FORSETH: I’m an old curmudgeon of 63, complaining about the good ol’ days. Guess what? In terms of radio at least, I think they were!

Earlier this morning on the blog, I posted an op / ed piece from John Feldsted entitled, “We have lost the diversity of media opinion through consolidation, and the concentration of media reporters, to a few multiple media outlets”

It got me thinking …

Me in the studios of CKWL in Williams Lake (early 70s)

As someone who began a 25+ year career in radio, beginning at the age of 15 working part-time while still in High School, I can personally attest to what a dismal failure the buying up of media has been – at least in the case of radio.

In EVERY instance of a larger company, buying up a smaller local community station, staff were let go, automation increased, and news became more and more a centralized creation – eliminating or reducing differences of opinion and thought.

I know from personal experience that you can tell when a station is automated --- all you have to do is listen for time checks (you don’t hear them when automated) ... the weather (no local temps during automation) ... immediate current events (they're non-existent).

Up until a couple decades ago, local stations welcomed young people off the street, and they could learn and get hands-on experience in radio.  Most stations ran 24 hours a day … seven days a week, although some did automate, or get an overnight feed to run between 12 midnight and 6am.  Even in a small community, it took at least a dozen people to run a radio station.

Now-a-days however?   

That smaller community station is part of a multi-station network, and with any kind of luck, it will still have one person in the newsroom covering a bare minimum of local news (because that’s all they have time for), a couple of on-air announcers, and maybe one or two other staff members.

Writing and production of advertising will be done in a larger centre, mid-day and early afternoon … evening … and overnight shifts will all come from a larger centre with no idea what is going on at the local level.

Local opinion … ideas … community information??  They pretty much cease to exist, or are wound down to a bare minimum to meet the requirements of the CRTC (Canadian Radio and Television Commission).

I have seen it happen in the Cariboo with the three communities of Williams Lake, Quesnel, and 100 Mile House (with the Cariboo Radio Network) – I also saw it in the Cariboo when an independent station (CFFM) started up and then also was bought up by the same network that owned Cariboo Radio.  They were bought up over and over again – each time by a larger company – and each time with more stiff reductions.

I now live in Kamloops, and I can assure you the same thing has happened here … the latest being CHNL and its sister stations.  From local ownership – to ownership by a 100+ station conglomerate called New Cap Radio out of Newfoundland … and now to Stingray Radio; another conglomerate with 100+ station, online digital radio, TV stations including music video, and more … all across 7 provinces.

Those changes have created more automation, and more newscast aired from The Canadian Press.  That sucks!  It takes away from community involvement … and it reduces local content and information.

It’s the curse of today's world where things get bigger and bigger, in terms of company size and penetration of the marketplace.  At the local level however?  Things get smaller and smaller … and they certainly ARE NOT better.

Oh, and by the way … you’re right.  I’m an old curmudgeon of 63, complaining about the good ol’ days.  Guess what?  In terms of radio at least, I think they were!