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Vancouver Sun readers say CBC has made a big mistake
By admin1 | September 6, 2008
On Wednesday September 3, Vancouver Sun writer Nicholas Read wrote a followup piece to his first piece on the New CBC Radio 2 issue. This second installment recounted numerous responses he had received from readers to his first piece. This second article was responded to with even more volumes of responses online. Below is the complete list of those comments to Fri, Sep 5, 08 at 10:28 AM. Also see a third article by Read that details CBC response (from Mr. Keyes) about the volume of email
COMMENTS ON THIS STORY
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Glenn Michell
Thu, Sep 4, 08 at 12:35 AM
What about the thousands of Canadians who work during the day and can’t listen to the radio? Music and Company and Disk Drive were a great way to make the daily commute bearable. If Tom Allen and Jurgan Gothe are truly and willingly retired of their own accord then why can’t the network allow younger hosts to fill their shoes, and develope and and continue what has been a daily custom for over a generation, even if the shows would have different names? I am not against pop-jazz, blues and the like, but the selection of classical flavour that was on CBC Radio 2 is not worth losing. CBC Radio 2 has lost one commuter listener. I wonder how many more they have lost? Thanks Tom and Jurgan for being a part of my life with your selections, anecdotes and appropriate wit each day for so many years.
Jackie Charlesworth Sidney BC
Thu, Sep 4, 08 at 12:47 AM
In the morning I decided that I had the wrong station. searched all over for my wonderful CBC and could not find it… thought the govt had run them out of business and now I find that they are doing what the majority of stations are doing… boring , not worth listening to programming. CBC has been my companion for years and years.. I am so sad it seems to have died. The mornining show with those wonderful witty comments about fantastic musician were wonderful
Adam Walters
Thu, Sep 4, 08 at 01:01 AM
It’s probably all been said by the rest of your posters, but I am personally very upset by the change to CBC’s programming. As one of the many public transit riders into the city every day, Tom Allen’s show was a great and relaxing way to start my day and broaden my knowledge of classical music. Jurgen Goethe’s disc drive in the afternoon was a perfect counterpoint. I guess I have to go back to listening to my own collection again. Still, it should make it easy for the government to shut down the CBC – there will be no one left to complain by then!
Stephen Pickett
Thu, Sep 4, 08 at 02:28 AM
Please send all our tax dollars that used to be for Radio 2, to the BBC or the ABC(Australian Broadcasting Corp). Coming on the heels of the abolition of CBC Vancouver Orchestra, this is totally ridiculous. It’s almost like they’re hoping to spark a real revolt.
Friedrich Brunzema, Toronto
Thu, Sep 4, 08 at 07:30 AM
I’m disappointed with the changes to Radio2, I liked listening to Music & Company on my way to work. I hope better changes are coming to the CBC soon.
Lorilee
Thu, Sep 4, 08 at 09:05 AM
THE END OF REASON – I can’t imagine what reasons there could be to end the most timeless programming this country has ever had and trade if for music that is all over the map. CBC radio 2 is the reason that for over 20 years I have listened in when I wake up, go to work, drive home and have kids of all ages in my car. It was the only station of its kind to promote classical and Canadian classical to all of us with the best hosts I have heard in North America. The New CBC 2 is the reason I will be signing up for satellite radio.
Alex Thiessen Manitoba
Thu, Sep 4, 08 at 09:26 AM
I work in a piano technicians shop. We do everything pertaining to the upkeep, restoration and rebuilding of pianos. The most effective radio station for listening to while working had been radio 2. Through trial and error we found radio 2′s “classical” mix to be the most beneficial in assisting us with focusing on our tasks. September the second will be remembered as the day the radio went silent. We were demoralized for a full hour (9:00-10:00am) before my colleague and I decided that this new diverse listening experience was not going to continue. Think about it. If one is to listen to a type of music, which I know a lot people do. You find the source for that music and you immerse yourself in it; hoping to learn as much as possible about that type of music. Rarely does a listener find a conglomeration of jarringly, drastically different genres an effective way of enjoying their listening experience. Radio 2 has successfully launched a new listening experience, Mish-mash. Whether or not this brings new listeners into the fold makes no difference. There will be no consistent listener base. It will become the radio station that you notice while flipping through the channels. You’ll hear a song you like, in a style you like; then the next track will shoot over the radio waves and shatter the mood that had just been created. You’ll think to yourself; shucks, that was a great Latin groove and now it’s wrecked by the blues sounds I’m hearing. (Nothing against blues in particular.) Moving on to the next radio station. Sorry radio 2. It’s not me, it’s you. A sorrowful ex-listener.
Tom Raagner
Thu, Sep 4, 08 at 10:20 AM
Terrible! I listened for a few minutes and then turned off the radio. Its CDs only now for me – what a great loss for Canadian listeners – the junk on the new Radio 2 is the same as all the commercial stations.
Stan Hack
Thu, Sep 4, 08 at 10:23 AM
I am extremely sad and frustrated that the CBC has made its recent programming changes. Classical music is found nowhere else on the dial. I can’t leave Radio 2 on throughout the day any more, because the programming is so wildly varying. I simply don’t understand the rationale for the new format, and hope that enough of us will protest so that the changes will be undone!
Amanda
Thu, Sep 4, 08 at 10:38 AM
Last I heard jazz and blues were created and played by Canadian artists. I believe they also involve the need to play an instrument – perhaps all is not lost for our culture and children … Unless the real upset is due to an intolerance to anything but the personal choice of classical
Ruth Anne, Qualicum Beach
Thu, Sep 4, 08 at 10:51 AM
We should have known what was coming when the CBC inserted “In the Key of Charles” in the Sunday morning lineup. My husband, who had never commented on any of the music on the CBC, asked what on earth I was listening to. I totally agreed with him and we religiously turned off the CBC at 10:00 am each Sunday. Two songs into Tom Allen’s new show and that was that. I hope the CBC will reconsider this disastrous move. We need Eric Friesen, Jurgen Goethe, Catherine Belyea and the classic Tom Allen show to help us enjoy our day! Babble and drivel are simply not inspiring!
rose
Thu, Sep 4, 08 at 11:07 AM
I’ve always listened to CBC to and from work in the mornings and afternoons and in many other time slots. What music education! Now I feel displaced and cranky. I love the old CBC programming. I’ve been a loyal listener since immigrating to Canada 28 years ago from China. I remember I passionately introduce my friends to CBC for the excellent programming. Please reverse you decision. Now, please listen to your fans and reverse your decision!
Helen Bandy VICTORIA
Thu, Sep 4, 08 at 11:22 AM
What a mistake! The new CBC 2 is now silent in our house. We have always listened to CBC 2 and in fact used to leave it on all day. What we woke up to this morning was jarring! I am looking for a station that plays classical music and can only find one in Washington or a French station. Please bring back the classical CBC 2
Mark steinmetz
Thu, Sep 4, 08 at 11:30 AM
The Classical music program is a condescending exercise that takes listeners for idiots. the rest is pop folk stuff, guitar scratcher… a bore. King FM 98.1 is my new dial.
Heather
Thu, Sep 4, 08 at 11:39 AM
I truly wonder who made the decisions about CBC 2 programming – not someone who is in touch with the listeners and would-be listeners that’s for sure. As for me, a life-time listener to CBC 2 – originally from morning until night – my programming of choice is NOT CBC 2 but rather KING FM from Seattle. After two days of trying to listen to the new (and irritating) CBC 2 I have had to turn it off completely. Even the 10 – 3 programming lacks luster, relevant information and excitement (although some lovely music has been played). I hope someone at CBC 2 has the wisdom to reconsider the decisions for programming – as well as dissolving the CBC Orchestra and ignoring our dear Canadian composers and artists!
Anna Marie Thatcher
Thu, Sep 4, 08 at 11:41 AM
I have listened this week and say ditto on Alan Joy’s comment! that “the CBC was unique and now it is generic and uninspiring … it has joined the chorus and no longer stands out.” There are so many other sources for the kind of programming on the new format. CBC has destroyed its jewel and lost another listener! WHAT were they thinking? PLEASE CBC … reconsider this decision!
Burnaby BC
Thu, Sep 4, 08 at 11:56 AM
I am fairly new to CBC Radio 2 (about a year) and I thought I finally found a station (especially Tom Allen’s Music & Company) I could listen to. It brought with it humour and much great music and in a very short time I have grown to love classical music. If I ever turned the dial temporarily to another station I could always ‘find’ CBC Radio 2 because it ‘stood out’. Now it is like all the others and I’ve TURNED IT OFF. I am presently searching for a replacement station to listen to and will also be exploring the US classical stations. What an unexpected blessing it would be if the powers that be ‘actually listened to Cdns’. For the very few who have endorsed the new format in these comments, they can find what they like on all the other stations also. This has been a huge mistake.
Larry
Thu, Sep 4, 08 at 12:06 PM
OK CBC. You are carrying out a scientific experiment. Your new equipment is a format change in the type of music you’re broadcasting. Your intended purpose for this experiment is to attract a new, broader audience. Forget it. There are plenty of choices out there on the FM dial for the various music genre you’re now peddling on your morning show and drive home show. Classical music only in the “dead period” between 10 AM and 3 PM? Nice try but the experiment has failed. Old ways are not necessarily outdated ways and change is not always for the good.
Pat Carney
Thu, Sep 4, 08 at 12:14 PM
Both CBC1 and CBC2 are becoming increasingly silly and irrelevant.i find I tune out more programs than I tune into. The loss of classical music for yet MORE pop music and the loss of program opportunities for Canada’s classical musicians are sad examples opf CBC’s head in the sand attitiude. Very sad.
Angela Kroeker
Thu, Sep 4, 08 at 12:32 PM
I too grew up with the sounds of CBC radio 2 floating through the house, all through out my childhood. I was inspired by it as a young girl to keep up with my violin practice. I just found out today the changes that have been made and am shocked. I am pregnant with my first and just two days ago I was thinking about how I planned on haveing classical radio corsing through my home for my children to grow up to. It truelly saddens me that this will not be an option from Canadian broadcasting. I will have to go to the web for my classical.
Liane
Thu, Sep 4, 08 at 12:34 PM
Four generations of my family have been listening to CBC – FM since we immigrated to Canada in the 1960s. We love classical music and used to play CBC-FM throughout the day – from early morning when the radio alarm woke us up, at meals, in our car, and into the evening. Sadly, the erosion of classical music programming has resulted in us turning our radios off. We play our own classical CDs and stream other classical radio stations on our computer, but these options are nowhere as good as the excellent selection and (usually) intelligent commentary heard on CBC2. I have tried listening to the new programs (including “Tonic” and the much-heralded morning medley), but frankly, they are disappointing. Goodbye CBC2.
R. Smith, Mission
Thu, Sep 4, 08 at 12:45 PM
I was a regular CBC listener for over 40 years, from the mid ’60′s until last year when I stopped tuning in. This is due entirely to all the changes that have been made by management at CBC Radio, especially pertaining to Radio 2. I guess I’m part of the generation that they are writing off, in my fifties, basically ancient as far as 30 something executives are concerned. I don’t oppose changes in programming when they make sense, but what the CBC has done is completely change the direction of programming, popularizing it and dumbing it down in search of ratings. They are apparently trying to attract younger listeners with short attention spans who are attuned to listening to individual, unconnected songs on Ipod or MP3 players, rather than complete symphonies or other extended orchestral or jazz works, along with intelligent commentary by knowledgeable hosts and guests. I used to think how lucky we were in Canada to have a radio network like the CBC which was so different and so much better than commercial radio, but now the only thing missing from the CBC are the commercials. Speaking of which, the constant interruption of programming for promos of upcoming shows is a major annoyance as is the anonymous and ubiquitous Promo Guy who seems to read most of the copy. If there is one thing that grates on me more than anything else it is this person who turns each ad into a dramatic presentation, three times an hour all day long, seven days a week. It has got to the point that he is the dominant personality on Radio 2, and is one the principal reasons I no longer can stand listening to the CBC. I have the inescapable feeling that the changes in programming are connected with the arrival of an anti-intellectual right wing government, and that if the Conservatives ever get a majority the CBC as it has existed for the last half century is going to disappear, either sold off or turned into some form of even blander popular contemporary format with an occasional weather bulletin. Whatever happens doesn’t really matter to me any more, because I no longer tune in. I listen to my cd’s, my old lp’s and tapes, commercial radio stations, music on satellite radio on Star Choice, music on internet sites, or I listen to the sound of silence – I just turn the noise off. CBC Radio 2 – I no longer listen to you.
Wendy S
Thu, Sep 4, 08 at 01:00 PM
The new CBC format is dreadful. I used to wake up to Tom Allen’s lovely music and then listen to the news. Then last year I had to switch to Radio 1 to get any decent news, as Radio 2 got rid of proper news. Now I am waking up to junk music, which hardly eases one into the day. So they’ve taken away first the news and now the music. Now the classical music is extraordinary in its blandness, eclipsed only by the blandness of the presenter. I can’t listen to it. Where are the wonderful requests? Radio 2 is now exactly like all the other junk stations on the air; I expect commercials will come next. And then, what has replaced Jurgen is unspeakable – garbage with electric guitars and synthesizers. I will no longer listen to Radio 2 (or Radio 1 for that matter). The CBC is getting exactly what it wanted – no audience, so it can shut the whole thing down. Well, a great many people, like me, are in mourning. So the CBD was elitist, as some would say? Well, that’s better than low-classism.
Peter Dickinson-Starkey/Burnaby.
Thu, Sep 4, 08 at 01:29 PM
Yes,CBC Radio 2 is now off the air as is radio in this household/car etc. Too much trashy noise,no sopranos,no vibrato and a total dumbing down of the populace of Canada. FM from Seattle is still handy,online and via cable.Mind you the lefties love the removal of Classical arts and broadcasts and have never supported this art form anywhere at any time in Canada. Sad,day and the momentum will only spread against our culture and traditions.Bye CBC.
Ken Lawson
Thu, Sep 4, 08 at 01:32 PM
I do not listen to anything the CBC or CBC Radio, this is nothing but a pro Liberal organization, the good thing is their online comments where we can get back at them. If I want music I listen to yahoo jukebox music. Vancouver Sun needs to improve its comment section.
sebastian toombs, van. and tor.
Thu, Sep 4, 08 at 01:32 PM
agreed on the sad decline of radio 2. i also think it is worth noting the parallel, though less noticed decline on radio 1. frivolous, low-quality programming that used to be the norm during the summer months has become commonplace throughout the year. i anticipate switching the radio either off or to another station in the near future (thankfully toronto has a commercial classical station). in the immortal words of sheila rogers, “buh-bye” CBC radio
Norm
Thu, Sep 4, 08 at 02:02 PM
I’ve been an old 2 listener since the early 1980′s. Now, as a member of an audience CBC no longer wants, I’ve moved my listening to BBC Radio 3. I like it there.
Rosemary in Richmond
Thu, Sep 4, 08 at 02:11 PM
I certainly agree with everything that’s been said about the miserable new programming on CBC. It’s heartbreaking to think that I now have to find new sources of decent music – the BBC and TV are two. But it was so convenient to just turn on the radio and leave it on all day (except for the rotten evening music!). I’m also very concerned about the young musicians coming along. Most of our well-known musicians were promoted by the CBC in competitions, etc. So now what? I’ll miss all the lovely personalities I got to know over the last few years, and I’ll certainly miss Jurgen Gothe every afternoon, as well as the request programme with very interesting letters. I can’t see why CBC wants to join commercial radio music choices when they don’t need advertising money. Have they forgotten that we, the taxpayer, pay for it all? Most young people download music to their IPods and won’t be listening, anyway. Presumably the CBC hasn’t given any thought to the elderly who only have radio for entertainment. They still exist, believe it or not! What a sad time it is for all of the classical music lovers.
Gregory M
Thu, Sep 4, 08 at 03:00 PM
Very sad over the changes to CBC Radio 2. Equally sad and downright angry over the axing of the CBC Radio Orchestra. Infuriated over the apparent indifference of the CBC towards people who were and are still concerned over where the CBC is going. And the flippant declarations of the ‘righteousness’ of their programming decisions. I thought our Members of Parliament were trying to do something about this too. Where are they now?
Alastair Fernie, Vancouver
Thu, Sep 4, 08 at 03:09 PM
I am in agreement with the overwhelming mass of your readers who object to the recent “dumbing down” of CBCRadio2. Surely we can support the spending of taxpayers’ money on the CBC only if it contributes something which is otherwise unavailable; the new early morning and afternoon programmes, despite the publicity, replicate what is already available on at least a dozen other places on the dail. It is sometime since there has been serious discussion on the role of the CBC and perhaps it is time to launch another. This might even cause the CBC brass, isolated in their ivory tower in Ottawa, to realise that their role is to satisfy the needs of their listeners and not to pander to their own likes and dislikes.
trevor edwin clark
Thu, Sep 4, 08 at 03:14 PM
Big time mistake. I am a 30 year old artist and new father, I nearly cried when I realized what the new cbc2 looked like. The quality of life for my daughter and I is greatly deminished. I actually like the music being played on the new cbc2, but what about tradition and the only place on the dial that offered such beauty and peace. I thought cbc3 was the place for this new music anyway, why not finaly put that on the dial coast to coast. Think of all the old people who have loved cbc2 for years, like my grandpa, he doesn’t know how to run a computer to find the online classical station. Its the sad strombolopolization of a canadian icon. RIP
Rudy J. DeVente
Thu, Sep 4, 08 at 03:21 PM
In all fairness I gave the new programming a try. I could barely stand it and after two days I have now changed the CBC button on my radio to another station. The music they are playing now is available on 10,000 other stations. None of the other stations have a Jurgen Gothe or an Eric Nielsen and their music. To pour salt on the wound they have disbanded our CBC Radio Orchestra. This would not matter if were not for the fact that it is OUR money that pays for the programming! Clearly 2 or 3 corner office managers have decided they know what is good for us better that we ourselves. I am furious!
EVA D
Thu, Sep 4, 08 at 03:34 PM
I have listened to CBC FM for years both at work and at home. It was a pleasure to wake up to, and when feeling stressed all I would need to do is listen for a while and feel balanced again. All that is changed and I mourn the loss. The changes are a huge error in judgement that will affect so many people negatively. How unfortunate.
Anne, Vancouver
Thu, Sep 4, 08 at 04:04 PM
The CBC has been one of the great unifying forces in this country – on AM we get things like Cross Country Check-up and on FM we get the request shows and the cage match comments. After 3 mornings of trying to listen to the beloved Tom Allen (and failing due to the short, jangly music selections) I went hunting on the CBC website for people’s comments…and couldn’t find them. Instead the Vancouver Sun site has all those intelligent thoughtful Canadians commenting on the changes and generally expressing their sorrow and regret. The CBC appears to be continuing its job of unifying Canadians, but unfortunately in this instance, unifying them in turning off CBC. Oh, woe the day!
Hana
Thu, Sep 4, 08 at 05:25 PM
No more CBC radio 2! very sad indeed.
Charles Johnston–Kelowna
Thu, Sep 4, 08 at 06:15 PM
I cannot add anything to those commenting on the outrageous destruction of CBC Radio Two. A sad loss of a good thing. I can only say good bye Radio Two–Hello Satellite Radio–classical channels.
James Anderson
Thu, Sep 4, 08 at 06:46 PM
I am in Utah in the United States and here we could get CBU 690 and sometimes ‘CBC 1010′ out of Calgary, and it was always very good. Now all of that is gone. One thing all of you forget up there, and that is you have the CRTC which does regulate formats, and that is something our FCC does not. The best thing for everyone to do is write to the CRTC about this, and maybe see what can be done on their front to return classical music to the airwaves up there. If enough people write them from all over Canada, not just the BC area, they’ll get the hint and do something. I also have a friend who, because of her schedule, could not listen to the station that does classical on the US side, but listened to CBE 89.9 Windsor ON and others out of Canada to hear classical music. She did some work for many Detroit-area groups plus an occasional gig on the Windsor side, playing french horn in many of these situations.
John Le Mare
Thu, Sep 4, 08 at 06:58 PM
I am not a knowledgable listener of classical music, I simply enjoy the music and the dj’s on the old Radio 2. I started listening to Radio 2 about 10 years ago (coincidentally as I approached mid age – 50), because my musical tastes had begun to change from my youth. While I still love all kinds of pop and rock music, (which is basically all that is available on local radio), it no longer satisfied me when listening to it in the car or when relaxing at home. Radio 2 was a glorious discovery. It gave me easy exposure to arts and culture in a format unique to Canada. Saturday Afternoon At The Opera when driving home from Costco. Brilliant! On a busy weekday, waking up to the genlte but inspiring sounds of some of Canada’s and the world’s greatest composers. What a way to greet the day! And then who better to wash away all the stress of the day than Juergen Goethe when driving home. Yeah, I know, it’s all about ratings, but as the baby boom group grows older, I would suspect that there is a huge group of potential listeners out there that would easily be drawn to the old format of Radio 2. I don’t disagree that the new format may be “fresh and bold”, but what about classical? 300 years from now, do you think they will still be playing what today is considered to be fresh and bold? Not a chance. But will classical music still be played and listened to by the masses? I don’t know, but I do know that from past history, it has a better chance of surviving and thriving than any other music form. It is a very sad day. We’ve got plenty of radio sources for other forms of music, but now none for classical. I forsee many format changes for CBC if they think that they can do better than the old Radio 2, but I doubt if any will be as well recognized or successful. It is just so easy to go down the middle of the road!
Neale Adams
Thu, Sep 4, 08 at 07:48 PM
Congratulations to the CBC for livening up what was a pretty dreary service. Classical music for most of those objecting to the change was used as muzak–and that’s not what classical music is for, in my book. And how many times do you want to listen to the old chestnuts by the 3 B’s – Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, etc. There’s still plenty of time for good classical music on CBC2–really listening to classical is hard (but rewarding) work. But I’ve heard Eine Klein Nachmusic enough already. Give me some good contemporary stuff any day. (PS -Just so you know, I’m an old fart, pre-boomer.)
Geraldine Hurst
Thu, Sep 4, 08 at 08:00 PM
CBC Radio 2 has always been a favourite of mine. Not only for the music but for the comments, interviews, and education received about the composers and the music. I’ve learned so much. Studio Sparks was my favourite – Eric Friesen was so knowledgeable and his interview skills were honed masterfully. The new programming I’ve heard so far has prompted me to turn off CBC Radio 2 and tune in to KINGFM or listen to my recordings. I definitely will miss the old CBC Radio 2.
Doug Talling
Thu, Sep 4, 08 at 08:00 PM
I tried, I really tried to like the new CBC 2 programming, but after two days I’m calling it quits. Pat Carney’s opinion that “Both CBC1 and CBC2 are becoming increasingly silly and irrelevant” does not even begin to describe the new CBC 2 programming. It is worse than bad, it is atrocious. It is a sleazy attempt to boost ratings by appealing to the lowest common musical denominator. I enjoy good singer/song writer music, but there isn’t enough good music to fill 35 plus hours of radio time each week. What twisted logic compelled CBC to program so much bad music? As a taxpayer I deserve an explanation. Recently, I read in the Globe and Mail that CBC 2 expects to lose half its listeners in the next ten years, which is one of the reasons for the changes. I suspect that CBC is trying to quicken the pace by prematurely driving away its current listening base. If this is CBC’s new mandate I am sure it will succeed exceedingly well. Like many, I was a great fan of Tom Allen and “Music and Company.” I know Tom has to make a living, but doesn’t he have any shame? It’s said that all good things must come to an end. Good-bye CBC Radio, it was great while it lasted.
J
Thu, Sep 4, 08 at 09:19 PM
I feel for you classical music fans, I really do, but open your minds – there’s a whole world full of music out there waiting to be discovered. You never know, you may learn a thing or two by listening to Rich Tefry or Tom Allen.
Vickie McLeod, Richmond, BC
Thu, Sep 4, 08 at 10:39 PM
Sorry, CBC, “do-wah” just doesn’t do it. Radio 2 has spent many years offering a rich feast of music from the last 800 years and in doing so, has also developed a whole country of listeners with broad musical tastes. They may not define themselves as “classical music” listeners on a survey — but they have developed an expectation for great musical diversity none the less. In the past two days all I’ve heard are sounds from the last 20 years — okay for one or two cuts, but not for hours on end. To cut us off cold turkey without a dollop of Dvorak or morsel of Mozart on the way to and from work, is just plain cruel. As hard as it will be, my dial will be moving from CBC Radio 2. Time to dust off my CDs and explore the world of satellite radio and iPods. Sigh … somehow I know it won’t be the same.
Dan Peach
Thu, Sep 4, 08 at 11:20 PM
I am one of the lucky ones – I still have KING in Seattle for 24 hour classical and a good record store (Sekoras) in Vancouver. I cry that my tax dollars still go to a station which I will no longer listen to. The new format is no different than what I find on the other 9 buttons on my radio. My dad, one of the original announcers with CBC Vancouver, always said CBC was the best. He never lied about that, until this month. Protest until they change back. I will.
Warwick Wright
Thu, Sep 4, 08 at 11:48 PM
As a long time Radio 2 listener, I am sad to say that I have turned off the morning show until 10 am. I stuck through it on Tuesday and a bit on Wednesday but that was it. I simply switched it off. Radio 2 has woken me in the mornings, accompanied my commute and morning coffee and soothed my office most of the day. However, the pounding drums and crashing symbals of the new morning pop music show are just too much for my ears and I now prefer the silence. Tom Allen did such a good job for so many years, I don’t understand how he can simply dish out the junk he is now doing. Please, please, let’s get rid of this new morning program.
Adam Tondowsky
Fri, Sep 5, 08 at 01:55 AM
1.First of all to Max Hyatt who wrote at 8:20 P.M, It is called CBC Radio 2, and not CBC FM, because in every city except B.C CBC Radio 1 is also on the FM dial. I used to wonder about that as well. 2.If there is enough support for classical music, as seems to be suggested here, then a private radio station should start up. 3.If you’re going to be supported by the public dime, then I have to agree with the person here who wrote that every taxpayer should get their due, and not just the classical music fans. There are all sorts of other musical styles that don’t get regular airplay on private radio stations including folk music, traditional and alt.country music (my personal favorite), alt rock, gospel, blues… I find the argument that classical music deserves the public subsidy and none of the other musical styles do because classical is ‘serious music’ and the others aren’t to be insufferable and patronizing.
Thom, N.B.
Fri, Sep 5, 08 at 07:39 AM
I too bemoan the recent programming changes, and share the prevailing sentiments regarding the profound sense of loss. It is a deliberate strategy to erode the listening base of CBC, a step in the direction of privatization that responds to at least two decades of heavy-handed, right-wing criticism of CBC’s “funding”. The philistines are having their day and we are the worse for it— even Sat Opera has been “dumbed down” with singing parrots and guests who know little about opera. Brace yourselves—buy old vinyl and also join Sirius—as a start, but I wish I could say something more encouraging…
Tatyana Grottker
Fri, Sep 5, 08 at 09:22 AM
For some reason I had the thought, the merest glimmer of hope that when the radio-alarm clock woke me up last Tuesday morning, Tom Allen’s familiar voice would be enough to propel me forward into the new day. But Tom Allen’s voice was no longer able to provide the same aural massage it once did as it was interrupted by some kind of nonsensical cacophony my early morning ears weren’t used to. I have been a CBC listener for many, many years. Even when I was a teenager (and a punk-rock teenager no less), I enjoyed listening to the complex sounds that only classical music could produce. Classical music was a refuge, a fellow traveler, a healing balm, and my clever best friend that spoke to me personally and intimately. Now it’s gone. Just like that. I am trying to embrace the change (it might take a while), but in the meantime, the loss has been very difficult. I live in London, Ontario and there is very little diversity on the radio here, and now CBC Radio 2 almost sounds like “everything else” out there in radio land. This has been very disorienting, particularly since the playlist veered sharply into a totally new direction and offers instead a jumbled pastiche of musical genres, that flit nervously from style to style, and not exactly making the smoothest of segues from song to song (if they did, they would sound more like the mixed CD’s I make at home). The new CBC offers po-mo pastiche disguised as eclecticism. Maybe we old fogies just don’t get it….? But right now, the way I’m hearing it, it just doesn’t seem to make sense. I’m a high-school teacher. Most high school students have some kind of personal listening device. From what I’ve observed and from data I’ve collected from students, most teens play video games, cards (sometimes.at lunch.& usually if it emulates the high-stakes poker games seen on t.v.), watch copious amounts of television, and play with their cell phones (downloading, texting etc.). In one class I asked students about different media, eg. T.V., radio etc. And guess what? Young people don’t listen to the radio! They think it’s “dinosaur”, “1950′s”, “my parents and grandparents listen to it”, “for old people” etc. Since the i-Pod generation is simply not attracted to the radio, how does the CBC expect that they will be able to court this demographic? What kinds of studies have you done? The youth who listen to the radio are in the minority (most likely gifted in some way as well) or only do so because their parents are driving the car and have control of the radio. No doubt the “average” Canadian teen is sitting in the backseat of mum/dad’s car with headphones glued to their ears and are either playing a video game or listening to A-kon. Even university/college students don’t listen to the radio. People in the 14-25 year-old age group like to choose things on their own. Most youth don’t like having someone making musical choices for them, so they download what they want to listen to and share songs/playlists with each other (democracy in action). The majority of people (from various age groups) are attracted to and devour the latest in the LCD anyway. A trip to the local movie theatre is clear evidence of this. Entertainment on network t.v. and movies from “American Idol” to “The House Bunny” are puerile pablum for the masses and is eagerly consumed whole without thought to precious time, money and brain cells spent and wasted. So yes, this dinosaur is lamenting the death of my best morning friend (right now there is a nice instrumental tune on the radio…not too raucous, but no doubt it will be followed by something jarringly different). Luckily, I have a computer & will have a broad range of internet radio stations to listen to that offer classical music. As for first thing in the morning, it’s been hard to wake up in the morning. I’ve been conditioned to associating classical music with a “wake up and get ready for work” message. Since there is nothing else to wake up to in London except for annoying DJ’s with moronic sound effects buttons, commercials & crappy top-40 music, the local hit-or-miss university radio station, or CBC radio 1 blabbing away, I will soldier on with Tom Allen in the a.m. JUST to wake me up and then promptly listen to the steady hum of my refrigerator, the annoying tinnitus in my left ear, and rush-hour traffic until a better alternative comes along. Let’s face it dear classical music lovers; radio as we’ve known and loved it is a goner. Anything reasonably intelligent is a goner too (and has been for years), so it’s refreshing to see that many Canadians aren’t willing to jump on the duh bandwagon any time soon. Hey! Yo! Tom Allen! Do you think you and your programmers can be a bit mo’ gansta and punk it up a notch? Howze ’bout bein’ a bit rebellious & slippin’ in the odd classical tune or two?
robert stickley
Fri, Sep 5, 08 at 10:28 AM
I wonder WHO makes the decisions at CBC Radio….the loss of Disc Drive and Jurgen which I have listened to since what 1985 !! is GONE. As a Tax Payer Supported enterprise CBC has lost touch with its audience and sadly has reduced itself to any other radio corp. which I have turned off long ago! Sad days ahead for CBC Radio I’m afraid .
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