And so it begins.
I'm referring to Day One of the Whinefest starring the Canadian Association of Broadcasters, the Canadian Record Production Association and hosted by the CRTC.
Here's my favorite quote of the day:
"If content is king, then mobile content is King Kong," warned Rob Braide, chairman of the board at the CAB.
He told the five-member CRTC panel that technology has created two audio broadcasting systems: one that's regulated and one that isn't.
Guess which group the CAB belongs to?
"Unregulated competitors are playing in our space without the regulations we have - and so we are forced to compete in an inequitable manner," Braide told the panel.
Somebody pass me a kleenex, I'm getting all teary-eyed.
Thanks to the the CAB's greed and ineptitude, they've already lost the next generation of potential listeners - those in the 12 to 17 range.
Never mind that their dinosaur radio stations are facing certain extinction; their big concern is Cancon regulations - it would like them to stay at current levels.
What a system.
Here's a question for you: if the radio broadcasters were trying to put themselves out of business; what would they being doing differently?
Or maybe the bigger question is "does anyone care?"