The Southern Ontario/WNY Radio-TV Forum / 680 News Mentions The Competition's Call Letters

**Posted by RadioActive** June 23, 2025 5:33 pm

Now there's something you don't hear every day - a radio station mentioning one of its competitors.

During a report on the closed pools incident that plagued some Toronto swimming holes on the sweltering weekend just past, 680 Queen's Park reporter Richard Southern played a clip from Premier Doug Ford on the controversy. Problem is Ford only made the comment on NT1010.

Southern could have quoted the actuality and said "he appeared on a local radio show," but to his credit he played the thing and introed it by saying "He was on CFRB this morning."

It's one thing when they give credit for a TV appearance, such as "CTV's Question Period."

It's far more unusual to hear them actually mention someone else's call letters. But Southern did and good for him for giving credit where it was due.

**Posted by Dale Patterson** June 23, 2025 9:12 pm

I remember something rather funny on WKBW years ago. They kept running a commercial mentioning a local business that had nothing to with radio, WGR something or other. Of course WGR was a competitor. Finally, the jock chimed in, "we gotta stop mentioning the competition."

**Posted by kevjo** June 24, 2025 5:07 am

RadioActive wrote:
Now there's something you don't hear every day - a radio station mentioning one of its competitors.

During a report on the closed pools incident that plagued some Toronto swimming holes on the sweltering weekend just past, 680 Queen's Park reporter Richard Southern played a clip from Premier Doug Ford on the controversy. Problem is Ford only made the comment on NT1010.

Southern could have quoted the actuality and said "he appeared on a local radio show," but to his credit he played the thing and introed it by saying "He was on CFRB this morning."

It's one thing when they give credit for a TV appearance, such as "CTV's Question Period."

It's far more unusual to hear them actually mention someone else's call letters. But Southern did and good for him for giving credit where it was due.

Well, if we want to get nit-picky, he didn't give the brand they're known under, Newstalk 1010, just the call letters which are only heard in the legal ID's. It's kind of an interesting way to to technically credit the competition without going all the way.

**Posted by RadioActive** June 24, 2025 6:03 am

Well, their largesse towards the competition didn't last long. On Tuesday morning, I heard another 680 reporter reference the same story and the same clip - and introduced by saying Ford was "on another radio station."

As much as I believe you shouldn't give your competitor any help, if they were going to play that clip, it deserved to be properly credited. Otherwise, how is it not outright theft?

**Posted by Aytononline** June 24, 2025 8:12 am

CFRB does stand for Canada's First Rogers Batteryless.
So he was indirectly making reference to Rogers.

**Posted by RadioActive** June 24, 2025 8:17 am

Actually, it was an Alan Carter TV story taken from CityNews, which was replayed on 680. So it's possible they credited RB via graphics, but since it was radio, there was no way to see it. Either way, it went out over the air on CFTR with no attribution.