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Closeup of a microphone suspended over an on-air computer in a radio broadcast studio

Judge With Caution

I’ve written and set aside at least a half-dozen columns about the #metoo movement. Most of what’s worth saying has already been said. Then I considered my own experiences and realized I had an unusual one, long ago, that might serve as a cautionary tale. It became my final column before Our London closed its pages for good. I was also invited to talk about it this week on News 95.7 in Halifax.  …

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a dictionary opened to the page that shows the word dictionary

Words Old and New

Language is fluid. It evolves and morphs over time, like it or not. Those of us working alongside millennials don’t want to sound like an old fart. I’m not suggesting we adopt the millennial phraseology – egad no – but we need to relate. Many of my peers think it’s up to the twenty-somethings to do all of the work but I disagree; we can meet halfway. To that end there are words and phrases better left where they belong, in the past. …

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headphones resting on a microphone in a broadcast studio

Write With Me

Back in September, I posted a blog about what potential radio guests should know before they pitch an idea. (Want to Attract the Media? Follow These Tips!) It was shared several times on social media and some people messaged me privately to say that these things never occurred to them. I know! That’s why I wrote it.  🙂  …

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man texting on a smartphone

Last Week in Listener Texts

I maintain that there is no “war on Christmas”. People began saying “Merry Christmas” less often because they were trying to be inclusive. Some Canadians celebrate other holidays such as Hannukah, Kwanzaa and the Solstice. It would be a problem if people guessed at someone’s religion just by looking at their face.  …

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Jason Leffler wearing his race suit. He was in his mid 30s

Throwback Thursday – A Summer at the Track

The NASCAR season has just wrapped up with Martin Truex Jr. the champion. Truex’s Crew Chief is Cole Pearn, who cut his racing teeth at Delaware Speedway. His Mom Patti is a local realtor. Anyone connected to Delaware knows Cole. He’s a star of the sport right now.  …

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pile of newspapers

Our London No Longer

“Increased geographic synergies”. Just typing that bullshit sentence makes my blood pressure spike. Yesterday, Torstar and Postmedia swapped nearly two-dozen newspapers for the sole purpose of shutting them down, and reducing competition. Hundreds of people will lose their jobs, including my friends at Our London, for whom I write a biweekly column. They have about six weeks left before the padlock goes on the door. …

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iPhone sitting on a stand

Text-ament II

Oh, the texts we receive. From picking apart the tiniest of phrases and attempting to twist them, to just foolish and naive thoughts and ideas, we get ’em all. And just like our Mean Texts video series, I can’t possibly show you the worst of the worst because they’re either full of spewing vitriol, vulgar language or racist and sexist slurs. Here’s a recent sample. Spelling and grammar errors and any crimes against punctuation have not been altered.  …

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Not Quite Cause for Celebration…Yet

Radio co-hosts in Sydney, Australia are getting a lot of attention because the woman discovered she made a lot less money than the man, and he did something about it. Dave and Kate were a team, equal in their contribution to the show and he decided it wasn’t right that she was paid less, which it wasn’t.  …

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