Yes I’m an old man and yes times are changing, but I don’t care. And I know that it probably makes things more efficient and a little easier on a few people to do this the way it’s done now, but I don’t much care about that, either.
If you’re a radio station and you’re broadcasting during some sort of weather event or the like, maybe talk about the damn thing instead of trying to shepherd us all to your poorly designed website or begging us to hit up your Twitter. If there are schools closed and buses cancelled, tell me which ones they are. You’re the radio. Telling me things is kind of your fucking job. It used to be, at any rate. Whatever your job is, I’m coming to you because I’d like the sorts of information that you’ve been giving me mostly reliably for generations and I either can’t or don’t wish to get it elsewhere.
Maybe I’m in that admittedly shrinking group of people that doesn’t have internet access. Maybe I usually have internet access but the weather has knocked it out. Maybe I’m in the car and don’t want to drive into a tree or up the ass of a big rig while I dick with your Facebook page trying to find the frigging storm centre.
Really, it doesn’t matter what my reasons are. The point is that I came to you because I’m supposed to be able to do that. Most of you advertise yourselves that way. “Number one source for local news and information” is a pretty popular phrase in your world. So how about actually being that? It’s a whole lot more useful than this shrunken Spotify with commercials thing most of you have got going on.
I especially expect better from our local CBC. They generally do a fine job with their morning show, but this is one area they could certainly tighten up. The storm page is a nice supplement to your regular coverage, but it’s not a replacement for it. Nobody aside from Bob Wilson is going to give much of a shit if you have to bump the special feature on Bob Wilson’s coin collection in favour of running down immediately relevant local happenings live on air.
And while I’m here and talking about areas that CBC Radio One could tighten up, if you’re going to play a song, please play the whole thing. There’s nothing worse than hearing a new song, deciding I may like it and then having it cut off as the host openly tells me that “there’s just a bit of…” If you don’t have time to play it, don’t play it.
Thank you.
