Hockey actually does equal Canada

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Hockey actually does equal Canada

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Obama Message to NHL Owners & Players Dec 13

CBC News Alerts ‏@CBCAlerts

PM Harper says NHL lockout ‘dangerous’ for league . PM: #NHLhasn’t been able to sell ‘product’ to clients: TVA.

 Retweeted by HockeyNightInCanada

One City. Has Toronto finally gone past drawing lines on paper

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This morning TTC Chair Karen Stintz outlined the new transit vision on Metro Morning (Listen Here) She explained that this wasn’t a cash grab.  This is intended as a dedicated funding plan for the future of transit in Toronto.  “Subways, Subways, Subways,” said Rob Ford during the last transit debate.  I say yes to him, but also LRTs and Bus Routes and Streetcars and Go Train.  Rob Ford may have made the debate loud but Stintz has somehow, quietly rolled out a plan, that just may work in Toronto’s favor.

”

The $30-billion, 30-year proposal would transform the city — taking transit to all corners of the municipality. And, with provincial and federal help, the dream scenario would cost Toronto property taxpayers $45 a year for four years.

Called OneCity, the massive plan is the brainchild of Councillors Karen Stintz and Glenn DeBaeremaeker, chair and vice-chair of the transit commission. The money, roughly a 2 per cent tax hike dedicated exclusively to transit, is bound to be the source of huge conflict at city council as early as October.

Stintz has not declared her intention to run for mayor, but this proposal will put a bull’s-eye on her back. It is also expected to embolden Mayor Rob Ford, who will vigorously oppose it because it raises taxes.

But if the plan finds traction among enough politicians at city hall — and there are enough transit goodies to satisfy councillors from all quadrants of the city — it could spark a humdinger of a battle that exceeds the rhetoric of last spring’s LRT-vs.-subway debate.

At stake are many political careers, and the commuting future of Canada’s largest city.”  Read Royson James full article in the Toronto Star (Here)

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Transit City 2009’ish

One City 2012

IS the CBC worth saving…

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Beyond my love for the CBC, I just love my Toronto Public Library system.  Public access to public discussion.  After finding and posting Malcom Gladwell’s interviews I searched to see if this discussion was captured because I had missed getting out to see it live.  Happy it was.  Next, I’d like to see a discussion about the present and future of CBC Music.

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The Toronto Star Talks: Whither the CBC
On April 30, 2012 Torontonians discussed the future of CBC with former CBC Vice President Richard Stursberg, fifth estate host Linden MacIntyre, Ryerson University Journalism professor Suanne Kelman, and Air Farce writer/director Percy Rosemond. Moderated by Star’s Martin Knelman

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

 

Hockey Night in Canada sans the #CBC

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“Rogers Media is broadly hinting for the first time Tuesday that it would be keen to win the television rights that the CBC has held for six decades.

Broadcasters pay the National Hockey League for these lucrative rights, whose costs have been rising substantially.

In 2007, when HNIC’s rights were last on the auction block — the price the CBC paid was not revealed, but media reports suggested it ranged from $90 million to $100 million for the six-year contract, up $20 million from the previous deal.” via CBC

Loose our 2nd national anthem to TSN then loose the only reason to watch hockey in Canada to Sportsnet.  Thank goodness I’ve got CBCRadio3 (no pun)

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Ryder Hesjedal wins Giro d’Italia

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“Hesjedal, who overcame a 31 second deficit on Sunday to win by 16, is now a star in the hugely difficult, too-often controversial world of professional cycling where for many years the winners were regularly determined by who had the best chemist…  But he represents a country that, but for the big cycling fans, finds itself asking “Who is this guy?”… Hesh-JAH-dall (keep practising)…” via CBC Sports

It really makes you wonder how Canadian athletes in general (beyond the major leagues) win without much of any backing from the Canadian government.  Tour du France is next, because Hesjedal will probably be over looked from the Canadian Olympic Team.

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Music Matters ~ Music Mondays for the week of March 11th

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Though International Women Day was last week (March 8th), my music pick this week is all about women.  Grant Lawrence plotted together a podcast on CBC Radio 3 of the top 10 Canadian Female Singers which you can listen to here.

I’ve plotted each of their video blow for your viewing pleasure.  Canadian Women rock everyday!

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Emily Haines from Metric ~ Dead Disco

Tegan & Sara ~ Take Me Anywhere

Amy Millan from Stars ~ Ageless Beauty

Jenn Grant ~ Dreamer

Coeur De Pirate aka Béatrice Martin ~ Danse Et Danse

Alana Stuart from Bonjay ~ Gimmie Gimmie

Niko Case & Sarah Harmer ~ Silverado

Tanya Davis ~ Tra-La-La

Kathleen Edwards ~ I Make The Dough, You Get The Glory

Louise Burns ~ Island Vacation

 

 

Canadian Music Matters for the Week of Feb 12th

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I’m back!

In the news from the Grammy’s last night: With the somber cloud of Whitney Houston death, there was still time to celebrate some needed Canadian content.  28 year old singer Melanie Fiona won Grammys for Best Traditional R&B Performance and Best R&B Song for her collaboration with Cee Lo Green, Fool For You.  “I want to thank so many people for helping me get here and being a part of this amazing record. Thank you so much to my parents, my family (and) my friends back home in Toronto, Canada.”

Fiona on Whitney,

“Whitney Houston is the first voice and memory I have of music.  My mom used to play her for me to fall asleep in the crib. Hers was the first song I ever sang. She has been an inspiration to me throughout my entire career, for her presence as an artist, her voice, and what she was able to do and the way she made people feel.  I would not be up here as a nominee or as a winner without her influence and presence in my life, so it’s very emotional for me.”

Other Canadian content included Montreal’s Caroline Robert who won for best recording package for her design of the deluxe re-release of Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs. Arcade Fire’s disc won album of the year at last year’s Grammys.

Montreal was also represented by a performance from DJ Deadmau5.

 

Beyond this years Grammy’s there was a couple of CBC commercials that popped up on the old tv screen.  CBC Music is the new home base for all things music in Canada.  It looks like CBC Radio3 is all grown up.

A bit sad, but getting more music out to more Canadians is never a bad thing.  You can read the full piece at CBCMusic.ca but here’s a small piece from Steve Pratt

“Hi all, Steve Pratt here. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m the director of CBC Radio 3 and CBC Digital Music. I’d like to welcome you to the latest incarnation of CBC Radio 3 and the all-new site for CBC Music.

In a nutshell, CBC Music provides CBC Radio 2, and 12 genres of music (Classical, Jazz, Singer-Songwriter,World, Rock, Pop, Blues, R&B/Soul, Hip-Hop, Aboriginal,Country and Electronic), the ability to make their own communities in the same way all of you have helped make Radio 3 such a wonderful experience for anyone who loves independent Canadian music. In fact, without you and everything you’ve done to help guide Radio 3, this new website and new communities would not have been possible.

Since its inception more than a decade ago, Radio 3 has served as a living laboratory, where we’ve been able to try out new ideas.  Our goal has been to do the best job we can for Canadian music and its creators. Until now, however, the R3 web experience has only been available to fans of independent Canadian music.

With the launch of CBC Music, fans of all genres can have an experience with the music they love”

STOP THE CBC SMACKDOWN

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The good people at Friends of Canadian Broadcasting have put out new ads to show a “worst-case scenario arising from the government’s hostile attitude toward the CBC.” Enjoy!

CBC’s The National Redone

CBC Radio Remix 666

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FRIENDS launch STOP THE CBC SMACKDOWN

Ottawa (29 November 2011) The Conservative Party is gaining the trust of voters when it comes to Canadian culture and the CBC, but that trust could quickly evaporate if forecast cuts to the national public broadcaster’s parliamentary allocation come to pass.

These findings emerge from a national opinion survey sponsored by the watchdog group Friends of Canadian Broadcasting.

If Stephen Harper’s criticism of Canadian culture during the 2008 election campaign that many observers believe cost the Conservative Party a majority government was the low point in the public’s estimation of Mr. Harper’s trustworthiness on cultural matters, this survey provides some good news for the Prime Minister.

The survey found that the Conservative Party leads the other two major parties as the most trusted to handle matters of national culture and identity (Conservative Party 27%; NDP 24%; and Liberal Party 14%). 

The Conservative Party is most trusted by 3 in 10 voters (29%) to protect the CBC, second behind the NDP, which enjoys the trust of almost half of voters (46%) and ahead of the Liberal Party (25%).

“The Conservatives promised time and again before and during the election campaign to maintain or increase CBC funding.[1] It would appear Canadians, who in overwhelming numbers support public broadcasting, are responding in a supportive way,” said Friends spokesperson Ian Morrison.

But, the survey also found that the government’s hostility toward the national public broadcaster and its cost-cutting agenda could put the Conservative Party off side with voters, a strong majority of whom want to see the CBC’s budget maintained or enhanced.

• When asked what advice they would give their MP on how to vote in the House of Commons concerning funding for CBC, 46% would counsel maintaining CBC funding at current levels, while another 23% would advise their MP to vote in favour of an increase. Only 17% favour decreasing CBC funding.

• 52% believe that Canada’s level of funding of its public broadcaster is insufficient to maintain a unique and vibrant Canadian identity and culture vs. 21% who disagree.

“A ten percent cut to the CBC’s budget, as the Conservatives are contemplating, would have devastating consequences that would be visible and of great concern to the vast majority of Canadians.  In addition, the steady attack on the CBC by various government MPs could change the direction of public support in on this issue,” Morrison said.

CBC budget cuts could undermine the Conservatives’ new-found trust on matters related to culture and put them at odds with a majority of their own base.  Among Conservative Party supporters:

• 57% would advise their MP to maintain or increase funding for the CBC.
• 63% think the CBC plays an important or very important role in protecting Canadian culture and identity.
• 64% give the CBC high marks for meeting its mandate to inform, enlighten and entertain
• 70% believe that the federal government should be somewhat or very responsible for ensuring that Canadian programming and content on television and radio is protected.

Voters who identify the Conservatives as their second choice also strongly support public broadcasting:

• 81% would tell their MP to maintain or increase funding for the CBC.
• 78% think the CBC plays an important or very important role in protecting Canadian culture and identity.
• 84% give CBC high marks for meeting its mandate to inform, enlighten and entertain
• 75% believe that the federal government should be somewhat or very responsible for ensuring that Canadian programming and content on television and radio is protected.

The survey found that Prime Minister Harper and his Conservative government carry a reputation for being hostile to Canadian culture and the CBC:

• Half (52%) of Canadians think Canada’s level of public broadcaster funding is insufficient to maintain a unique and vibrant Canadian identity and culture, and 55% think Canada’s level of public broadcaster funding is indicative of the federal government’s treatment of the cultural sector overall.
• Half (50%) think the Harper government is underfunding the CBC so that it can turn it into a private, commercial broadcaster. Only one in four agree that privatizing and commercializing the CBC is the right thing to do.

CBC remains extremely popular with Canadians, who by wide majorities give the CBC high marks for meeting its mandate to present programs that inform, enlighten and entertain (77%) as well as its mandate to serve the broadcasting needs of Canada’s regions (68%)

In defence of our national public broadcaster, Friends of Canadian Broadcasting is launching STOP THE CBC SMACKDOWN, a satirical online campaign calling on the Conservative government to keep its election promise to maintain or increase CBC funding.

“This effort dramatizes what is perhaps our greatest fear – one that grows with each passing day’s events on Parliament Hill – that the Conservative government secretly intends to privatize some or all of our national public broadcaster, selling it to the highest bidder.  Two SMACKDOWN videos portray this worst-case scenario arising from the government’s hostile attitude toward the CBC,” says Friends’ spokesperson Ian Morrison.

The videos feature messages from the new CBC’s new owner, Lance Fury.

A personal friend of the Prime Minister and a former professional wrestling promoter from the US, Lance has purchased the CBC for an undisclosed amount.  In his video messages, the new owner-operator of the former public broadcaster outlines a radical overhaul of CBC News and his plans to introduce commercial advertising to CBC Radio.

Fury says, “Canadians are gonna love this.  I mean, let’s be honest.  They’re very unique in that they’re just like Americans, except for the Quebeckians, who are more like the Puerto Ricans.  But now that I’m here, there will be something for everyone.  But don’t worry Canada, I won’t be touchin’ your wheat.”

“As the survey demonstrates, the CBC continues to enjoy high levels of public esteem.  The video campaign is about lifting those numbers off the page to demonstrate that without great care and support for our national public broadcaster, the new found gains in public trust the Conservatives have achieved could be short lived,” Morrison said.

The online survey of 2022 adult Canadians conducted from November 4 to 10 has a margin of error of +/- 2.18%, 19 times out of 20.  The survey was designed and administered by political scientists, Daniel Rubenson, Associate Professor at Ryerson University and Peter Loewen, Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto.  The survey was fielded by the national polling firm Angus Reid/Vision Critical.

 http://www.friends.ca/press-release/10454

125,000 songs… listen to CBC Radio 3… oh and read the LA Times!!

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I know this infographic was a while ago but its one of the many reasons why I love the CBC, CBC Radio and CBC Radio3 in general.  Oh and the LA Times like them too.

“Reporting from Toronto — — It’s 1928, and the Canadian government is in a panic. It’s issued radio licenses to Canadian stations since 1922, but most Canadians are turning their dials to American programming. What to do? A royal commission on the future of broadcasting was convened, and eight years later, after a brief incarnation as a state-owned national broadcasting network, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. was born.

 Its mandate: to reflect Canada to Canadians.”

You can read the full article in the LA Times here http://articles.latimes.com/2011/nov/20/entertainment/la-ca-culture-canada-20111120

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Happy Birthday CBC

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Love them or hate them (SunTV), for 75 years the CBC has been Canada.  From me to you, Happy Birthday CBC!

I’ll add some sounds and sites of the CBC over the last 75 years.  Enjoy

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