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“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

FORSETH: How many more nails will the CRTC allow to be hammered into the coffin of radio and TV?

I’m angry!

Yah ... I guess maybe I’m a grumpy old man, although I’m only 68, but is the Canadian Radio and Television Commission (CRTC) not going to quit until there is nothing left of “local” media in small and medium markets across the country – including right here in BC?

 

How many more nails is the Canadian Radio and Television Commission (CRTC) going to allow be hammered into the broadcast media (radio and TV) in Canada?

 


Luckily for me, I was able to be part of a proud industry in what was for me its’ heyday ... a 25-year span in the late 60s to the early 90’s, and all in smalltown British Columbia – Williams Lake in fact (although I did spend another 10 years in radio in Kamloops).

 

As a 14-year-old kid I walked into Cariboo Radio’s CKWL studios, ready to become an on-air personally (back then we were still called DJ’s), and my best friends Dad and station manager, Bob Leckie (awarded the Broadcast Citizen of the Year award by the BC Association of Broadcasters in 1978) actually said he’d give me a shot.


And boy did he ever! I considered him to be one of the best mentors I ever had, teaching me everything there was to know about radio from in front of, to behind, the microphone.

In addition to being an on-air DJ, I also read and wrote news, sold airtime for commercials -- as well as writing and producing them, and even developing and producing radio programs. He also taught me management skills, which I was using many years later in Kamloops. And from CKWL / Cariboo Radio, I moved on the CFFM Super Country also in Williams Lake – and unique ground-up start-up that I was lucky to be part of.

 

For me it was my golden age of radio, where every small town had its own radio station – many staffed with local people – and it was live pretty much 18 hours a day. Those people were all plugged into the community – especially its clubs and organizations – so they knew what was going on - and they kept listeners informed and involved in community happenings.

Today’s stations?  Not so much.

 

Many are lucky if they have someone live in the studio for 6 hours a day --- usually in the morning (6 to 9 or 10) and the afternoon drive shift from 3 or 4pm to 6pm.

The rest of the time?  Well, it’s automated.

Somebody (often not even in the same community) now records, on computer, all of the voice parts needed for an air shift, and the computer then syncs them up with the music, news, and commercials for mid-day and the evening. 

 

You can tell when it’s automated if you know what to listen for. During automated times you will never hear an actual time check (IE: ‘It’s 3:29 and coming up in 60 seconds we’ll have a quick look at news.’).  You’ll also never hear the actual temperature; sure, they’ll give you a weather forecast but you won’t hear what the actual temperature is at that moment – that’s because it was recorded hours earlier.

Sadly around 40 to 50 years ago, local community radio stations were bought up by larger market stations, those in turn were bought up by even larger regional networks. This kept compounding until companies operating in several provinces would own dozens of radio (and TV) stations, which then were swallowed up into companies that had amalgamated radio and TV stations right across Canada. And in many communities, multiple stations are owned by the same company, or companies. 

 

A good example is here in Kamloops where Stingray owns CHNL, Country 103 and K-97.5 ... and the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group with ownership of CIFM, B-100, and CFJC-TV.

EVERY STEP OF THE WAY, including the Cariboo where I grew up, staff and news departments were reduced and gutted, community programing reduced, and hours of local program eliminated.

 

Just a week ago, Bell Media axed 100’s upon 100’s of jobs as they shuttered multiple radio stations, and consolidated newsrooms. They weren’t the first to do this, nor will it be the last time this happens.


AND NOW COMES THIS NEWS. 

 

Broadcast Dialogue, the voice of Canada’s broadcast industry since 1992, noted on Friday that Bell Media was asking to have the following Conditions of License (COL) eliminated immediately:

·         Locally Reflective News—Expenditures: the COL requiring that Bell Media’s English-language television stations shall in each broadcast year devote to the acquisition of or investment in locally reflective news 11% of the previous broadcast year’s gross revenues of the undertaking; and that Bell Media’s French-language television stations shall in each broadcast year devote to the acquisition of or investment in locally reflective news at least 5% of the previous year’s gross revenues of the undertaking.

·         Locally Reflective News—Exhibition: all COLs requiring the exhibition of specific amounts of locally reflective news during each broadcast week in both English- and French-language metropolitan and non-metro markets.

·         Local Programming—Exhibition: the COL requiring Bell Media’s English-language television stations broadcast in metropolitan markets no less than 14 hours of local programming in each broadcast week; and the licence requirement requiring that Bell Media’s French-language television station CFJP-DT Montréal broadcast at least 8 hours and 30 minutes of local programming in each broadcast week.

 

Those Conditions of Licensing (COL) often times were put in place when the CRTC allowed these big companies and conglomerates to buy up smaller / mid-sized stations and smaller networks. 

 

They were put in place to ensure at least a modicum of local program remained in place.

IF the CRTC allows this to happen, other large broadcast media companies will naturally ask for the same thing, and what this will do is rip the guts out of any, and all, news programing in local market radio stations – and especially in this instance, those Bell Media has acquired in smaller markets, and in all regions of British Columbia ... those include:

Northern BC: Ft. St. John, Dawson Creek, Ft. Nelson

Central Interior and North Coast: Kitimat, Prince Rupert, Terrace

Okanagan / Shuswap: Penticton, Salmon Arm, Summerland, Vernon

Kootenay / Rockies: Nelson, Golden, Revelstoke

In other markets (Kelowna, Victoria, and Vancouver), having stiff competition, will hopefully(?) keep local news production at, or close to, former levels.

 

In its request to have their COL’s eliminated immediately, Bell is actually making the argument that having more flexibility will allow it to better serve its local audiences.

That’s a load of bull - - it, because every step of the way, over several decades, Bell, Rogers, and other media giants have done nothing but eliminate staff and programming.

How can Bell, with a straight face, says that eliminating their conditions of license will allow them to provide better service. I say, prove how that will work BEFORE they are allowed to eliminate those conditions.

Better yet, the CRTC should outright refuse this request.

IF Bell Media cannot, or will not, agree to maintain the conditions placed upon them as license holders for the radio and TV station they own, then give them one and only one option.

Turn in their licenses!

That way perhaps small market stations can once again be owned and operated from within their own communities, and much smaller network (as in the past) can be put together.

That will be my hope, but the sensible part of me says the CRTC will cave, and the final nails will be driven into the broadcast media in some of the communities I have already mentioned, and others across the country.

They be little more than fully syndicated and computer generated programing – in which case their audiences will continue bleeding into smaller and smaller numbers.

It didn’t have to be this way ... but it’s sad the CRTC – in my opinion – allowed it to happen.

 

In Kamloops, I’m Alan Forseth ... I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Comments

  1. Sadly, this has been coming for decades. Broadcasting used to be about the people in the community and the people entertaining them. In the late 70s and into the 80s I saw the trend gain momentum. Even in the mid to late 1980s a majority of programming in small to mid market stations was already automated. As an " on air personality" I saw more and more freedoms to choose your content taken away and stricter formats introduced. Pre-recorded reels of music were brought in and "dee-jays were given little choice. Press button A here, button D next, after the break press button C, then B. Were were told insert the weather here and read this public service announcement at this time. It got so a monkey could have done the job and no-one would have known the difference. When I first got into broadcasting in the 1970s a wise announcer told me to do it because I loved it because I was never going to get rich and for over a decade I did it because it was fun and I loved it. One day in the late 1980s I woke up and realized that radio had stopped being fun a long time ago and a few months later I walked away into a new career and never looked back. I did, and still do sometimes miss the creative parts of radio and the great people I met along the way both inside the industry and listeners. It is a sad day for broadcasting for I know that you are right Allan Forseth. You and I had the pleasure of working at one of the last great community radio stations together. An experience I will treasure always. R.I.P community radio. It was great while it lasted. By the way, as a footnote. I no longer watch or listen to local radio and TV. I have given up Cablevision as well. Over 200 channels and most nights I can't find anything of value to watch. News media for the most part is now so manipulated by government that it is little more than a propaganda machine. I stay current through other sources now and enjoy my CD collection

    ReplyDelete
  2. Canada's broadcasting industry began it's free fall when publicly traded companies got into ownership. Broadcasters are no longer in charge. The only thing that matters is Earnings Per Share (EPS) ....and when the investors aren't happy, the ownership cuts where they can save the most: People.


    So many incredibly talented broadcasters have been shown the door...and for only one reason: They were paid too much in the eyes of EPS dedicated owners.

    Take the talent away, listenership falls...and that leads to lower ad revenue...and the spiral is clear and unstoppable.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I will never forget being told by new out-of-town network owners, that "this is not personality radio. Just play the format and tell the time and temperature." That was the day I knew the end was near for community radio.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Well said, Alan. The industry has created it's own fate. The CRTC is assuring it. It is a great loss to their communities. I am proud to have been a part of local radio with you and so many other great folks. I know some of you will be reading this. We had great fun didn't we?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Very well said, and so true in everything you said imho. Plus, they should NOT be allowed to waive the Conditions of Licence.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Good article. It's exactly what's been happening. The CRTC has failed to clamp down on the carnage happening in broadcast.

    If they succumb to what Bell is asking it will be the death knell for remaining small local stations.

    ReplyDelete

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