The Southern Ontario/WNY Radio-TV Forum / Brian Lilley Attacks The CRTC On CFRB

**Posted by RadioActive** February 27, 2025 12:16 pm

Jerry Agar's temporary replacement had me laughing out loud during his show on Thursday. Brian Lilley had Carmy Levy on to talk tech, and both agreed that the latest move by the CRTC to impose a fee on Google to help support the Online News Act - especially at a time of tariff concerns - is like waving a red flag in front of a bull.

He then noted that the Commission is in charge of regulating the Internet. And he followed that up by saying 'They're also in charge of radio. And they don't have a clue about the business or what they're doing!'

Then he paused for a second and threw to break by noting, "Maybe I shouldn't be saying that on CFRB!"

I thought it was hilarious, because everyone on air in Canada generally tiptoes around these guys, for obvious reasons. But it was the kind of honesty you don't hear very often and I appreciated it.

Thanks, Mr. Lilley. We needed that.

**Posted by Saul** February 27, 2025 1:20 pm

Like that might cost them their license. Then, again, south of the border...

**Posted by paterson1** February 27, 2025 2:07 pm

The CRTC wouldn't "take away" a license for being criticized on air. They never have and never will.

"Everyone in Canada generally tiptoes around these guys." Really? It was only about a year ago that some on SOWNY were saying that the conglomerates had the CRTC in their back pocket. Even some were implying the commission was being bought off. You know, when the CEO of Bell was having a beer with the head of the CRTC at a popular bar in downtown Ottawa. The fact that the bar was packed with politicians and journalists and the two having a beer very public was besides the point I guess.

The big, bad, autocratic CRTC is a fantasy of some broadcasters to attempt and make it sound like they have a hard job or that their license could be swept away at the whim of the regulator. Please, get over yourselves and live in the real world.

Brian Lilley doesn't like the CRTC? Big surprise, he has written many poorly researched articles on this in The Sun over the years. Lilley's comment on CFRB was absolutely not honesty.

Last edited by paterson1 (February 27, 2025 2:09 pm)

**Posted by RadioActive** February 27, 2025 2:12 pm

There's an old adage: "Don't bite the hand that feeds you."

As a fill-in host, he did and I found it refreshing.

I honestly can't recall any of the regulars on 'RB ever saying anything about the CRTC one way or the other, But privately and off the air may well be a different story entirely.

**Posted by paterson1** February 27, 2025 2:28 pm

Unless a host on CFRB or any talk station has a segment on broadcasting or related topic, there wouldn't be much reason to talk about the CRTC.

Various stations and hosts have attempted to explain the blocking of the US ads for the Super Bowl. Can't remember the host, but his explanation was confusing and he made it sound like the CRTC was blocking the ads, but it was the other way around. Bell Media and the NFL wanted the US ads not to play in Canada.

Jerry Agar has misinformed his audience various times about CKLW, saying how it was the CRTC's cancon ruling that "ruined" the station. Once he implied that LW went from number one in Detroit and slid to the bottom of the ratings soon after because of all the Canadian music that the CRTC was forcing the station to play. CKLW had some of their best ratings for years after 1971 when cancon took effect.

**Posted by Johnny B** February 27, 2025 3:02 pm

Lilley is a right wing purveyor of bullshit....spewing propaganda for the American controlled Chatham Asset Management, owner of the Post Media conglomerate in Canada and who are firmly entrenched in the MAGA world and are no strangers to criminal bond fraud...CFRB having this tool on as a guest host proves they're hiding nothing in their clearly biased stance as a broadcasting entity....CFRB has lost any credibility it had left and that was basically nothing anyway.

**Posted by RadioActive** February 27, 2025 3:33 pm

Turns out it's not just Lilley who feels that way. On her afternoon show on AM640, Alex Pierson called the CRTC "a dinosaur who should go the way of the dodo." And she accused them of "crushing our business."

Two in one day!

**Posted by paterson1** February 27, 2025 3:44 pm

Did Alex explain how they were crushing their business?

**Posted by RadioActive** February 27, 2025 3:47 pm

Her main point was about the Google story linked to above and the consequences if Trump gets wind of it.

But she did mention that some of their decisions seem designed to hold broadcasters back from achieving the kind of success they might attain if not for way too many rules, restrictions and regulations - some of which don't make a lot of sense. Unfortunately it was a short segment and I wish they could have gone on a little longer.

**Posted by Paul Jeffries** February 27, 2025 8:24 pm

RadioActive wrote:
Turns out it's not just Lilley who feels that way. On her afternoon show on AM640, Alex Pierson called the CRTC "a dinosaur who should go the way of the dodo." And she accused them of "crushing our business."

As if Corus needed the CTRC's help in doing that.

PJ

**Posted by paterson1** March 1, 2025 4:42 pm

RadioActive wrote:
Her main point was about the Google story linked to above and the consequences if Trump gets wind of it.

But she did mention that some of their decisions seem designed to hold broadcasters back from achieving the kind of success they might attain if not for way too many rules, restrictions and regulations - some of which don't make a lot of sense Unfortunately it was a short segment and I wish they could have gone on a little longer.

Assuming she in fact did say the above, still a little odd that the thinks that the CRTC is crushing their business, that is a very generalized statement. Guess she must feel the same way about the FCC then since US radio is doing as bad and for a much longer period of time.

Stations like AM 640 don't really have a lot of regulations. No commercial or advertorial limits. No cancon committments since they are talk. I don't even know if they have any minimum local news requirements, or a specific number of hours they need to be live.

In the case of her show and AM 640, don't really see how they could be getting crushed by the CRTC. The bar doesn't appear to be set very high...

**Posted by Cheese2RF** March 3, 2025 2:19 pm

tip toe around the CRTC? have you read a technical brief, or a reply to a CRTC response! plenty of engineers, legal council and well versed station managers have subtlety discovered 101 ways to tell the CRTC to GFYS and every time i read one it makes me smile!