The Southern Ontario/WNY Radio-TV Forum » Weird

g121 · August 17, 2020 7:43 am

For the last couple of days, Funny 820 & Funny 1160 have been silent for me.

Their websites are up & showing playlist logs but I'm getting no sound.

https://www.iheartradio.ca/funny/funny-820
https://www.iheartradio.ca/funny/funny-1060/

As well, my C.Crane internet radio (powered by https://radios.reciva.com/index) is showing "station unavailable" for both.

Newstalk 1010 (https://www.iheartradio.ca/newstalk-1010) plays fine.

Are you guys getting the same? Ideas?

paterson1 · August 17, 2020 8:03 am

I am getting both of them fine.

g121 · August 17, 2020 8:06 am

ah .. the culprit was geo-blocking ..

turns out my VPN has just recently started to be identified as U.S. , not Canada, based.

turned off my VPN & Funny820/1160 play fine.

so Newstalk 1010 is not geo-blocked but Funny820/1160 is geo-blocked.

RadioActive · August 17, 2020 8:44 am

I had a VPN issue myself last night. I was trying to upload a semi-large file to a Google Drive, so I could allow someone else access to it. But the "time left" before completion started out at 9 hours and then kept increasing to 10, 11 and then 13 hours. It was a big file, but not that big!

It was only after a few minutes that I realized my VPN was still on and was strangling the upload. After I turned it off and refreshed the page, it went from 13 hours to 53 minutes! Virtual Private Networks usually work pretty well, but if you're experiencing issues, I found out the hard way that it's the first thing to check.

Still, I find them worth the money overall since they unblock so much of what shouldn't really be blocked in the first place.

Dale Patterson · August 17, 2020 8:56 am

g121 wrote:
For the last couple of days, Funny 820 & Funny 1160 have been silent for me.

Their websites are up & showing playlist logs but I'm getting no sound.

https://www.iheartradio.ca/funny/funny-820
https://www.iheartradio.ca/funny/funny-1060/

As well, my C.Crane internet radio (powered by https://radios.reciva.com/index) is showing "station unavailable" for both.

Newstalk 1010 (https://www.iheartradio.ca/newstalk-1010) plays fine.

Are you guys getting the same? Ideas?

Perhaps they're doing a Marcel Marceau tribute.

radiokid · August 17, 2020 10:33 am

g121 wrote:
ah .. the culprit was geo-blocking ..

turns out my VPN has just recently started to be identified as U.S. , not Canada, based.

turned off my VPN & Funny820/1160 play fine.

so Newstalk 1010 is not geo-blocked but Funny820/1160 is geo-blocked.

If I'm guessing, it's a rights issue with the comedy that they only cover Canada. 1010, being a talk station with original content they create, is likely why they don't geoblock.

g121 · August 17, 2020 10:55 am

radiokid wrote:
If I'm guessing, it's a rights issue with the comedy that they only cover Canada. 1010, being a talk station with original content they create, is likely why they don't geoblock.

I recently cut my Rogers TV cable & moved to Teksavvy IPTV running on my Amazon Firestick. But TekTV wouldn't work with my VPN which i config on my Asus router for all devices on my home network.

So I upgraded my ASUS router firmware from stock to Merlin so I could have just my Firestick device bypass my VPN. So it's easy/peasy to also have C.Crane internet radio device bypass my VPN as well. Now done & all's good.

Chrisphen · August 18, 2020 9:19 pm

Imagine willingly choosing to listen to Funny 820...the Dollar Store canned meat of comedy.

g121 · August 19, 2020 9:41 am

Chrisphen wrote:
Imagine willingly choosing to listen to Funny 820...the Dollar Store canned meat of comedy.

I sampled many of the other comedy channels & quickly grew very tired of the steady string of F-Bombs ..

Radiowiz · August 19, 2020 11:14 am

Why is Funny 820 still called that? Why is it not called CTV Comedy radio 820?

darcyh · August 19, 2020 2:48 pm

How long until 820 suffers the same fate as sister station CKSL 1410?

RadioAaron · August 19, 2020 2:54 pm

Radiowiz wrote:
Why is Funny 820 still called that? Why is it not called CTV Comedy radio 820?

Astral launched the brands prior to the Bell Media takeover. For what amounts to two placeholder stations, a re-brand isn't worth it.

Kosmos Kagool · August 19, 2020 4:51 pm

RadioAaron wrote:
For what amounts to two placeholder stations, a re-brand isn't worth it.

In the 1950s, the Rexall drug store chain, when closing a retail pharmacy in favor of a Rexall start-up nearby, would keep the lease on the old store for a few years and operate it as something other than a pharmacy. The idea was to keep it out of the hands of a pharmacist who might want to run it in competition with Rexall's fresh, new store

Could that be what's happened in London with 1410 and in Hamilton with 820? Change it to something with no possibility of success, to blow away faithful listeners who might otherwise be attracted to new ownership

BCE ain't stoopid

K.K.

RadioActive · August 19, 2020 4:55 pm

I have to admit I kind of like having Funny 820 there. It's a great place to go when there's absolutely nothing else on regular broadcast radio. (Hardly a glowing endorsement, I know.)

I'm curious - what does the assembled multitude here think would work on 820 if Bell (or a new owner) were to make a format change?

Media Observer · August 19, 2020 5:00 pm

RadioActive wrote:
I have to admit I kind of like having Funny 820 there. It's a great place to go when there's absolutely nothing else on regular broadcast radio. (Hardly a glowing endorsement, I know.)

I use it in the car for the same reason, or just for a quick laugh in these trying times.

mace · August 19, 2020 6:17 pm

Wasn't one of the reasons for shutting down CKSL because the transmitter site needed major repairs and upgrades? Bell wasn't prepared to spend the $$$. Perhaps CHAM'S transmitter site is in better condition. Just a thought. I could be wrong.

Chrisphen · August 19, 2020 6:31 pm

Obviously beggars can't be choosers, but its programming is so genuinely wretched - no single bit longer than a minute-or-so, identification of the artist only at the end of the...er...excerpt from the artist's act. Comedic offal carelessly blended with filler and squirted over the air.

g121 · August 19, 2020 7:57 pm

Chrisphen wrote:
Obviously beggars can't be choosers, but its programming is so genuinely wretched - no single bit longer than a minute-or-so, identification of the artist only at the end of the...er...excerpt from the artist's act. Comedic offal carelessly blended with filler and squirted over the air.

For me, the short excerpt format is a plus. Otherwise, firing up a long Andrew Dice Clay, Larry the Cable Guy or Tim Allen skit would have me changing the channel. It's akin to sometimes one wants songs, other times one wants album sides .. each format has its time and place. After jonesing on news all day, a little comic relief is refreshing.

But what do I know .. I'm just the listening public, not a radio professional.

Radiowiz · August 20, 2020 12:54 am

RadioActive wrote:
I'm curious - what does the assembled multitude here think would work on 820 if Bell (or a new owner) were to make a format change?

It depends on what a BNN 820 could do better than the late great Business 1280.
Bell might have better resources to work with...or something?? (Hint: A lot more Canadian content)

darcyh · August 20, 2020 12:03 pm

mace wrote:
Wasn't one of the reasons for shutting down CKSL because the transmitter site needed major repairs and upgrades? Bell wasn't prepared to spend the $$$. Perhaps CHAM'S transmitter site is in better condition. Just a thought. I could be wrong.

Here's some commentary about that,

http://www.engineeringradio.us/blog/2016/08/%d0%bf%d1%80%d0%be%d1%89%d0%b0%d1%82%d1%8c%d1%81%d1%8f/

Media Observer · August 20, 2020 12:39 pm

g121 wrote:
Chrisphen wrote:
Obviously beggars can't be choosers, but its programming is so genuinely wretched - no single bit longer than a minute-or-so, identification of the artist only at the end of the...er...excerpt from the artist's act. Comedic offal carelessly blended with filler and squirted over the air.
For me, the short excerpt format is a plus. Otherwise, firing up a long Andrew Dice Clay, Larry the Cable Guy or Tim Allen skit would have me changing the channel. It's akin to sometimes one wants songs, other times one wants album sides .. each format has its time and place. After jonesing on news all day, a little comic relief is refreshing.

But what do I know .. I'm just the listening public, not a radio professional.

As am I.

RadioActive · August 20, 2020 12:45 pm

I wish they would do more sketch comedy excerpts. Think of say, some famous bits from SCTV or SNL. Or even some old variety show bits, instead of non-stop stand-up, stand-up, stand-up. I think it would greatly expand what passes for their "playlist."

Media Observer · August 20, 2020 2:25 pm

RadioActive wrote:
I wish they would do more sketch comedy excerpts. Think of say, some famous bits from SCTV or SNL. Or even some old variety show bits, instead of non-stop stand-up, stand-up, stand-up. I think it would greatly expand what passes for their "playlist."

A great suggestion. It would add a different element to the broadcasts.

Last edited by Media Observer (August 20, 2020 2:26 pm)