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 »
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. …
Aside from the questions about the timeline and who knew what when and should have told whom, the bottom line is that last week, our police prevented innocent people from getting hurt or killed. To say that the people of nearby Strathroy were shocked by the detonation of an explosion and the killing of Aaron Driver on a residential street, is like saying Michael Phelps is a pretty good swimmer. The RCMP limited the tragedy to one life, instead of whoever was unlucky enough to be in London’s City Centre that night. (Driver died inside a cab and had told the driver that’s where he wanted to go.)Â …
Triumph Over Terror Read More »
My regular job as newscaster and cohost of the News/Talk 1290 morning show is challenging enough. Filling in on The Live Drive for a week while Andy Oudman was on vacation gave me flashbacks to the years I hosted Midday on Hamilton’s 900 CHML. This, my friends, is work! …
What I Learned on Andy’s Summer Vacation Read More »
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 …
A Difficult Truth Read More »