The Southern Ontario/WNY Radio-TV Forum / Sunday radio coverage

**Posted by newsguy1** March 21, 2025 3:35 pm

Wondering how 1010 640 etc will handle Sunday's federal election call.
Will they bring in their own personalities or just rely on audio feed from CTV, Global...
In the old days there would be no question that the radio station big guns would be brought in along with guest pundits.
But will John Moore, Jerry Agar, Deb Hutton be on deck along with Oakley, Alex Pierson, for the other side?
Or do their radio listeners care, or just watch the coverage on TV instead.
Obviously they'll all be yacking non stop on Monday.

**Posted by torontostan** March 21, 2025 3:39 pm

Talk radio listening is not big on Sunday's here... they'll cover it if someone agrees to come in for free, but if it costs the business anything I wouldn't be surprised if they just go with a TV simulcast or similar....

**Posted by RadioAaron** March 21, 2025 4:42 pm

There’s also nothing particularly urgent or timely happening then anyway. We learn the date, and that’s about it.

**Posted by RadioActive** March 21, 2025 4:52 pm

On Friday's NT1010 Roundtable, John Moore asked Trivia Show host Jason Agnew about his program this weekend.

His answer was telling. He said he's planning to do a hybrid around the election call, so he's going to "cover" the writ dropping but keep doing the prize giving and questions as usual. Sounds like they won't be doing an awful lot if they're leaving it in his hands.

I can't help but wonder if they'll just take CTV News Channel audio when the times comes and leave it at that.

**Posted by Walter** March 21, 2025 4:54 pm

In the brief news breaks, between the disability law shilling and lame 'trivia for idiots' show, they might mention it. Or not.

**Posted by Shorty Wave** March 22, 2025 7:54 am

Walter wrote:
In the brief news breaks, between the disability law shilling and lame 'trivia for idiots' show, they might mention it. Or not.

Walter, one day you might just post a positive comment here and blow up this board, nah, who am I kidding….

**Posted by turkeytop** March 22, 2025 8:42 am

We're still in Florida. It might get a mention on NPR news.

**Posted by mace** March 22, 2025 9:05 am

Binson Echorec wrote:
I recall carrying a "drop the writ" special during the pandemic. IIRC Trudeau was expected to make the announcement somewhere around 11am that Sunday. He finally appeared on the steps of Rideau Hall some time after 3pm. Filling all that time was dreadfully boring and not engaging radio.

Something like this is for card carrying members of a party and policy wonks. The general public is another matter entirely.

I agree. I will go about my daily business whether an election is called at 10AM or 5PM. When and where I hear or see the information makes little difference to me. The only information I need to know is what day do I vote. I always know where. That never changes for me.

**Posted by dieter** March 22, 2025 10:16 am

Walter wrote:
In the brief news breaks, between the disability law shilling and lame 'trivia for idiots' show, they might mention it. Or not.

Since you're so brilliant, call in and win a prize yourself.

**Posted by Aytononline** March 22, 2025 12:00 pm

https://youtu.be/Vum58rEFLVM?si=dSPD_6fl1d2vjQsF

I thought Peter Mansbridge did a good job in explaining what goes on with how reporters have covered past elections on his podcast. And what's happening this election.

**Posted by paterson1** March 22, 2025 12:11 pm

Since it is a Sunday, news junkies will watch the announcement on one of the news channels or on line. If not that interested or busy Sunday, people will see and hear about the election call on the evening or 11pm news. Can't see commercial radio really playing that big a deal in this on Sunday afternoon, either than on a newsbreak or picking up audio from CTV News Channel. It should be front and centre on CBC Radio 1 with Cross Country Check Up at 4pm.

**Posted by RadioActive** March 22, 2025 8:26 pm

I'll be curious to see what happens on TV when the call is made.

CTV has Question Period, Global has The West Block and CBC shows Rosemary Barton's program at 11 AM Sunday. They had to pre-tape them all just in case the writ doesn't drop until well after noon, but if it comes in that 11 o'clock-12 PM timeslot, all that work will be for nothing and the shows may be scrapped in favour of live coverage.

**Posted by Saul** March 22, 2025 9:49 pm

Binson Echorec wrote:
Something like this is for card carrying members of a party and policy wonks. The general public is another matter entirely.

The event is a photo op but also a trigger for about a month's worth of intense coverage to come. Actual in-depth news organizations should cover it and then spill into interviews, discussion, panels, whatever. For superficial ticker-tape or 680 News outlets, it's just a headline and a snapshot of the pistol starting the official leg of the race. It's also the job of reporters and news outlets to make these kinds of otherwise dry events meaningingful to viewers - ferreting out the various potential impacts on everyday lives. Finding and telling stories; and explaining.

Last edited by Saul (March 22, 2025 9:52 pm)

**Posted by newsguy1** March 22, 2025 10:55 pm

Well I guess all the talk hosts and pundits will be ecstatic over the never ending sources of talk and blather etc for the next month or so.
I for one am so glad not to have to ride the buses, planes etc to cover all this.
It was exciting once, but now the idea would be a nightmare.
Of course nobody will have to worry about covering Poilievre since he has banned media from buses or planes.
That's not a political comment, it's just reality.

Last edited by newsguy1 (March 22, 2025 10:57 pm)

**Posted by RadioActive** March 23, 2025 10:02 am

newsguy1 wrote:
Well I guess all the talk hosts and pundits will be ecstatic over the never ending sources of talk and blather etc for the next month or so.
I for one am so glad not to have to ride the buses, planes etc to cover all this.
It was exciting once, but now the idea would be a nightmare.
Of course nobody will have to worry about covering Poilievre since he has banned media from buses or planes.
That's not a political comment, it's just reality.

Federal elections were the worst, especially if the race wasn't obvious in the early stages and you had to wait for all the results to come from B.C. That meant waiting and waiting and waiting until at least midnight as they tabulated all the votes out west, all with a three hour time difference.

And if it was close out there, you could be on the air with coverage that started at 8 or 9 PM (when the polls closed locally) filling for six or seven hours waiting for the winners and losers to come out and make their speeches.

I recall one election night when we had to vamp until 2 AM, waiting for the victor to come out and give his speech, a 6-hour stretch of non-stop coverage. (This was after already doing the 6 PM news, a shift that started around 2 the previous afternoon.)

You couldn't even go to the bathroom while the election special was going on! Man, those were looooooong nights to be on air.

Worse yet, you were expected to be back at work around 9 AM the next day. You certainly earned the overtime on those occasions.

**Posted by RadioActive** March 23, 2025 12:06 pm

CBC & CTV did wall-to-wall TV coverage at 11 AM, interrupting their usual Sunday shows.

Global stayed with regular programming throughout.

No real special programming on radio I could hear, beyond CBC Radio 1.

**Posted by Aytononline** March 23, 2025 7:00 pm

Yes, i just looked it up, it happened in 1926. A long and interesting story.

**Posted by newsguy1** March 23, 2025 7:35 pm

I am still very disappointed with King Charles for not saying anything about Trump threatening to annex Canada.
Not a word as far as I know.
Maybe there are things being said in private back channels, but tRump seems to think thast a Canadian prime minister can be a "governor" of a 51st state when actually the real head of state is the British monarch.
The UK has nuclear weapons.
Think of that tRump.

**Posted by RadioActive** March 23, 2025 9:22 pm