No top of the hour noon news leading into Evan Solomon on CFRB. Just endless spots. 

I guess Colton Praill is busy in Ottawa. 

They have been promoting CHUM on CP24 a lot. 

Yes, when CHUM became an audio version of CP24 after it abandoned oldies, the criticism was huge. It started in March 2009 under the unwieldy name of "CP24 Radio 1050," but it didn't last long. The goal was to be able to take CP24 with you in your car, but for the very reasons you state, it didn't work and drew huge complaints - and few listeners. 

An article in the Toronto Sun not long after the launch pointed out all the pitfalls of the idea. Ironically, considering what happened yesterday, it was written by Ted Woloshyn.

https://web.archive.org/web/20090329050740/http://www.torontosun.com/comment/columnists/ted_woloshyn/2009/03/28/8914056-sun.html

-------

Edit: By the way, if you choose the "comments" tab in the link above, one of them, posted so long ago, could just as easily be relevant to what happened yesterday. Proving some things involving Bell never change.

"What a friggin' nightmarish disappointment this is. No warning? No goodbye? NO CLASS! If this is what the future of media convergence is then count me out. Way to completely ignore loyal listeners just because they aren't 18-34 males. Nice.

Sure the format was eventually gunna die but could you at least have given us a chance to say goodbye? Marc Chambers must be (rockin' and) rolling in his grave. All of that fine work flushed down the can so that another 10cents could be squeezed outta CP24.

And thanks for taking the CHUM charts off the web. Scumbags! Do the current owners feel passion about anything except making a quick buck?" 

Last edited by RadioActive (February 3, 2021 2:26 pm)

It would appear that way.... The tv audio starting at 6pm.... show me one place that has ever worked?

This is the prime example of what happens when accountants run the show and not people with the bigger picture. 

This doesn't really surprise me, given everything that happened this week. CKTB has been airing segments from Solomon's CTV show at night for months. It costs them nothing because it's already produced, needs no talent to be in the studio, no producer or operator. Of course Bell will take the cheapest route.

Although he's Tweeted today, there's not a word on Jim Richards' Twitter or Instagram accounts about what happened. The closest is a note about Fred vanVleet's scoring record, which says "This was great. On a tough day."

If there's any good news, it's that Richards is one of the longest serving hosts at 1010. His severance payday pay out could be in the 6-figure range. 

Which confirms the earlier report about the "iHeart Radio Talk Network" extro he used at each break. (By the way, at one point on Wednesday, as they went to commercial and the stinger music was playing, he talked completely over it until it more than ended and then stumbled, prompting him to say, "I'm still getting used to this!")

This will change his show immensely. It will be hard to talk about the "idiots" at Toronto City Hall or any truly local city issue when you're on in other parts of Ontario, where T.O politics don't matter. Joe Cressy must be breathing a sigh of relief!

By the way, I'm not sure how this will be greeted by listeners in other places. I remember when Mike Bullard was being simulcast on 610. After the show was over, local programming resumed, and caller after caller expressed anger that a Toronto-based show was being presented in St. Catharines. There's nothing to say they won't feel the same way about Agar, and of course, RB's signal reaches the Niagara area, so if they wanted to hear him, they could. 

Steve Faguy is reporting the weekend newscasts on CTV Vancouver Island are cancelled. That is a CTV2 station, so I wonder if that will extend to Ontario.

That said, CTV VI does more local news production than the CTV2 stations in Ontario; they're the only CTV2 station to have a 5:00 newscast in addition to their 6:00. So CTV VI has more to cut than the others without violating the local news requirements in their license. But I also know Windsor and London have simulcast weekend news in the past, so I wouldn't be surprised to see that return.

Last edited by MJ Vancouver (February 3, 2021 5:41 pm)

radiokid wrote:

It would appear that way.... The tv audio starting at 6pm.... show me one place that has ever worked?

This is the prime example of what happens when accountants run the show and not people with the bigger picture. 

GNR640 has been running Global's Toronto newscast every night at 6 PM for a while. And on weekends, they also simulcast Global National at 6:30 PM. Cheaper than real original radio programming.

Speaking of TV audio on the radio, both WCBS-AM NYC and WBBM-AM Chicago air the audio from "60 Minutes" every Sunday at 7 PM EST (6 PM in Chicago.) What's most interesting about the simulcast is that it goes on air regardless of whether there are football or other sports overruns on the TV network. 

(Years ago both CFRB and CKTB would do the same thing for a while, but it didn't last long and since giving up their affiliation with CBS Radio, it's now impossible.)   

When television news runs anytime in the evening on radio, Global or Bell are not thinking at all about the radio station.  It is used to promote their TV news.  6pm is all about Global TV news and their battle with CTV news Toronto.  Global could very well be making some inroads against  CTV Toronto.  The newscast is live, so any breaking news makes it to the radio as well as a bonus, but it is all about TV.

Looks like for now Jerry Agar is only on in Toronto and CKTB mid morning in Ontario. But this happened about 15 years ago as well when "The Mott's" simulcast on 1010 and CKTB for a time mid morning. 

Don't know if Jerry running anywhere else in the country.  But if he on any stations in western Canada he may well like it.  Gives him a chance to bash the liberals and Trudeau even more than his almost daily rants on 1010.  And a national audience maybe?  Jerry is likely well pleased and plotting the next move even as we speak.....

radiokid wrote:

Global News at 6 on GNR isn't moving any audience to 640 either.. that's your recent local example.   

Forgot about that, so checked: 640 loses 25% of its share at 6pm, and the 6-7pm hour underperforms the station as a whole by almost half.
 

Alex Pierson led off her show on 640 by lamenting the layoffs at the competition. She admitted that it's unusual for one station competing with another to talk about the firings, but she felt she needed to speak out about "the continued death of local news." 

Kind of refreshing to see the veil drop. You know it's what everyone in the biz is talking about off mic. 

A bit of confusion.  Were 210 let go in just Toronto?  Broadcast Dialogue in their story reads like it will be up to 210 jobs lost across the country by the end of the week.  This post's heading reads like it is Toronto that is losing 210 jobs.  
https://broadcastdialogue.com/bell-medias-200-job-cuts-go-against-commitment-to-local-news-says-unifor/

paterson1 wrote:

A bit of confusion.  Were 210 let go in just Toronto?  Broadcast Dialogue in their story reads like it will be up to 210 jobs lost across the country by the end of the week.  This post's heading reads like it is Toronto that is losing 210 jobs.  
https://broadcastdialogue.com/bell-medias-200-job-cuts-go-against-commitment-to-local-news-says-unifor/

According to Cartt.ca: 

Cartt.ca has learned 210 positions will be cut in Toronto alone.

They are a fairly reliable source. 

Makes me miss Christie Blatchford all over again.

The hugely popular up close and interactive town hall meeting, get-together, (or whatever the actual name was) that Newstalk 1010 used to hold featuring all their on-air talent candidly talking, answering questions, spilling the beans, even swearing!, in person with their listeners every summer, those days and that respected station: gone.

To quote a wise radio man: " - 30 - "
😔

betaylored wrote:

RadioActive wrote:

Dale Patterson wrote:

They carried a John Moore re-run, now it's Dave Agar in re-roll.

I think you mean Jerry Agar but it's still a reroll.

I'd take a Dave Agar reroll over a Jerry Agar reroll any day of the week and twice on Sundays. The Early Edition with Dave and Robert Turner made 5:00am a perfectly logical time to turn the radio on. Still enjoy the Early Edition with Robert solo.

Jerry Agar wasn't really my cup of joe, and since the traveling during the pandemic incident, his views and opinions don't hold a lot of water. Pot meet kettle.

Agreed.   If Newstalk 1010 wanted to do some house cleaning,  Jerry Agar & Mark Towhey should have been first out the door.  They're just rude & toxic.  And yes, why would anyone put stock in Jerry's views when he couldn't grasp that discretionary vacation travel to Florida & Texas during a pandemic was pure selfishness & irresponsible.

Last edited by g121 (February 4, 2021 9:15 am)