's the added aspect of the easing of covid restrictions. So while on the one hand I wouldn't have expected them to allow so many regulars to be off at the same time either, I think it's also nice for the regulars that they were willing to do this. 

 

August 4, 2020 5:22 pm  #11


Re: The Week That No One’s Working In Toronto Talk Radio

Actually, I don't entirely disagree with you. The subs acquitted themselves fairly well overall, I thought. I well recall the day on this board when I would complain about 640 having no back-up. Some may remember when a sick call would send the entire station into a kind of musical chairs, with many of the personalities turning up in different time slots and rerolls in others to fill in the gap. Thankfully, that's no longer an issue and all of the substitutes -  love them or hate them - are experienced pros. 

With Stafford out for who knows how long, 640 is going to have to do something about its morning show. I'm not a fan of Supriya, but even if I were, that's a tough shift to handle alone. I just don't think she's a big enough name to be flying solo in the most important daypart there is, and if Stafford is going to be gone for a while, I can only wonder how long they'll let this go on. 

Perhaps a change or an addition is being planned for the start of the Fall? It will be interesting to see what, if anything, they do.

     Thread Starter
 

August 4, 2020 7:24 pm  #12


Re: The Week That No One’s Working In Toronto Talk Radio

I think Supriya has been doing a very admirable job on 640. I think she sounds a bit more relaxed when she's working with Stafford. If nothing else, she's a smart lady and I appreciate her intelligence first thing in the morning.

 

August 4, 2020 7:35 pm  #13


Re: The Week That No One’s Working In Toronto Talk Radio

I'm not a fan of hers, but there's no question she's smart. Her bio notes that she speaks three languages fluently and had a choice to go to either medical school or study law. She picked the latter. 

So I don't have any doubt about her intelligence. I just don't find her on-air presence and presentation all that compelling. I suppose it's just a personal choice, But I'm glad you find her refreshing.

Still, not to repeat myself too much, she simply isn't that well known, and your morning person really needs to be high profile to break through in this market. That's why I'm unsure whether they can leave her doing it all alone until Stafford is well enough to return. Especially during a summer when news hasn't slowed down for even a second, which is very rare for this time of year. I can only imagine what the Fall will bring! 

     Thread Starter