BS: CBC 1 What gives?

Subject: BS: CBC 1 What gives?
From: GUEST,memyself
Date: 07 Oct 06 - 11:09 AM

I used listen to CBC all the time, for about 25 years. First thing I did when I came home was turn it on; last thing I did when I left was turn it off. Now I find it mostly unbearable, and rarely listen for more than about two minutes before turning it off. My father used to tune in religiously; now he never listens to it. My siblings used to listen to it; now they're like me - they'll still give it a try once in a while but that's all. My nieces, who used to listen to it, apparently do so no longer; no one in the family of the younger generations has any use for it. There wasn't some family decision about this; it's just emerged in conversation that we've all given up on the Mother Corp. Are we just a bitter and twisted bunch or is this a trend?

Subject: RE: BS: CBC 1 What gives?
From: gnu
Date: 07 Oct 06 - 02:29 PM

Well, there seems to be a lot of highly cultured individuals on the CBC who think they are entertaining and educating the masses with their analyses of avante garde arts and their discussions with the artistes. Most of these are funded by the Canada Council for the Arts because they couldln't sell their wares for shit... just like the CBC. The Canadian public may not know art, but they know shit when they hear it.

Now, the news programs, the in-depth news reporting, the comedy... especially the fostering of new talent, are great and are worth while supporting. All that drivel from the artsy fartsy cliques in The Big Smoke, Lotus Land, etc, is, ah, unbearable.

Any idea what we paid for the CBC last year?

Subject: RE: BS: CBC 1 What gives?
From: GUEST,thurg
Date: 07 Oct 06 - 03:55 PM

Oh, no - do I really want to know this? Let me go get a drink, first ...

Subject: RE: BS: CBC 1 What gives?
From: GUEST,Bee
Date: 07 Oct 06 - 04:22 PM

CBC radio sucks frequently, except when you compare it to every single other radio station available, at which point I say, hey, take the good with the bad - maybe somebody does enjoy that stuff.

I am, of course, speaking for NS. I love CBC from 5 am to 9 am, and sometimes during the day, and I like their really late night stuff. The commercial enterprises are just appalling, nonstop mindless chaff and brain clutter.

I'm still willing to pay for the CBC.

Much more than I'm willing to pay yet more unearned cash to our constantly on vacation senate.

Subject: RE: BS: CBC 1 What gives?
From: gnu
Date: 07 Oct 06 - 05:02 PM

But... do you want an elected Senate? What the hell is the use of that? Unless they restrict it to MP's who have sat for a minimum of 16 years or sommat. Otherwise, chuck em altogether.

Subject: RE: BS: CBC 1 What gives?
From: GUEST,Bee
Date: 07 Oct 06 - 07:28 PM

I like the idea of the Senate as it is - I just don't like that some of our Senators do nothing at all, including attending the few sittings they are supposed to, and get paid unreasonable amounts. I guess I'd like to see better accounting for how they spend the money they get (outside of the direct salary).

Subject: RE: BS: CBC 1 What gives?
From: Metchosin
Date: 08 Oct 06 - 03:44 AM

Amongst other things, CBC 1 hasn't been able or perhaps willing to fill the hole left by Gzowski and to a lesser extent Vicki Gabereau and others that proceeded her. No small task.

This leaves a huge gap in morning and afternoon programming. I think the powers that be there, wanted the station dumbed down to appeal to what they perceived as the changing demographics representing some brain dead generation Xers. Unfortunately with that, the music has become even more banal and mediocre IMNSHO too.

At least they haven't dicked with Lorne Elliot.

One bright spark is that CBC's TV news channel has kicked up a notch with some incredibly good documentaries on the Passionate Eye and The Lens and the inclusion of my hero, George Stromboulopolis. Kuddos for the lad who demonstrates that not all of the younger generation is brain dead and there may be some hope for the future yet.

Subject: RE: BS: CBC 1 What gives?
From: GUEST,thurg
Date: 08 Oct 06 - 10:54 AM

My sentiments exactly, Mtechosin. However, to my mind it would not be such a huge task to fill that hole left by Gzowski and Gabereau. I found both of them trying at times, especially GABeraeu, but usually their guests were interesting enough that I could put up with the foibles of the hosts. Now someone seems to be seeking out guests that have nothing to say, at least about anything you and I are interested in. "Dumbed down", I'm afraid, is the operative term.

Of course, I have to admit that I think Randy Bachman's show is great (Vinyl Tap). I caught some of it last night, despite having written earlier in the day that I never listen to CBC for more than a couple of minutes at a time.

Subject: RE: BS: CBC 1 What gives?
From: GUEST
Date: 11 Oct 06 - 10:24 AM

I could not live without CBC. It may be a shadow of its former self but it sure beats the alternative which seem to consist of mental adolescents screaming on air and trying to be clever.
I would gladly pay more tax just to have an alternative to that. Quit whinning, loads of people envy our piblic radio.

Subject: RE: BS: CBC 1 What gives?
From: GUEST,memyself
Date: 11 Oct 06 - 11:05 AM

Why shouldn't we whine? We're paying for it and, some of us, have become pretty unhappy with the product. And for me there are several alternatives: CDs, tapes, internet radio, and even silence.

Maybe I can't live without water, but if it smells funny and frequently makes me sick, I'm going to complain about it.

Subject: RE: BS: CBC 1 What gives?
From: robomatic
Date: 11 Oct 06 - 11:54 AM

I haven't had the opportunity to listen to CBC for years. I loved crossing Canada with the radio on - "As It Happens". The local NPR station used to broadcast the Sunday Morning Show until the programming guru got concerned with the open language.

Loved Royal Canadian Air Farce and the few examples of The Frantics I was able to download off the net.

Going further back in time, there was a comedic duo consisting of an Anglo woman and a Franco man who were hilarious, but I can only go by some ancient memories, and I don't know what name they went by.

Always wishing Canadians and Canadiens well, May the Big Village endure united!

Subject: RE: BS: CBC 1 What gives?
From: Raptor
Date: 11 Oct 06 - 02:16 PM

I enjoy:
Lorne Elliot
Vinal Cafe
Fresh air(Jeff Goods)
News

I Miss: Sad Goat

I dislike : Gian Gomeshie
Rex Murphy
And the political shows

Raptor

Subject: RE: BS: CBC 1 What gives?
From: Metchosin
Date: 11 Oct 06 - 02:25 PM

The comedy on CBC 1 is still good by and large, robomatic .....even the predictable Dead Dog Cafe, holds my interest most of the time....I really enjoy Gracie Heavyhand as a character, but I do miss some of the old BBC imports, such as My Word, from bygone years.

Subject: RE: BS: CBC 1 What gives?
From: GUEST,Bee
Date: 11 Oct 06 - 03:55 PM

I worry about losing CBC radio. Harper and friends would love to shut it down, and those who complain loudly about it will be one of the reasons they cite. There's a fellow of Conservative persuasion who for years used the local paper letters section strictly to complain about the CBC. I suspect he's died, since I haven't seen his missives lately, although his buddies with the rants regarding godless welfare mothers and sinful abortion supporters are still going strong. All the same free-market-knows-best-god's-on-our-side basket of old boys, IMHO.

Sorry. I just suspect these are the guys who think their wives should always be the one who cleans the bathroom.

Hrmph!

Subject: RE: BS: CBC 1 What gives?
From: Bunnahabhain
Date: 11 Oct 06 - 07:03 PM

CBC radio sucks frequently, except when you compare it to every single other radio station available

Sounds like BBC Radio 4. Even though you end up shouting at the radio most days, you still listen, as it's so much better than the alternatives....

Subject: RE: BS: CBC 1 What gives?
From: Peace
Date: 11 Oct 06 - 07:09 PM

Voice of Fire

Ottawa used $1,800,000 to purchase that masterpiece. Yep. It hangs in the National Gallery.

Subject: RE: BS: CBC 1 What gives?
From: GUEST,Bee
Date: 11 Oct 06 - 08:17 PM

And it is worth far more now than when they purchased it. I don't particularly like it. I do know its place in modern art history, which is significant, and which makes it very valuable in the art world. There are hundreds and hundreds of other artworks in the National Gallery, some of which you may like, many of which I do like, and some of which cost a goodly amount of money also. There was a time when Emily Carr's paintings were considered rubbish. The National Gallery has some of them.

Do you take an album of songs, pick one verse out of twenty works that you don't like, then say the whole thing is worthless?

Subject: RE: BS: CBC 1 What gives?
From: GUEST
Date: 11 Oct 06 - 08:23 PM

I didn't say that at all. It was not about art. It was about investment. They could have invested in one helluva lotta artists for 1.8 million. I did not say it's bad art. I did imply it was a damned-fool decision. Go chew on someone else's for a biit, OK, Bee? Piss on this thread, too.

Subject: RE: BS: CBC 1 What gives?
From: GUEST,Bee
Date: 11 Oct 06 - 08:29 PM

Sorry Peace. I'm an artist, and I've been nagged about this one painting more times than I care to say. I'm a little touchy about it. As for the National Gallery supporting artists? They don't. They collect.

Subject: RE: BS: CBC 1 What gives?
From: bobad
Date: 11 Oct 06 - 09:17 PM

Hey, a discussion about art would certainly crank up the ol' posting meter on the 85 billion thread - whatcha think?

Subject: RE: BS: CBC 1 What gives?
From: GUEST,memyself
Date: 11 Oct 06 - 09:39 PM

There is a relation between the debate over CBC and the debate over Voice of Fire, and that is the question of whether it is appropriate for government to spend taxpayers' money on cultural products and activities that are enjoyed by only a small number of those taxpayers, no matter what the quality of those products and activities. It goes to the heart of our conceptions of government, democracy, and the place of art in our society ...

Subject: RE: BS: CBC 1 What gives?
From: GUEST,Bee
Date: 11 Oct 06 - 10:07 PM

Memyself, you are right, of course, but I think that line of thinking about what taxpayers money should be spent on can be applied to a lot of things, like giving tax breaks to wealthy corporations, or paying for high end health care for people with rare diseases, or paying senators for not using expensive offices.

Ideally, I don't think government should be involved, if only there was a slight chance that our music and art and theatre would survive at all in the current marketplace of 'make it cheap somewhere else, sell it here in bulk'.

There is another issue here, and that is why cultural products are not enjoyed or participated in by more of the population. I think that relates to education, or lack therof. I've never taken someone to the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia and had them not enjoy some of the work on display there, but they wouldn't have thought of going there on their own, because they have no previous knowledge about art. My friends wouldn't think of buying a folk music CD, but they like them when I play them, and sometimes buy their own once they know what it sounds like.

I'm off to bed, been an energetic day. Hope my opinionatin' hasn't been too strong. I feel badly about upsetting Peace, certainly didn't mean to or want to.

Subject: RE: BS: CBC 1 What gives?
From: Metchosin
Date: 11 Oct 06 - 11:37 PM

Hmmm........you've got a problem with universal health care and costly rare diseases? Pity....Why don't you just put a bullet in my head now and save some more of your fucking precious tax dollars. Way, way cheaper in the long run.......then what you save can be used on really important things like more heavily armoured tanks.

Subject: RE: BS: CBC 1 What gives?
From: GUEST,Bee
Date: 12 Oct 06 - 10:13 AM

Metchosin - I don't. That was my point. You cannot make blanket judgements on the value of a government service, be it health care, culture, support for business, by counting how many people use it. I should have thought the direction of my other comments, i.e., supportive of CBC, the National Gallery, etc., would have made my POV obvious, but apparently not.

Subject: RE: BS: CBC 1 What gives?
From: GUEST,memyself
Date: 12 Oct 06 - 10:29 AM

Bee - I think the misunderstanding was a result your unfortunate placing of high end health care (desirable) in the middle of a list that included tax breaks to wealthy corps. (undesirable) on one end, and paying senators (undesirable) on the other end. It's not that surprising that Metchosin jumped to the conclusion he did. I was going to try to tackle this last night, but it late, and thought it would be better with by you.

"I should have thought the direction of my other comments, i.e., supportive of CBC, the National Gallery, etc., would have made my POV obvious, but apparently not."

It's curious - this is not a criticism, just an observation - that it seems we can more or less predict where someone will stand on the issue of universal health care by their feelings about the CBC and the National Gallery.

Subject: RE: BS: CBC 1 What gives?
From: GUEST,Bee
Date: 12 Oct 06 - 02:25 PM

The list was meant to contain 'bad' and 'good' things, as examples of things that benefit 'a few'.

It is curious, but I have observed it (predict where someone will stand on the issue of universal health care by their feelings about the CBC and the National Gallery) to be true time after time, and I am not young. I'm sure there are people who support public health care and think we should ditch all cultural support, but I've yet to meet them. It seems connected to a 'government out of my life and my pocket at all costs' belief system, a political stance which I strongly oppose.

I have found that support for visual arts lags behind that for most other forms of cultural expression. People often have very strong opinions or reactions to specific works of art, and base their idea of 'value' on that reaction. IMO, their reactions are valid, and must contribute to the 'value' of the work, but there are other considerations as well, in terms of assessing 'value', such as the specific artist's other works, relationship to other art, historical and contemporary, and so on. There is a difference between private and public art, as well: "Guernica" is a famous, powerful, much admired painting, but who could live with it over the couch, eh?

I think I'm going to stay out of these sorts of discussions from now on, though. Too easy to be misinterpreted, and I'm here at Mudcat for a good time and to learn about music.

Good afternoon! (or eve. or morn., depending on where you are in the world. ;-))

Subject: RE: BS: CBC 1 What gives?
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Oct 06 - 02:34 PM

It worries me a great deal when people complain that we spend on arts and culture, including cbc, when only a handful of people enjoy them. As a taxpayer I feel that I too ought to be able to see the result of some of my tax dollars the same as those who enjoy sport, which is heavily subsidized. And artists don't make millions a year. Arts and culture are a large industry in Canada and deserve a place at the taxpayers table, To suggest otherwise seems to me a very narrow point of view. My beef about the modern world is that everything has to be a profit making commodity or scrap it..save us please from the Reform party and all that culture bashing.

Subject: RE: BS: CBC 1 What gives?
From: bobad
Date: 12 Oct 06 - 07:22 PM

"save us please from the Reform party and all that culture bashing."

Just wait until (if) the consevatives (reform in disguise) get a majority government (I hope never).

Subject: RE: BS: CBC 1 What gives?
From: GUEST,memyself
Date: 12 Oct 06 - 10:05 PM

Bee (if you're still checking in) - You ran into worse luck than is usual here; you seemed to hit two people in a row who for some reason over-reacted to what they read ... but I know how you feel; I find this forum sometimes causes me undue aggravation, and eats up more time than Space Invaders, but I keep coming back ...

All the best, and thanks for your contributions!

Subject: RE: BS: CBC 1 What gives?
From: GUEST
Date: 13 Oct 06 - 01:08 PM

If the reform party gets a majority there will be no cbc, National Gallery,CanadaCouncil or any other form of public support for the arts.

Subject: RE: BS: CBC 1 What gives?
From: GUEST,Terry Muir
Date: 03 Mar 07 - 11:12 PM

I love CBC when I lived in the north it was a life saver,now I live in the south and I still think it is GREAT Keep it up CbC

Subject: RE: BS: CBC 1 What gives?
From: GUEST
Date: 04 Mar 07 - 12:27 PM

I listen to all three of cbs local stations, radio one, two and french radio(they play great music). It may be a minority who listen, though I know that here in NS CBC is very popular, but we all deserve to enjoy our tax dollars, don't we ?