1 of 1- RadioActive
- Moderator
Offline 
Has Anyone Noticed These Unfortunate Changes In John Oakley's Show?
I'm not entirely sure about this, but has anyone else noticed that John Oakley's afternoon drive show on AM 640 seems to have degenerated a bit into fluff? He used to have some pretty good guests on, along with a few regulars.
Some of them are still there (I've posted before about the demise of "Topics Worthy of Discussion" on some days along with the 4:30 panel) but as I listened on Thursday afternoon, I noticed there's an awful lot of time devoted to Oakley kibitzing with his producer Michael Downey. The latter can be fairly entertaining, but a little goes a long way.
Many of the interviews are now on non-newsy subjects and almost seem to be made for replay on undated "best ofs" that air on the weekend.
I prefer it the old way, and with CFRB's afternoon run not the best, it's a gap I can't quite fill. Is this just my imagination or have others noticed this trend going on as well?
- newsguy1
- Member
Offline
Re: Has Anyone Noticed These Unfortunate Changes In John Oakley's Show?
I think he is just going back to his old ways.
Remember when his morning show took up a lot of time with that vile misogynist and Islamophobe, David Menzies?
Oakley would have him on for ages spewing his hate -- with Oakley laughing about it.
Then there was that ignoramus he called the raging redhead --- can't remember his real name but all he talked about was betting on sports.
Both Menzies and the sports better were abysmal, but frequent guests.
- RadioActive
- Moderator
Offline
Re: Has Anyone Noticed These Unfortunate Changes In John Oakley's Show?
I couldn't disagree more. I haven't heard any slide back to those days. Those kinds of guests rarely turn up on his show now. And I listen frequently.
My point is that he just seems to have a lot more non-news type features, which is fine in limited quantities, but it's supposed to be primarily a NEWS-talk station. And the drive home show is the first chance many who spent the day at work might have to get updated about what's been going on while they weren't near a radio or an online source.
The endless joshing back and forth with his producer is fun for a few minutes, but when it threatens to become the whole show, it needs to be cut back. Substance over style is what I'm looking for.
- •
Thread Starter- Walter
- Member
Offline
Re: Has Anyone Noticed These Unfortunate Changes In John Oakley's Show?
Oakley's show has always been 'high-brow dumb-down'. It's a winning formula. Intelligent enough for savvy listeners, intolerant enough for trailer park listeners. Lou Schizas, Sue-Anne Levy, Rob Ford, Frank Stronach, Charles McVetty, and many others have fallen by the wayside, but Oakley remains, preaching to the choir.
- Chrisphen
- Member
Offline
Re: Has Anyone Noticed These Unfortunate Changes In John Oakley's Show?
He is a lost soul after Rob Ford went away. He's tried to groom others since, but none have matched RoFo's charisma.
- 67GreenRambler
- Member
Offline
Re: Has Anyone Noticed These Unfortunate Changes In John Oakley's Show?
anyone who believes they have heard 'hate' directed towards an identifiable group broadcast on Canadian airwaves should submit an objection, a complaint describing what they heard to the Canadian Association of Broadcasters or to the CRTC before a renewal.
That is what serious people do. Making the accusation on a forum is pointless and impotent.
- RadioActive
- Moderator
Offline
Re: Has Anyone Noticed These Unfortunate Changes In John Oakley's Show?
I finally had to turn the radio off on Friday. The inane chatter between Oakley and his producer went on and on and on and on for at least 40 minutes, with no real substance or apparent point to it. They may only occasionally do "Topics Worthy of Discussion" anymore, but these were not topics worthy of listening.
It takes an awful lot to turn me off of a show that I once enjoyed. But what happened to getting to a point? It was like listening to two people shooting the breeze on a bus going somewhere. Fun for them, perhaps, but not of much interest to those sitting around them.
I sure hope they reconsider this approach.
- •
Thread Starter- Walter
- Member
Offline
Re: Has Anyone Noticed These Unfortunate Changes In John Oakley's Show?
RadioActive wrote:
I finally had to turn the radio off on Friday. The inane chatter between Oakley and his producer went on and on and on and on for at least 40 minutes, with no real substance or apparent point to it. They may only occasionally do "Topics Worthy of Discussion" anymore, but these were not topics worthy of listening.
It takes an awful lot to turn me off of a show that I once enjoyed. But what happened to getting to a point? It was like listening to two people shooting the breeze on a bus going somewhere. Fun for them, perhaps, but not of much interest to those sitting around them.
I sure hope they reconsider this approach.
The producer is witty enough to add to the conversation on occasion, but the endless blather does get on the nerves. It's the John Oakley Show. Lately, he's been sounding like a guffawing Ed McMahon.
- betaylored
- Member
Offline
Re: Has Anyone Noticed These Unfortunate Changes In John Oakley's Show?
Do radio hosts ever have to listen back to a segment of the show they recently did?
We had a small portable cassette tape deck hooked up to the mic on the board and we were all responsible for bringing our own cassette in, the little machine would record just our breaks. We'd take the cassette home and listen back to a couple of segments every week to catch any crutches etc. and then and this is the crucial bit, bring the tape in for the monthly aircheck meeting with the PD.
I found it a huge help and a real eye opening experience especially during my first year as a jock. It was part of the gig, part of being a professional.
It's not that time consuming, though it does take a bit of guts and it's a very useful way to have the talent hear for themselves exactly how they sound and the way they're coming across at that moment to someone tuning in to the station.
Do program directors still do air checks with their on-air people?
Last edited by betaylored (February 16, 2024 8:52 pm)
- mic'em
- Member
Offline
Re: Has Anyone Noticed These Unfortunate Changes In John Oakley's Show?
In my early career , having the PD go through an air check was a weekly occurrence. Sometimes I found it helpful, other times I thought he was out to lunch.