The execrable CBC Radio 2 blog

There were CBC rallies in Toronto and British Columbia on May 24 (last Saturday.) These rallies were to protest the changes being made to CBC Radio 2, and the disbanding of the CBC Radio Orchestra.

Here's an excerpt from Bramwell Tovey's speech from the Vancouver rally:

"In seeking to control the debate about Radio 2 programming the network has ruthlessly controlled its own blogsites. In May 2007 I submitted a critical comment to a CBC blog concerning changes at Saturday Afternoon at the Opera. The comment was never posted. When I asked why, I received numerous telephone messages and then an email from a senior CBC manager:

“Let’s talk further about what we’re trying to achieve. I’d still be more than happy to post most of what you wrote, but do need to edit out one line, and want your approval to do that ….We’re not trying to censor you.” (sic)

Numerous independent web discussion and information sites have emerged, such as www.standonguardforcbc.ca and on Facebook, since it became evident that CBC wished to control the debate which was often highly critical of Radio 2’s direction."

It seems that whenever I try to post a negative comment about any of the CBC Radio 2 radio shows on the CBC 2 blog, it doesn't get accepted. I tried to post what I thought was a fairly innocent-sounding comment, on an entry about In the Key of Charles: "Wow, they never had anything like this on Symphony Hall." Did the CBC Radio 2 blog editor realize, er, I mean, think that this was a back-handed compliment? Or has the CBC blog editor just gotten used to seeing my name on the posts, and automatically not accept them? :P

I've heard from other people about their blog posts getting "censored" (not accepted.) And no less a person than Bramwell Tovey got censored. Boy, do I hate the CBC Radio 2 blog.

Whatever happened to freedom of speech? I know, freedom of speech has been used as an excuse by many people to say horrible things, but really, surely a few negative comments about radio shows aren't so horrible they shouldn't be published?

By the way, I recommend reading Bramwell Tovey's entire speech, as it is excellent.

Complaining about the CBC

A reporter from the Concordia University newspaper is writing an article, and asked me:

What are the main issues with the CBC?
What you hope to accomplish with the protest?
Why is important that the CBC have an orchestra?
Why is it important that the CBC play classical music?

Here's what I replied:

The main issues that people are having with the CBC are that they are canceling several long-running and popular shows, that they'll play less classical music, and that they're disbanding their 70-year-old CBC Radio Orchestra.

I think it is important for the CBC to play classical music. Many people, including me, have been turned on to classical music through CBC Radio 2. Many people throughout Canada enjoy listening to classical music, and have either no local classical station, or a poor one. (I don't like the local classical station here in Montreal.) CBC Radio 2 is/was a way for people who live in small towns or remote areas - places with no local orchestra and not much access to live classical concerts - to hear classical music recordings and recorded concerts.
I myself stopped listening to CBC Radio 2 when they did a big programming change in March of last year. They got rid of several of my favourite programs. They put on more pop/jazz programs (and many people argue that the main jazz program doesn't even have a lot of good jazz on.) From what I heard, they replaced knowledgeable musically-educated radio show hosts with hosts who don't even always know how to pronounce composers' names (I can't personally attest to this as I no longer listen to CBC Radio 2.)

One of the shows they cancelled last year in March was Two New Hours, a program featuring new "classical" music (usually Canadian.) I heard that after that show was cancelled, the CBC recorded fewer contemporary-classical music concerts. The CBC also stopped holding the Young Composers Competition a few years ago. This competition was a good way to launch the careers of Canadian composers. Since the CBC no longer broadcasts Two New Hours, or holds the composers' competition, The CBC Radio Orchestra is/was a way for Canadian composers to have their music heard, since it often played and commissioned recent music by Canadian composers. I'm an amateur composer, and I have many friends who are professional composers, so I understand how hard it can be for a composer to have his/her music performed.

People might argue that a whole lot of Canadians don't like contemporary classical music, so why broadcast it on CBC radio? I think that a lot of Canadians do like contemporary music. I came to contemporary music through CBC radio. I think contemporary music should be given a chance. Heck, I once played an atonal piano piece at a church, and the church members loved it.
Now the CBC's contemporary music radio show plays a bunch of pop music, with the occasional contemporary classical piece.

The CBC claims that their decision to get rid of the CBC Radio Orchestra is financial, but the author of the InsidetheCBC blog says "Anyone who has been in business understands that you always have the money if it’s a priority. What the CBC really means is this: 'We have the money, but we have chosen to make this decision.' " (source: http://tinyurl.com/38ettc)

Facebook groups have been started, both to protest the changes being made to the CBC's programming, and to protest the disbanding of the CBC Radio orchestra.

The people in charge of the CBC say that they'll still play a lot of classical music, so people don't need to worry. However, this classical music will be limited to 2 or 3 shows on the weekend, plus "accessible and popular" classical music from 10 AM to 3 PM on weekdays. I think I'd get bored of "accessible and popular" classical music pretty quickly. One thing I used to like about CBC Radio Two (especially recorded-concert programs like In Performance, Symphony Hall, and Two New Hours) was that they often played music that challenged me. I found that by keeping an open mind, I learned a lot about all kinds of classical music.

I don't listen to CBC Radio 2, but I protest the changes because the CBC will be playing even less classical music after the upcoming programming changes, because I used to enjoy listening to some of the shows that they're cancelling, and because I think it is important for CBC audiences to have access to classical music.

Looking back and ahead

2007 was a pretty good year. I graduated from McGill, went to Vancouver and Windsor and Ohio, played an opera in a bar, found some five-leaved clovers, went to Orford and Laval with my youth orchestra, discovered Sims2, helped out at the bird observatory, and played in the McGill Savoy Society.

I think my favourite thing I did last year was go to Vancouver.
Here's a photo of Stanley Park in Vancouver.


Some orchestra things are coming up. There's a trip meeting this Sunday, and the concerto competition later this month. And the spaghetti dinner that I still don't know much about.