RadioWest.ca

Not much has been said on this thread about The Peak. To be fair it is only their debut book and perhaps the station does need more time to get properly established, but one would think with all the advertising, exposure, and media coverage the station received during the flip from 600 the numbers would have been significantly higher. I can only guess that people tuned in to check it out, but were not impressed by what was offered. That scenario kind of falls in line with many other North American markets where Triple A formats were launched, but never caught on.

RF said:

A year from now will The Peak and The Shore be sharing that 1.0 share?

I really doubt The Shore will end up going with Triple A. In fact they are now polling people on their website as to what they should become:
http://www.shore104.com/
There are some holes that could be filled in the Vancouver market that just might potentially do better in the books than a Triple A format. Alternative Rock and Smooth Jazz (if done properly this time) are the leading contenders in my opinion. A personality driven AC format that is a lot more lively and hipper than QMFM just might fly too.

mightymouth wrote:

Coolcat wrote:How many CBC listeners would kick the CBC to the curb if they started playing commercials?

I think a fair amount of them.

This means that much of the CBC's numbers are thanks to the
taxpayer funding this advantage for them.

Coolcat, interesting thought. But I think a little shallow. Maybe, just maybe, the people drawn to CBC are searching for something more than fart jokes, sarcasm, and cheap shot comics that are found on the radio dial. Maybe that's why WX and CBC have done so well. People are looking for a little substance, and sure as Hell won't find it on any of the music stations. And NW talk shows are so prehistoric in nature, they pre-date dirt!

On Friday morning I tuned into the Philip Till show for the first time in almost a year. Nothing has changed. I can see why people are fleeing in flocks. Within 5 minutes of tuning in, Till is talking about booze and food and his board op is chiming in with where he likes to drink and what he drinks there. Till then talks to weather guy Mark Madrega and is telling that he has a batch of beer or wine he has to bottle, but his garage door is broken and someone is coming to fix it today. Before you know it, on comes Kostas the fishmonger .. talking about what he ate and drank at Till's place last night .. The highlight of the day seemed to be the fact they were giving away a pair of tickets to U2.


IMHO .. the listeners all know that Till eats and drinks way too much. Nobody really gives a fuck that he lives in Lynn Valley. Nobody really cares who was over for dinner last night - what they had to eat or what and how much they drank. Keep the kids off the air .. there is no need to have the producer or board op jumping in all the time .. or using them as a laugh track for your weak attempt at humour.
Try to stick to News/Talk, after all that is the format of the station. Leave the tickets for concerts to the FM stations in the cluster to give away (their listeners know who the artists are). If you go back to the Frosty days, you will recall he didn't "entertain" his audience by bragging about what new toys he had, where he lived. what he drove, what he ate or drank, who he socialized with etc .. he had the ability to relate to and be on the same level as his audience. This is something that is truly lacking today at the once Giant 98.

R.F. at the risk of sounding like an NW bashing session, it's more than that. This once truly #1 station has tumbled so far down, the bottom looks like up! Once the meters hit, I think everyone will find that NW and others aren't as great as they used to be in the "old days". Look at the NW lineup, all of them also-rans. Bill Good is a terrific fellow and a seasoned broadcaster, but please, he and Till and McComb all come from Yesterday's radio. Dull, Dull, Dull. "Hey let's have some fun today, we're talking to someone who has quit smoking"......There is no edge, nothing that could possibly attract, not only today's audience, but yesterday's audience. The suits at Chorus haven't noticed, but the world has passed you by. Too bad, it was at one time, a great radio station. Too bad, they lost the broadcasters that once ran the place. Too bad.

Mike Cleaver wrote:Thor: Read the post.
It's an opinion, not a fact.

An opinion should have a basis in fact, Mike.

I was simply asking on what basis the statement was made.

If the best you can come up with is a sort of knee-jerk reaction to legitimate questions, I'll be happy to join the others on your "ignore" list.

As for the CBC and the latest ratings, it's been amazing to watch some of the posters on this board (and other boards) go into denial mode, gnash their teeth or attempt to find some sort of half-assed rationalization for Radio 1's strong performance in many local markets across the country. Fortunately, other posters seem to realize that Mother Corp is providing what a growing segment of the radio audience seems to want - credible news/talk that isn't dumbed down.

Mighty Thor wrote:

Mike Cleaver wrote:Thor: Read the post.
It's an opinion, not a fact.

An opinion should have a basis in fact, Mike.

I was simply asking on what basis the statement was made.

If the best you can come up with is a sort of knee-jerk reaction to legitimate questions, I'll be happy to join the others on your "ignore" list.

As for the CBC and the latest ratings, it's been amazing to watch some of the posters on this board (and other boards) go into denial mode, gnash their teeth or attempt to find some sort of half-assed rationalization for Radio 1's strong performance in many local markets across the country. Fortunately, other posters seem to realize that Mother Corp is providing what a growing segment of the radio audience seems to want - credible news/talk that isn't dumbed down.

Oh MIghty Thor, I'm with you! For the first time in a long time, you've got something of worth to say Having said that, don't let that I, I, me, me guy get on your case. He's just pissed that he's not able to say that he once worked at NW or CBC. Poor I, I, me, me, never got to the big show

Yo mouth.... like you, I can't believe I'm doing this... I'm pretty sure Beaver worked in the getting-blacker tower earlier this millenium.

Howaboutthat wrote:Yo mouth.... like you, I can't believe I'm doing this... I'm pretty sure Beaver worked in the getting-blacker tower earlier this millenium.

Hmmmm, not very memorable, maybe pushing a broom? I'm sure if you're right, I,I, me,me, will certainly set the record straight. When you get right down to it, there really isn't a place he hasn't worked at, or people he hasn't worked with...hmmm the name Cleaver doesn't pop into mind when NW is mentioned. But I guess we shouldn't be so hard on the Beaver1

Howaboutthat wrote: I'm pretty sure Beaver worked in the getting-blacker tower earlier this millenium.

Yes, HAT, Mike Cleaver spent some time on a day-shift desking and anchoring at 'NW.

I'd be curious to see what BBM has for 60+.

And I know people who listen to the CBC and will not listen to commercial radio because they don't wish to have music or comment interrupted by pitches.

cArtie.

cart_machine wrote:

Howaboutthat wrote: I'm pretty sure Beaver worked in the getting-blacker tower earlier this millenium.

Yes, HAT, Mike Cleaver spent some time on a day-shift desking and anchoring at 'NW.

I'd be curious to see what BBM has for 60+.

And I know people who listen to the CBC and will not listen to commercial radio because they don't wish to have music or comment interrupted by pitches.

cArtie.

Gee, too bad. Those "pitches" pay most radio people's salaries.

mightymouth wrote:Gee, too bad. Those "pitches" pay most radio people's salaries.

While we all pay for the others. Something's wrong with that.

Dan Sys wrote: I really doubt The Shore will end up going with Triple A. In fact they are now polling people on their website as to what they should become:

How can that happen? Didn't they get a license based on a specific promise of performance?

cArtie.

Howaboutthat wrote:

mightymouth wrote:Gee, too bad. Those "pitches" pay most radio people's salaries.

While we all pay for the others. Something's wrong with that.

Maybe our resident retired Government employee can explain this to the rest of us working folk.

cArtie said:

How can that happen? Didn't they get a license based on a specific promise of performance?

Doesn't mean a thing anymore. Once a license is obtained in this country broadcasters are basically free to do whatever they want despite what they might have earlier promised. The exception are Specialty Licenses, but even that seems to be falling by the wayside as witnessed recently in Calgary with CIGY 97.7 (a specialty station that was licensed to be Folk-Acoustic, but in the end turned out to be a Hot AC-Country mix).

I agree that the CRTC has no business regulating formats, but why in the world do they still require applicants to go through this ritual of promising formats when everyone knows it's bullshit in the first place in most cases? A waste of time and resources.

I was working in Toronto during CKNW's glory days but that station was known across Canada for it's talented staff.
I came in at the tail end here, starting at NW2 as an anchor and business news reporter while doing some 'casts on 'NW and on the Corus Radio Network.
When John Hayes shut down 'NW2, I got fired with everyone else.
I was called back a year later to anchor on 'NW and the Network.
During my time there, I saw Ashbridge leave, Frosty quit and most of the other talented people both on air and in the newsroom bail.
The GM changed, the News Director changed and others were fired.
I was fired again in 2005.

mightymouth wrote:

Howaboutthat wrote:

mightymouth wrote:Gee, too bad. Those "pitches" pay most radio people's salaries.

While we all pay for the others. Something's wrong with that.

Maybe our resident retired Government employee can explain this to the rest of us working folk.

Keep paying your taxes Mouth!!
I need a raise this year!!