(no subject)
I think I have a lot to write about today. I dunno whether I'll actually get around to it, though.
You may recall that sometime ago, I wrote about the changes happening very soon at CBC radio. In one of those posts, I was encouraged by an anonymous commenter (come out of the woodwork - who are you?!) to fire off a letter to CBC people voicing my displeasure. I did so. The response came yesterday.
via email: xxxxxxxxxxx@gmail.com
Dear Mr. Cuppage,
Thank you for your recent email and for sharing your opinion about announced changes to CBC Radio and the program, Brave New Waves, which is indeed winding down.
I was sorry to read that you are disappointed with the changes as they concern this program. An assessment of changes contemplated is often difficult from isolated reports so I wanted to share with you a little of the context for the decisions.
First of all, we agree with your assessment of Brave New Waves. It is, and has always been, an important program in the Canadian radio landscape. As the public broadcaster, the sense of discovery and coverage of Canadian contemporary music represented by Brave New Waves needed expansion. A few hours a day in the wee hours of the morning just was not sufficient. It was the primary motivation for the launch of Radio Three, a service that represents the values 24/7.
We share your concerns about distribution. It’s why we are pursuing new methods of distribution to the limits of our ability: online streaming, digital downloads, podcasts and the web magazine, all of which are available for free. If HD Radio ever becomes widely available in Canada, we hope to take advantage of the new technology to make Radio 3 widely available on the FM band...also, free for the consumer 24 hours a day.
I can assure you that these decisions are not made lightly. At CBC, we regularly review the schedule to see how best we can serve the changing needs and expectations of our diverse Canadian audience. The changes on radio two are to focus the network to become a more consistent adult music service reflective of Canadian music. March 19th is just the first phase of the changes.
You may be interested in our new nightly program of contemporary music starting at 10:00 p.m. on CBC Radio Two. There will be a broad range of music from electronica to contemporary composers with a focus on Canadian content.
Again, thank you for taking the time to write. Letters such as yours are used to inform future decisions and directions.
Sincerely,
Jennifer McGuire
Executive Director of Programming
I'm glad she at least wrote back to me, but it's still not satisfying. One of the main things that I brought up in my email was that BNW is not only finishing its run, but that the network is doing nothing to mark the occasion. A little recognition would be nice and more than deserved, I think.
Also, she doesn't deny that Radio 3 is taxpayer-supported (not all of the CBC's platforms are; Newsworld, for example, is a commercial venture funded entirely by ads save for its infrastructure, much of which comes from the CBC's main networks), which is one of the questions I was curious about. So, in short, taxpayers are footing the bill for a project which, as of next month, will be virtually unavailable to those without satellite radios. Not cool. The "online streaming" that she mentions, is not online streaming of the actual network - what it is, is streaming of some songs in Radio 3's current rotation, but without any of the features and actual live people who appear on the satellite station. And also without music that they're unable to secure online rights to, or however that should be phrased. What I mean is that on the station itself, they play some non-Canadian music, but the online streaming is 100% Canuck. I really think Radio 3 needs some sort of presence on a terrestrial network, but, I guess I'm outta luck.
Other thing: I just wanted to slip this map thing onto my actual journal, as opposed to my profile where it's resided for a number of weeks now. I'm just doing it this once, just for fun. Never mind it, really, though.
Create your own visitor map!
You may recall that sometime ago, I wrote about the changes happening very soon at CBC radio. In one of those posts, I was encouraged by an anonymous commenter (come out of the woodwork - who are you?!) to fire off a letter to CBC people voicing my displeasure. I did so. The response came yesterday.
via email: xxxxxxxxxxx@gmail.com
Dear Mr. Cuppage,
Thank you for your recent email and for sharing your opinion about announced changes to CBC Radio and the program, Brave New Waves, which is indeed winding down.
I was sorry to read that you are disappointed with the changes as they concern this program. An assessment of changes contemplated is often difficult from isolated reports so I wanted to share with you a little of the context for the decisions.
First of all, we agree with your assessment of Brave New Waves. It is, and has always been, an important program in the Canadian radio landscape. As the public broadcaster, the sense of discovery and coverage of Canadian contemporary music represented by Brave New Waves needed expansion. A few hours a day in the wee hours of the morning just was not sufficient. It was the primary motivation for the launch of Radio Three, a service that represents the values 24/7.
We share your concerns about distribution. It’s why we are pursuing new methods of distribution to the limits of our ability: online streaming, digital downloads, podcasts and the web magazine, all of which are available for free. If HD Radio ever becomes widely available in Canada, we hope to take advantage of the new technology to make Radio 3 widely available on the FM band...also, free for the consumer 24 hours a day.
I can assure you that these decisions are not made lightly. At CBC, we regularly review the schedule to see how best we can serve the changing needs and expectations of our diverse Canadian audience. The changes on radio two are to focus the network to become a more consistent adult music service reflective of Canadian music. March 19th is just the first phase of the changes.
You may be interested in our new nightly program of contemporary music starting at 10:00 p.m. on CBC Radio Two. There will be a broad range of music from electronica to contemporary composers with a focus on Canadian content.
Again, thank you for taking the time to write. Letters such as yours are used to inform future decisions and directions.
Sincerely,
Jennifer McGuire
Executive Director of Programming
I'm glad she at least wrote back to me, but it's still not satisfying. One of the main things that I brought up in my email was that BNW is not only finishing its run, but that the network is doing nothing to mark the occasion. A little recognition would be nice and more than deserved, I think.
Also, she doesn't deny that Radio 3 is taxpayer-supported (not all of the CBC's platforms are; Newsworld, for example, is a commercial venture funded entirely by ads save for its infrastructure, much of which comes from the CBC's main networks), which is one of the questions I was curious about. So, in short, taxpayers are footing the bill for a project which, as of next month, will be virtually unavailable to those without satellite radios. Not cool. The "online streaming" that she mentions, is not online streaming of the actual network - what it is, is streaming of some songs in Radio 3's current rotation, but without any of the features and actual live people who appear on the satellite station. And also without music that they're unable to secure online rights to, or however that should be phrased. What I mean is that on the station itself, they play some non-Canadian music, but the online streaming is 100% Canuck. I really think Radio 3 needs some sort of presence on a terrestrial network, but, I guess I'm outta luck.
Other thing: I just wanted to slip this map thing onto my actual journal, as opposed to my profile where it's resided for a number of weeks now. I'm just doing it this once, just for fun. Never mind it, really, though.
Create your own visitor map!