Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!telly!evan
From: evan@telly.UUCP (Evan Leibovitch)
Newsgroups: ont.singles
Subject: Toronto radio boredom (was: Re: damn!)
Summary: Anyone want to do something about it?
Message-ID: <468@telly.UUCP>
Date: 7 Jan 89 05:11:08 GMT
References: <8901050507.AA13864@bloor.csri.toronto.edu> <1346@client1.dciem.dnd.ca>
Reply-To: evan@telly.on.ca (Evan Leibovitch)
Followup-To: rec.music.misc
Distribution: ont
Organization: System Telly, Brampton
Lines: 60

In article <1346@client1.dciem.dnd.ca> king@client1.dciem.dnd.ca (Stephen King) writes:
>In article <8901050507.AA13864@bloor.csri.toronto.edu> pkern@csri.toronto.edu (pkern) writes:
>>
>>	   "The spirit of radio" -- the slogan that once summarized
>>	CFNY's adventurous programming policy -- has lost its soul.
>>
>>AwwwwwWWWWW, SH*T!
>
>CFNY started to go downhill a few years ago. CKLN is the REAL alternative.
>88.1 - furthest left on the FM dial (tm).

>[or...]
>switch over to the CBC
>for Jergen Goth and 'Disc Drive'; pleasant classics (and some modern stuff)
>along with an inspired commentary to sooth the tired soul. CIUT also does
>some good stuff.

>I have gotten along fine without CFNY for some time now.

I left it when Pete and Geets did. And frankly, I'm just wondering how
many radio stations need to clog the mainstream before radio darwinism
drives at least some back to more specific audiences.

Look at the choices. Not counting country, news and ethnic stations,
Toronto now has only three musical formats to choose from:

Top 40 with lots of old stuff:   CFTR, CHUM-FM, CKFM, Q107*, CKOC, CFNY

Oldies, oldies, oldies:          CKEY, CHUM-AM, CFRB, CHFI, CKEY, 1430, CIDC

Esoterica:                       CBC-FM, CKLN, CIUT, CJRT

Of the last group, only CBC-FM can be heard on a car radio out of downtown.
And I put an * near Q107 because they do have a somewhat distinct image
of more of a heavy metal station than the others. Not necessarily better,
just something distinct.

(Please don't flame if you don't like the way I've categorized an individual
station. There are noticable differences between stations, but outside
of the esoterica, they are all generally quite limited in their playlists.)

Is the shameless greed of radio going after yuppie nostalgia having
a bad  effect on the music industry? You bet. Is it reducing the
attitude of record companies towards new acts? How can it not?

Would anyone be interested in co-operating on a brief to the CRTC the next
time one of these stations' licence comes up for renewal? I don't have the
time to do one myself, but if enough people are mad enough, I think
something can be done. Such an effort would get easy coverage on TV and
newspapers, since each kind of media will do anything it can to downrate
the others.

The Toronto Coalition for Better Radio? Stranger things have happened...

(PS. Please follow up to rec.music.misc, Ontario distribution. There's
nothing in this discussion to do with singles.)
-- 
Evan Leibovitch, SA of System Telly                   "I am most concerned that
Located in beautiful Brampton, Ontario, Canada          nobody will remember me
evan@telly.on.ca -or- uunet!attcan!telly!evan            when I am dead" - Anon.