For me, last week’s celebration and goodbye for Erin Davis was also a mini-reunion with many of my former colleagues. For more than three years – although it feels like the blink of an eye – I was the newscaster on the CHFI morning show and, for a time, filled in for Erin as cohost when she was on vacation. After I moved down the hall to 680 News, I still saw those great folks all the time. …
Honestly, I’m lost for words. But I do need to humble-brag for a moment and say that I predicted this day, aloud, to Erin and Rob some time ago, when they were in no frame of mind to hear it, really. …
Erin Davis’ Last CHFI Show Read More »
Broadcasters are a different breed of people. You could say that about any profession, I suppose, like lion tamers or accountants. But living in a local fishbowl has some challenges that we don’t tend to talk about in mixed company. …
Everyone’s A Critic Read More »
I can’t count how many times I’ve forgotten what I wore to work earlier in the week. Or the day before. Or earlier that same day. Sometimes I have to check the laundry basket to confirm it. It’s partly because of chronic fatigue. I could organize my closet in such a way that my outfits would rotate evenly, but I don’t. …
Ken and I were invited to join the official Lighting of the Lights at Victoria Park this year, as co-emcees with our colleague, CTV’s Nick Paparella. Nick has done it for so many years that we pretty much rode his coat tails through the program of live music and a couple of short speeches. …
Throwback Thursday – Lights Alight Read More »
The next time I’m asked to speak about my career to a university or college class, I’m going to say no. It’s not that I don’t want to help them, it’s that I don’t think that I can. Â …
It’s Not About Me Read More »
Whenever I’m asked about my cohost Ken Eastwood, “good guy” will come up in my answer. …
Ken’s Gift Can Be Yours, Too Read More »
In 1989 I put a 45 on a dusty turntable in the FM102 music library and listened to a song called Soldier of Love. It was shipped without a label, purposely, so Music Directors wouldn’t be biased before they got a chance to hear it. I declared what I heard would be a hit song, It turned out that the artist was Donny Osmond. And that’s the one and only time I predicted a song would be a hit and was right! …
Throwback Thursday – Righting Some Wrongs Read More »
One of the things I try to teach my news-writing students at Fanshawe is to avoid presenting a story as good or bad. It just is. It’s up to your listener/viewer to decide whether something is positive or negative. A prime example of this is the state of the Canadian dollar. When it goes up or down it can be good or bad depending on what you want to do with it. If you want to spend money in the U.S., it’s not so good when the value of our dollar falls. If your business relies on selling goods to the States, it’s not so bad. …
Yup, I’m going to rant about a first world problem today. But it matters to me – not more than anything else, or even as much as some things. But in the very moment when it happens, it’s everything. It’s my morning coffee. …
Brandt’s Randt – Topping up my Cup Read More »
Pay equity is still a thing. Decades after provincial rules came in that governed equal pay for work of equal value, the federal government is about to do the same for organizations that are federally regulated. Like broadcasting. …
Pay Equity Protestation Read More »
An old friend from the Wingham/CKNX days posted an old photo of me on Facebook last weekend. Usually, I can tell by the hairstyle – or my hair’s lack of style – what year it was. I’m pretty sure this was taken early on in my four-year stint at ‘NX. But I’m not certain. …
Throwback Thursday – I (Don’t) Remember When Read More »
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. …
When it Comes to News, You Can’t Win Read More »
No, not Ken. Ken’s awesome and a terrific cohost and collaborator. But I’m talking about a woman who works in a completely different division and has made the most incredible offer to me. …
A Work Buddy I’ve Always Wanted Read More »
Adulting is now a word. And adulting is hard. How does one adult? You did it today. You got up and faced Monday despite not really wanting to. That’s adulting. …
Did You Adult Today? Read More »
My first radio job when I moved back to London 8 years ago was midday host on 1039-FM, a station with an identity crisis. Now it’s a country music station. Then, it was struggling to find a niche in a radio cluster that included the city’s top FM station, and another one that places in the top 5. …
Throwback Thursday: My Boss, My Brother Read More »
Yesterday was, of course, the 15th anniversary of 9/11. It was a day unlike any other, and for those of us in media, it was a workday unlike any other. Sometimes people fail to realize how difficult it is to sort out the truth when something of that magnitude is ongoing, minute by minute. …
As Tragedy Unfolds Read More »
It’s been a year since I started at CJBK. And we’re already launching the second morning show of my career stop there.Â
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Throwback Thursday – Morning Show Past Read More »