I was surprised to hear AM640 actually do a real, live talk show on Saturday in Roy Green's old 2-5 PM slot - and it wasn't paid time.
But I still can't quite figure out what the point of it was. It didn't seem to have a name, so I'll call it "The Brad Smith Show" after its erstwhile host. Smith was one of the on-air types on City's Breakfast Television about a decade ago. He's since gone on to be the first specimen on the Canadian version of The Bachelor and is now featured on a number of reality cooking shows that turn up on cable. He's also a former CFL player.
Which is certainly an eclectic resume.
The only problem I had with his show, which started with him talking endlessly about how uncomfortable he was to be on the radio, (maybe not the best way to start your own show) was it had no real focus. What, exactly, was it supposed to be about?
His guests were a hodgepodge of people who all seemed to be either friends (Cheryl Hickey, the former co-host of "Entertainment Tonight Canada" was one example) or family members. (He interviewed his father, Larry, also a former CFLer and a Canadian senator.) But none of it seemed to go anywhere.
Was it a relationship show? A political one? A program about issues? Nothing seems to fit. It was mostly just him talking to his guests for three hours about, well, nothing much at all. I can't quite figure out what he was trying to do, although to be honest, it's never fair to judge someone by their very first show.
I can't tell if he'll be back on Sunday or what will happen to these three hours in the future, especially because he didn't say if he was returning for the rest of the weekend.
I congratulate 640 for trying to at least not air reruns. But a show with a specific point that doesn't ramble in that time slot would be helpful. As it stands now, I have no idea what the show was supposed to be about. I hope they zero in on a focus if it returns. Otherwise, why bother?