The CBC

Ok I love the CBC. Its really my favourite source of Canadian media. I think its because there are relatively few ways to be a patriotic Canadian other than putting a flag on your backpack when you travel and saying 'sorry' and 'eh'. So actively listening to the CBC is my way of putting my hand to my heart and singing the Canadian anthem. And more specifically, CBC Radio (1, 2 and 3).

In the morning I wake up to CBC radio 2. It has the good music that can play in the background and I don't mind if I miss something because the hairdryer or shower is running. Then on the drive to and from work I listen to Radio 1 to get my daily dose of news. And if I'm ever walking anywhere for an extended period of time I listen to Radio 3 podcasts. That was until about 6 weeks ago...

*sidenote: I realize that this isn't the most gripping topic, but I've got to blog about something and since this is a public medium I cannot blog about how I am waning in my affection for my job or how a certain upcoming event is increasing my blood pressure and decreasing my bank account.

So about 6 weeks ago, CBC Radio 1 changed their hosts. Both on the Edmonton AM program and the Radio Active (drive home) program!! And about 6 months ago they changed the host on the CBC morning radio 2 program.

Now I've grown accustomed to the Radio 2 host although he plays a lot less Sarah McLaughlin and not enough Canadian hip hop but more folk and more Ron Sexsmith (aka more folk), but the changes on CBC Radio 1 are more dramatic.

First of all, they added two hosts to the morning show and they are trying waaaay too hard to be your 'favourite energetic morning DJs'. Lydia Neufeld and her co-host (some guy) are basically amateur hour. Now I know CBC is publicly funded radio and  maybe can't afford 'pepper and dylan' or 'Rick Dees (of the weekly top 40), but these people are constantly stumbling over their words or correcting each other ON THE AIR. They seem confused 90 percent of the time and try to do this cute thing where they finish each others' sentences. Except it's not so cute with the aforementioned stumbling problem--it sounds more like a weird high school improv story telling game.

Lydia Neufeld and Rick Harp

And the news stories...news can be used so loosely here. I know that not every day can be a busy news day in Edmonton (despite the fact we had 47 murders last year) but come on, there is more going on than murder, pipeline and native people in Edmonton. Every morning I turn on the radio and sure enough one of these 3 subjects is talked about during my 25 minute drive. And it wouldn't be so bad if they were really digging into the issues but its all surface-level. For example when talking about the murders I learned that our chief of police is not happy and would like to do better. I had to listen to the radio to find that out?? The previous host would ask hard questions and actually wait for the answer. He didn't try to be funny. It was nice.

Kim Trynacity

And then in Radio Active Kim Trynacity is actually not awful (at least compared to the morning tag-team) but she constantly interrupts her interviewees and asks really leading questions. So we mostly hear her voice and her opinion in all the interviews. It gets tiresome 5 days a week. I can't wait for Peter Brown to be back even if he is a bit odd.

Maybe I'm just set in my ways when it comes to my radio programs. Maybe I was too in love with the old hosts. I tried to give these guys a chance but they're not getting better and we're just not gelling. So I switch my radio to Sonic 102.9 where some of the advertisements are better than CBC's hosts and the rambling is limited and the songs are good.

I want to be loyal and patriotic, but I'll just have to get my Canadian content elsewhere. Thankfully the CRTC ensures that.