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December 14, 2020 10:08 pm  #1


What's Being Said On That Ethnic Station You Don't Understand?

There are a ton of ethnic radio stations in and around the GTA and I'm guessing most of us here never listen to them, especially considering we don't speak the languages they broadcast in. But have you ever wondered what's being said on them that you had no idea about and whether station management is even aware of what's being broadcast on their own airwaves?

It never occurred to me until I came upon this press release from B'Nai Brith Canada about CJMR, the ethnic outlet at 1320 AM in Mississauga. The paid time station has apparently been broadcasting a Polish language show filled with anti-Semitic hate, and after some prodding and bad publicity, they've now cut ties with the offending contributor. 

It seems to me it's a lot easier to get away with this kind of stuff on a place few listen to and even fewer really understand. With so many different cultures constantly at each other's throats in this troubled world, I can only wonder how many other ethnic hatreds are being broadcast over local airwaves without anyone being the wiser? 

CJMR Severs Ties with Radio Maryja Canada

 

December 14, 2020 10:26 pm  #2


Re: What's Being Said On That Ethnic Station You Don't Understand?

It happens. In the early days of CHIN they got in trouble when, unbeknownst to the station, its Serbian-language program called for the assassination of the Yugoslavian consul-general in Toronto. 

 

December 14, 2020 11:05 pm  #3


Re: What's Being Said On That Ethnic Station You Don't Understand?

And yet the rest of 640 is spared. Odd, that.

 

December 14, 2020 11:18 pm  #4


Re: What's Being Said On That Ethnic Station You Don't Understand?

grilled.cheese wrote:

B'Nai Brith is the same group that went after Gary Bell aka Spaceman, which eventually lead to his demise.  

Unfortunately for the late Mr. Bell, he deserved it, if you read what he actually said on air. There's no way you can get away with this stuff in this day and age. It was a pretty stupid place to have gone. 

Corus Radio Fires AM640 Host Citing Complaints of Anti-Semitic Content

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December 14, 2020 11:30 pm  #5


Re: What's Being Said On That Ethnic Station You Don't Understand?

grilled.cheese wrote:

RadioActive wrote:

grilled.cheese wrote:

B'Nai Brith is the same group that went after Gary Bell aka Spaceman, which eventually lead to his demise.  

Unfortunately for the late Mr. Bell, he deserved it, if you read what he actually said on air. There's no way you can get away with this stuff in this day and age. It was a pretty stupid place to have gone. 

Corus Radio Fires AM640 Host Citing Complaints of Anti-Semitic Content

It's no different than anything else that was said on the show.

And therein lies the problem. I know Mr. Bell had a lot of fans and friends and I suspect you were one of them. But there are some places you just don't go and he chose that route. It led to a predictable dead end. If you look at one of the offending quotes from that show as related in the link above, there was no other outcome.

He was a veteran broadcaster. He should have known better.  

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December 15, 2020 12:55 am  #6


Re: What's Being Said On That Ethnic Station You Don't Understand?

grilled.cheese wrote:

RadioActive wrote:

grilled.cheese wrote:

B'Nai Brith is the same group that went after Gary Bell aka Spaceman, which eventually lead to his demise.  

Unfortunately for the late Mr. Bell, he deserved it, if you read what he actually said on air. There's no way you can get away with this stuff in this day and age. It was a pretty stupid place to have gone. 

Corus Radio Fires AM640 Host Citing Complaints of Anti-Semitic Content

I heard the show live and I have a copy of the MP3.

It's no different than anything else that was said on the show.

Me thinks Corus was looking for a reason to drop their conspiracy shows, as Coast to Coast was dropped that year as well.  I think that's when the whole Global News stuff was taking shape.

He got away with it for a long time because few people listened to the show - but I heard a recording of the last show and it was full of anti-semitic gibberish about the Rothschilds. Not anything that belongs on the public airwaves. 
 

 

December 15, 2020 12:55 am  #7


Re: What's Being Said On That Ethnic Station You Don't Understand?

grilled.cheese wrote:

All those comments were par for the course for his show.

Doesn't make them right. If what you say is true, I'm surprised he wasn't let go long before he was canned.

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December 15, 2020 10:03 am  #8


Re: What's Being Said On That Ethnic Station You Don't Understand?

To get back to the original topic, I'm not surprised.  Radio Maryja has the same reputation in Poland.  It's basically an ultra right-wing church-based organization that even the Vatican has chastised.

I'm really of two minds on all this.  On the one hand, such hate speech should be sanctioned.  But on the other hand, sometimes letting the idiots spout their vitriol shows them for who they really are.  I always fall back on the example of Andy Barrie "Interviewing" Ernst Zundel.  Barrie would just ask a couple of leading questions and let Zundel froth away for a few minutes pretty much showing everyone what Zundel was all about without needlessly arguing with him.

 

 

December 15, 2020 2:59 pm  #9


Re: What's Being Said On That Ethnic Station You Don't Understand?

all that said, policing "ethnic language" radio shows can be a significant challenge... especially for the station's that air these shows. even the best of disclaimers can't totally prevent some element of station liability (especially if the questionable content has aired over a significant amount of time... and if nobody complains).
 

Last edited by the original hank (December 15, 2020 3:03 pm)

 

December 15, 2020 3:34 pm  #10


Re: What's Being Said On That Ethnic Station You Don't Understand?

I'm really of two minds on all this.  On the one hand, such hate speech should be sanctioned.  But on the other hand, sometimes letting the idiots spout their vitriol shows them for who they really are.  I always fall back on the example of Andy Barrie "Interviewing" Ernst Zundel.  Barrie would just ask a couple of leading questions and let Zundel froth away for a few minutes pretty much showing everyone what Zundel was all about without needlessly arguing with him.

I used to think that would be enough but unfortunately, even if most people are repulsed you will have a small minority who are influenced by the nonsense spouted by fanatics of any ilk. I think it's also important for a good interviewer to be able to challenge an interviewee when they are spouting nonsense. A few years ago the CBC had Gavin McInnes of the Proud Boys on for an interview and the interviewer let him spout on unchallenged when she should have been prepared and been able to challenge his more outlandish, fact-free statements. 

Last edited by Hansa (December 15, 2020 3:35 pm)

 

December 15, 2020 3:39 pm  #11


Re: What's Being Said On That Ethnic Station You Don't Understand?

the original hank wrote:

all that said, policing "ethnic language" radio shows can be a significant challenge... especially for the station's that air these shows. even the best of disclaimers can't totally prevent some element of station liability (especially if the questionable content has aired over a significant amount of time... and if nobody complains).
 

In Australia they require the multilingual channel to run English subtitles on all their shows so people can see what's being said. I think that's a bit nannyish and over the top. (I suppose the CRTC could require foreign language radio shows to prepare translated transcripts of everything they air but again, that would be somewhat excessive and costly)

 

December 15, 2020 3:46 pm  #12


Re: What's Being Said On That Ethnic Station You Don't Understand?

Hansa wrote:

I'm really of two minds on all this.  On the one hand, such hate speech should be sanctioned.  But on the other hand, sometimes letting the idiots spout their vitriol shows them for who they really are.  I always fall back on the example of Andy Barrie "Interviewing" Ernst Zundel.  Barrie would just ask a couple of leading questions and let Zundel froth away for a few minutes pretty much showing everyone what Zundel was all about without needlessly arguing with him.

I used to think that would be enough but unfortunately, even if most people are repulsed you will have a small minority who are influenced by the nonsense spouted by fanatics of any ilk. I think it's also important for a good interviewer to be able to challenge an interviewee when they are spouting nonsense. A few years ago the CBC had Gavin McInnes of the Proud Boys on for an interview and the interviewer let him spout on unchallenged when she should have been prepared and been able to challenge his more outlandish, fact-free statements. 

Yeah but in the Barrie/Zundel example, everyone knew where each of them stood.  Letting Zundel spout off (with all his blister and vitriol) just shows him for what he is. (was)

But you do make a valid point about confronting a guest with facts, or even conjecture, contradicting the guest's point.  The problem is some guests don't take well to being contradicted and then really blow up or just walk out.  Case in point, David Suzuki and John Oakley.

Last edited by Peter the K (December 15, 2020 3:47 pm)

 

December 15, 2020 5:58 pm  #13


Re: What's Being Said On That Ethnic Station You Don't Understand?

If any ethnic language station or show gets too out of line, there is always someone who is listening that knows what is being said and word gets out pretty quickly.  If the programming on a station gets  radicalized, overtly biased or demeaning against certain groups or cultures, usually doesn't take long before this is brought to the attention of the appropriate people.

When working in Thunder Bay our FM station had a Polish language program that had been on for years with no issues. New people took over the production and the program took a very political turn.  Complaints started coming in right away from the Polish community on the content.  Station management listened to and had shows translated.  The program was cancelled immediately.   Also there is the possibility of lawsuits against any group or individual that promotes or broadcasts material that is hateful or damaging.

No station wants to get involved with anything legal that could be considered a hate crime or hate motivated.  I think the system generally works pretty well since you don't normally hear that many serious issues with specific groups or ethnic language outlets or programming. 
 

 

December 15, 2020 6:24 pm  #14


Re: What's Being Said On That Ethnic Station You Don't Understand?

  The problem is some guests don't take well to being contradicted and then really blow up or just walk out.  

That's fine. I think it makes them look bad and like they're not able to withstand criticism or contrary views (and a guest walking out usually makes great TV or radio). The producers just have to make sure they have something on standby to fill the time if the show ends up running fast as a result. 

Last edited by Hansa (December 15, 2020 6:25 pm)

 

December 15, 2020 11:11 pm  #15


Re: What's Being Said On That Ethnic Station You Don't Understand?

Got a call early Wednesday morning. You’re not producing Lali’s show today, he was shot dead in his parking lot last night.   The guy who took over Sounds of Asia on city a few weeks later was also shot dead in his driveway. 

lali had wrapped himself in the flag of India on a recent episode while singing about independence and one of the cop theories was people didn't like that. 

the entire City /CHIN pyramid multicultural weekend scam was repugnant enough but this happened all the tine. 

https://www.torontopolice.on.ca/homicide/case/39/1991

http://images.ourontario.ca/Partners/Whitby/002451976p3.pdf
 


Madness takes its toll.  Please have exact change.
 
 

January 6, 2021 2:10 pm  #16


Re: What's Being Said On That Ethnic Station You Don't Understand?

And then there's this, from the Toronto Star, although it doesn't indicate which station she was on. 

I went on Punjabi radio to share COVID information with my community. I learned that multicultural media has been kept in the dark

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