Meet The Bloc
This is the best and clearest explanation I’ve seen for the millions of people who, inexplicably, support Donald Trump in an election that’s now just a few days away. …
Politics
Move Over, Chris
This week, Los Angeles became the latest American city to discuss replacing Christopher Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day. Italian-Americans aren’t happy because they see ol’ Chris as an important part of their heritage. But what’s more important? Continuing to honour a man for discovering something that was already discovered, or celebrating the truth? Â …
When it Comes to News, You Can’t Win
When our Mayor revealed his affair with his then-Deputy Mayor, we – as a news organization – were called names and overwhelmed with texts and social media postings about how awful we were to report it. Keep in mind that Matt Brown had gone from news organization to news organization on what I now refer to as his “apology tour”, and there were many questions about whether this affair affected city hall business. …
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Money-makers
Early on in my career, I undervalued myself and took a lower salary than I was worth. In a couple of cases, I later discovered that I could have earned a lot more. If I had had a little more confidence and faith in myself, I would have negotiated harder. It’s something I eventually learned to do. …
A Difficult Truth
A couple of years ago, I was hired by a local First Nations group to speak to their chiefs about media relations. They were finding it difficult to talk to reporters and to get stories reported accurately, and wanted some tips. I came away from that session with a tough realization: I had taken on a mild form of racism through osmosis in my years in media, and didn’t even know it. Â …
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U.S. Political Positions – Why They’re Locked In
Arguing about politics is futile. I’ve never had a conversation, or heard a conversation on the subject of politics that ended with, “You’ve really opened my mind up to your point of view and I now see that I was mistaken in my beliefs!” …
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Proud of Pride
In an effort to move our radio station away from the “angry old white man” perception of talk radio, we became one of the major sponsors of Pride London, which ended yesterday with the annual parade. …
A Tenor Hits a Foul Note
You don’t mess with a national anthem – ever. That’s what someone wise said in the wake of the rogue Tenor changing the lyrics to Canada’s anthem at MLB’s All-Star game earlier this week. Â …
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Required Reading
If you are tempted to say, “all lives matter” when you hear the phrase “black lives matter”, click HERE.
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Municipal Affair
The summer before the 2014 municipal election, Free-FM was one of the hosts of Rock the Park, the big multi-day music festival at London’s Harris Park. It’s an all-hands-on-deck event, from early morning until late at night. It was dark and it was raining as I returned to the VIP gazebo after visiting a porta-potty and noticed councillor Matt Brown and his wife Andrea, trying – and failing – to stay dry, so I invited them to our covered spot. …
Free to Pee, You and Me
Following George Takei on Facebook has its benefits. The legendary Mr. Sulu from the original Star Trek series has a biting sense of humour and loves to provoke, politically. Why shouldn’t he? He’s an openly gay man, married to his partner, who champions not just gay rights but all human rights. Gay rights are human rights, after all. …
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Orlando
As news broke early Sunday that there was a mass shooting at a nightclub in Orlando, Florida, the iPhone of the President of the National Rifle Association undoubtedly went off. His Media Relations Officer would be briefing him on the situation and designing the narrative they would put out. …
Sorry Dads, Your School Stories Lose
China is well known for a lot of things: lead-painted toys, tasty food, over-population and for marginalizing groups who don’t go along with the majority. Many Chinese live in extreme poverty and a story came out late last week about a dozen children in the Zhaojue county, and their dangerous trek to school. …
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Separation is a Good Thing
When it comes to recyclables! People have told me I’m a fool for sorting my plastics/cans apart from my paper/cardboard because the pick-up guys merely throw it all into the same truck. Not content to just assume, we invited the city’s head of environmental programs to explain on CJBK. …
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War Is Hell, Year After Year
Taxidermists, snake charmers, deep sea divers, astronauts, strippers, proctologists, butchers and vegans all have something in common: I can find a way to understand why they do what they do, even though I have no intention of ever joining them. But there’s one group of people I simply can’t wrap my head around and perhaps someone will shed some light on them for me. …
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There’s No Place Like Home Used to Be
My Mom hates wind turbines. She’s certainly not alone in that but unfortunately for Mom, turbines have been creeping into her world despite her efforts to stop them. …
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Medical Millionaires
It’s easy to condemn more than 500 Ontario doctors who billed the government for more than a million dollars last year. The list came out showing 12 of them practice in the London area, although names aren’t disclosed. …
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A Great Boss
Back in the late 1970s when I discovered Bruce Springsteen, who knew that it would become a life-long relationship? Loving his music offered no guarantee that he wouldn’t go all Ted Nugent on us. …