laffin wrote:

It's sad to see what radio has morphed into.  The gutting of major newsrooms by pseudo corporate broadcasters was a disaster and now Evanov Radio Group stations with weekend shifts reduced to only one live body midday Saturday and Sunday (read that an expensive CD player).  Current weekend radio sound seems to be the norm with today's "broadcasters" thinking information is only available/desired Monday to Friday.  Years ago, during BC radio (before computers), next to dead air, the absence of a live body not heard during a normal broadcast day would be unconscionable.  It happened recently when Brantford's Lite 92 was announcer-less for a whole week.  So, if anyone in their market wanted a news update, where could they turn?   Generally, radio today is laughable and only a shadow of what was once a genuine source of "News and Information."  All driven by the "bottom line"!

A few thumb's up emojis on this one. 👍👍👍👍.

This has long been one of the most aggravating things in radio to me, especially when it comes to weekend talk shows. Even when they did have a live person on air, which as laffin notes, is getting exceedingly rare, they would wind up yakking about restaurants, theatre presentations, recipes and other topics so light, they practically floated away. 

I once asked a PD I knew about why talk shows in Toronto insist on dealing with nothing but fluff on Saturdays and Sundays. His response has never left me. "Oh, people aren't interested in politics on the weekends," he insisted. "They don't want to hear about that stuff when they're off."

I've never understood where this attitude came from. So he's saying that all the topics that are of intense interest on Monday-Friday suddenly become boring on the weekends? I didn't say much to him that day, but I thought he was crazy and the ratings reflected it. There's nothing wrong with a little fluff sometimes. But the working crowd never gets to hear the political or controversial topics discussed because they're at work! Why deprive them of the chance to listen to something of substance when they're off?

There are now so few actual live talk shows that aren't selling something on the weekends that it almost doesn't matter. But love him or hate him, it's why I often tune into Roy Green's Corus show on the two off days. You may not always agree with him or his views, but at least he's talking about substantial subjects - and not about what the food from the diner down the street tastes like. (Topic for another day: who thinks eating food on the radio is a good idea?)
 

FWIW, 93.5 is live on the Sunday night of a long weekend, talking after every other song and taking calls.

Last edited by RadioAaron (February 20, 2022 8:31 pm)

laffin wrote:

It's sad to see what radio has morphed into.  The gutting of major newsrooms by pseudo corporate broadcasters was a disaster and now Evanov Radio Group stations with weekend shifts reduced to only one live body midday Saturday and Sunday (read that an expensive CD player).  Current weekend radio sound seems to be the norm with today's "broadcasters" thinking information is only available/desired Monday to Friday.  Years ago, during BC radio (before computers), next to dead air, the absence of a live body not heard during a normal broadcast day would be unconscionable.  It happened recently when Brantford's Lite 92 was announcer-less for a whole week.  So, if anyone in their market wanted a news update, where could they turn?   Generally, radio today is laughable and only a shadow of what was once a genuine source of "News and Information."  All driven by the "bottom line"!

Sad yes, and it's hard to accept that radio just isn't relevant anymore.  Today's millennials don't listen to radio or watch TV.  It's linear content dependent on the time of day.  Consumers want content when THEY want it and on their "phone".

Facebook, Netflix, Spotify, Twitter, Stitcher, YouTube, Google Assistant, Alexa, TiKTok, have all replaced "radio".  The kids have moved on.

Bell, Evanov, Rogers, Corus all know this too.

"Elder" millennial here, born in 1983... turning 39 this summer.

RadioAaron wrote:

Out of curiosity, given that you just called millennials "kids", how old do you think millennials are?
 

Point taken

By "kids" I mean anyone 35 and younger (generally speaking).  I know that's a broad statement.  I see it in my own family.

My point is, from a business standpoint, especially if the owner is a large, shareholder driven corporation, the radio division (and TV or print) is not a growth area.  Efforts will be made to maximize profit and maintain "margins", not build the brand.

Radio has morphed into a sad state (from what it was), just like newspapers, because other technologies have surrounded it.

I agree.  It's sad, but in the words of Peter Trueman "that too is reality"
 

I was pleased to hear actual live programming on the morning shows on both 1010 and 640 on Family Day. I doubt we'll be hearing that during the rest of the dayparts but at least they had someone there when you woke up. (I believe Greg Brady started at 7 AM and will go until 10, and then it's all rerolls all the time.) 

I suppose the fact this is a provincial and not a federal stat explains why they can get people to come in and perhaps not have to pay them overtime. (Radio is federally regulated.) Still, given the original point of this thread, it came as something of a pleasant surprise. 

[Update] Turns out RB is also doing a live drive home show, as well. The Rush will be hosted by Tim Hudak and his wife, Deb Hutton. (A poor man's Motts?) Also, they're airing CJAD programming in the 9 AM slot, so while it's not exactly local, at least it's live.

Last edited by RadioActive (February 21, 2022 9:45 am)