1 of 1- RadioActive
- Moderator
Offline 
How Long After This Hearing Will Changes Start At CKOC, CHAM & CKWW?
Keep your eye on this coming Friday, Feb. 8th. That's the date the CRTC has set for the hearing of the official ownership transfer of two legendary Hamilton stations and one in Windsor. As most here already know, Neeti Ray has put in an offer to buy the Bell stations - some of the few AM outlets that weren't shut down completely by the media giant last year.
The hearing will take place at the end of the week and I would be surprised if the Commission doesn't just rubber stamp the whole thing, while possibly adding a few not terribly important conditions. (The fact that it's a virtual hearing and Ray doesn't have to be there speaks to how pro forma it may be.)
CKWW may stay the same, but he certainly won't have access to BNN Bloomberg programming anymore, so that will have to change. And the Funny 820 material likely belongs to Bell, as well. And with the current bottom of the barrel ratings of both Hamilton stations, I'm not sure he'd want those formats to continue in any case.
So the question - assuming that the answer is yes and they belong to Ray at the end of this process, how long do you think it will be before we start hearing changes on the stations? I will really miss Funny 820, a go-to when there's absolutely nothing else worth listening to while out dog walking.
CRTC Feb. 8th Hearing
- Radiowiz
- Member
Offline
Re: How Long After This Hearing Will Changes Start At CKOC, CHAM & CKWW?
I will not miss Funny 820. It needed some local input. (one of the American Comedy radio stations used to call their local announcers CJs-"Comedy Jocks")
Another thing absent that would have been great is a countdown of the greatest parody songs of all time.
(at least, to bring in a new year or something...)
RadioWiz & RadioQuiz are NOT the same person.
RadioWiz & THE Wiz are NOT the same person.
- RadioActive
- Moderator
Offline
Re: How Long After This Hearing Will Changes Start At CKOC, CHAM & CKWW?
You're not wrong. Funny 820 could have been so much better.
I long ago suggested they try also including short sketch comedy classics, like Who's On First, Burns and Schreiber's classic "Taxi" routine or some SCTV material that might translate to radio. And where was Allan Sherman? But they stayed with stand-up, which I assume was because it's shorter and easier to pick an ending, and it's also on CD or record, and the rights weren't as big an issue.
And yes, jocks (or a host) would have been a great idea, at least in morning and afternoon drives, but clearly Bell wasn't interested in spending a dime on this thing and it was nothing but a computer pumping out endless automated filler. (I'm not sure if anyone remembers it at the beginning, when they actually did a weekly locally originated show featuring some area comics and even had a few contests. That didn't last long.)
But on a lazy Sunday morning, when 1010 becomes a parrot of a TV news outlet that doesn't work on radio or 640 is in reroll mode with shows I didn't want to hear in the first place, this was a good timewaster. If it turns into an all-ethnic format, as many suspect, it will take away that choice. And there's nothing else in the market that can take its place.
What I'm wondering about is exactly how soon all this might happen if (and most likely when) the CRTC says yes on Friday.
- •
Thread Starter- tvguy
- Member
Offline
Re: How Long After This Hearing Will Changes Start At CKOC, CHAM & CKWW?
There will not be a CRTC decision on Friday. It will be a non-appearing hearing. A couple of CRTC commissioners and staff will be in a room for 5-10 minutes for a "hearing". Assuming the answer is "yes" the decision must be written (by staff) circulated, and approved by the Commissioners. That takes time. Then the decision for English language stations must go to the "translation" department in the Secretary General's office for translation into French. Yup, those are the government rules, because this is a bi-lingual country. No telling how many other decisions are stacked up on desks awaiting translation. Ownership decisions follow hearings about 30 days afterwards, assuming they are not "lost in translation" (Sorry Bill Murray).
- RadioActive
- Moderator
Offline
Re: How Long After This Hearing Will Changes Start At CKOC, CHAM & CKWW?
Thanks for that answer. So Funny 820 is "safe" for at least the next month. What happens after that, only Neeti Ray knows.
- •
Thread Starter