Radio Stimulus Package Discussion Panel
Canadian Music Week
Royal York Hotel, Toronto
March 11, 2010
By Live Music Head
Here’s an economic prediction –
in the distant future, if and when the Big Three automakers
get back on their feet, radio will still be standing.
It’s a ballsy vision, what with economic straits,
ever-increasing competition from the digital world,
budget cutbacks and a talent pool shortage.
But this panel of experts has insights
into what needs to be done now
and in the long-term for the medium to adapt.
You may not agree with them,
and they may not agree with each other,
but this promises to be one of the
highest-energy CMW think tanks ever.
~ Canadian Music Week, Toronto 2010
With a media pass graciously provided by Joanne Smale,
of Planet3 Communications Ltd.,
I arrived at the Royal York Hotel this morning
to attend the Radio Stimulus Package discussion panel
featuring Jim Cuddy from Blue Rodeo and
Humble Howard Glassman, co-host of Boom 97.3.
Being escorted to Salon B made me feel like a queen
and sitting down beside a cheerful face,
I was soon sharing introductions with Jessi Nicholson,
a vocalist and songwriter from Vancouver.
As the two of us settled in,
it was mere seconds before the Salon filled to capacity
and things got underway.
Having grown up on CHUM AM and CKOC,
I was exposed at an early age to the undeniable impact
that radio personalities had on music fans.
When rock and roll began in the 50s,
the radio personality was as important as the
artists they were spinning.
Just think of Wolfman Jack in American Graffitti,
and you know exactly what I mean.
But when I became a teenager in the late 70s,
and my musical tastes matured from
silly pop songs to heavier album rock,
I switched from AM to CHUM FM.
Hell, I even worked there briefly in ‘82
for a brief stint as the stations back up receptionist.
(calendar pages flipping backward with memories of
Marilyn Denis and her friendly greeting
when she arrived every morning)
However, by the mid-80s programming at CHUM FM
took a turn toward the lame.
Suddenly we were no longer hearing album rock but
middle-of-the-road-type songs like,
What’s Love Got to Do With It?
It wasn’t long before I left CHUM FM behind
and became a loyal listener of classic rock station, Q107.
These days, I can still rely upon
the Mighty Q for good old classic rock,
even if it is delivered by disc jockeys with little boy mentalities.
But I don’t think I even once returned to CHUM FM.
I listen to CBC Radio instead.
Not so much for the music as for the great conversations found
between Jian Ghomeshi and guests of his morning program, Q.
And the dial built into my kitchen counter ghetto blaster
can sometimes get stuck on 91.1 JAZZ FM.
But ya know,
I really miss those silly pop songs brought to me by 1050 CHUM.
And wonder if that station
can’t come back to life for a second time.
Having said all that,
I arrived at this Canadian Music Week event to hear
those working in the field give their opinion
on the current state of radio today as well as
what radio may look like in the future.
Greg Simpson opened up the proceedings,
and it was nice to chat with him beforehand,
not having seen him since
our road trip to New York City over a year ago.
And Ross Davies, the moderator,
didn’t have to turn on the music
or pull panelists off the podium with a cane for talking over time.
Jim Cuddy himself began his speech by saying,
“I have no problem with the 6 minute time frame.
After all, that’s the same length as a song
before it gets cut down for radio airplay.”
Mr Cuddy spoke to the great Canadian talent we have
right here under our noses
and how radio should get back to taking risks
and playing the yet-to-be-discovered-by-the-masses songs
of our great Canadian talent, naming the Arkells
and another band from Oshawa as good examples.
I, for one would prefer hearing the sounds of Toronto’s very own
singer-songwriter Kevin Quain over Beyonce, any day.
Cuddy also reminded us that this year’s Grammy Awards
ceremony was more than ever, not about music.
For years it’s been about fashion but this year the music
of the Grammies was delivered by a circus act.
Fred Jacobs, Mike McVay, Chuck McCoy, Mark Ramsey
and even Grant Robertson from the Globe and Mail were
all great speakers with well formed opinions and feelings
about what the future of radio means to them.
But it was Humble Howard Glassman
who had the entire room erupting in laughter when
he opened his speech with...
“the reason radio is struggling is because
I’m the only Jew working in it.
C’mon, it’s the entertainment business, where are all the Jews?!”
Howard’s advice: the talents of young and up and coming
jockeys of radio should be nurtured.
A practice apparently, that hasn’t been seen in quite some time.
“Give ‘em 75 bucks for a few hours during the night shift
and let’s bring the on-air talent
of the original radio personality back to life”.
All in all, attending this hour-long
panel discussion was a thoroughly enjoyable
and educational way for me to spend my morning.
I’m still not sure what radio will look like in the future
but historically,
people thought television would kill radio and it didn’t.
Perhaps the life of radio will continue for a long time to come
but adapting to new media and numerous digital platforms
that are now available, seems indisputable.
But I agree with Howard...
Why the hell didn’t anyone complain when the door
was left open while the panelists were speaking?
The excited chatter from the hundreds of CMW participants
in the lobby outside couldn’t have been more disruptive.
There, somebody complained.
Canadian Music Week website
http://www.cmw.net/cmw2010/index.asp,
