Peter Cook: Canuck

A tale of 2 CBC's

Fri, 31 Mar 2006 17:04:04 GMT

The juxtaposition of 2 articles in the Globe today will tell you way more about the CBC than the articles themselves:

The CBC is cash-strapped

The CBC has a cash surplus

I've always found the end-of-fiscal spending spree odious, and this year's particularly so, what with the lockout money that is not lockout money. And every year departments burn cash on new carpets and tell the casuals that there is nothing in the budget for a full time position.

But if they wait around 'til next year...

[Via The Tea Makers]

CN Tower nears end of reign at top

Thu, 23 Mar 2006 03:30:23 GMT

Move over Toronto: Japan's major broadcast networks are nearing completion on plans to build the world's tallest tower in Tokyo, a Japanese newspaper reported Tuesday.

CBC president to step down next year

Wed, 15 Mar 2006 02:55:59 GMT

CBC president Robert Rabinovitch will not ask the Prime Minister to extend his term in office after his existing term expires at the end of next year. Rabinovitch said he has already met with the new Heritage minister, Bev Oda, and has a “lengthy” meeting scheduled with her in two weeks.

[Via I Love Radio .org]

Hot enough for ya?

Wed, 15 Mar 2006 02:55:52 GMT

Canada is experiencing its warmest winter in recorded history, Environment Canada says
[Via The Globe and Mail - National News]

We knew it had to be true. Now it's official.

Website aims to educate Americans about Canada

Sat, 11 Mar 2006 06:15:38 GMT

Canadian Embassy in Washington is assembling an army of ex-pats as it battles the errors spouted by American television pundits
[Via The Globe and Mail - Technology News]

This is hilarious.

According to the website, there are a lot of myths that still need busting. Among them:

— That 90 per cent of Canadian marijuana is smuggled into the United States. It was actually about 2 per cent in 2003.
— That Canada has a lot of illegal immigrants. Actual estimates range from 60,000 to 200,000 compared with 12 million in the U.S.
— Canada caused the electricity blackout of Aug. 14, 2003. It began in Ohio.
— Homicide rates are as high in Canada as in the U.S. They one-third the rate.

Eaton Centre..Oh, Around May 6th

Sat, 04 Mar 2006 07:12:24 GMT

Expect the construction, store stocking and employee training to be finished around May 6th for the Eaton Centre (Toronto) retail store grand opening.

[Via ifoAppleStore]

Toronto Wins Bid for Third Apple Store

Sat, 04 Mar 2006 07:12:15 GMT

The demographics must be overwhelming, since Toronto will receive its third retail store later this year at the Sherway Gardens mall on the city’s west side. The store will be about 10 miles equidistant fromt the existing Yorkdale and future Eaton Centre stores, and is a half-mile from Lake Ontario. The mall is operated by Cadillac-Fairview, the same company who has Le Carrefour Leval, the future home to a Montreal Apple store, and the Pacific Centre in Vancouver, a much-speculated location for a future store.

[Via ifoAppleStore]

Train still derailed over the river

Wed, 22 Feb 2006 15:37:37 GMT

Friday's train derailment still hasn't been righted because of the hazard of high winds over the river, and the problem is blocking the commuter line to Delson. Excellent photos of the situation from André Nantel.
[Via montreal city weblog]

Like the photos.

Protective mother wrestles lost polar bear

Wed, 22 Feb 2006 06:28:18 GMT

A woman described as ‘five-foot nothing and 90 pounds on a wet day,' took on a 700-pound animal that had wandered into a remote Quebec village and seemed to be eyeing her seven-year-old son
[Via The Globe and Mail - National News]

Eaton Center Space Confirmed

Wed, 15 Feb 2006 06:33:58 GMT

The ehmac.ca Web site forum has confirmed that the Apple store will occupy at least one-half of the currently vacant space on the second level, adjacent to the BCBG store,

[Via ifoAppleStore]

CBC Arts: Canadian musicians heat up New Orleans

Mon, 13 Feb 2006 21:13:54 GMT

"It was remarkable," said an exhausted but excited Phil Dwyer, the show's musical director, after the show. The veteran pianist and sax player performed alongside trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis. "It was hands-down some of the greatest musicians I have ever played with."

Cool gig. But wow, at what point does one become a 'veteran'? Isn't Phil a bit young for that label?

NACO conductor Zukerman apologizes to players

Mon, 13 Feb 2006 21:08:38 GMT

Conductor Pinchas Zukerman, who abruptly left his post for a sabbatical nearly two months ago, has apologized to the musicians of the National Arts Centre Orchestra.
[Via CBC | Arts News]

How did the CBC pay for its stake in Sirius?

Wed, 08 Feb 2006 06:36:44 GMT

Guy Dixon writes in today's GaM:

Many undoubtedly wonder what the CBC is doing investing in a private company, regardless of Stern, and how it can even afford to do so? The CBC's share in the investment is said to have come, according to an insider familiar with the details, not from the budget of its regular programming and traditional services, but from the sale of certain "non-core" assets.

My guess is real estate.

Or maybe it was the $18.50 bookmarks.
[Via The Tea Makers]

A baby just born to ride subway

Wed, 08 Feb 2006 06:36:31 GMT

Toronto woman gives birth three stops too soon
[Via The Globe and Mail - National News]

U.S. war resisters in Canada

Wed, 01 Feb 2006 04:32:15 GMT

A new 28-minute video on war resisters from the USA-Iraq War in Canada, and the debate now going on (in the context of Canada's national elections) on whether to grant them refuge in Canada, is now available in full online as streaming video in seven segments (plus links to supplemental video and other resources) from the National Film Board of Canada Web site, or for purchase on DVD or videotape from the War Resisters Support Campaign [Canada].

"Let Them Stay: Voices of U.S. War Resisters in Canada" is directed at a Canadian audience, but people in the USA should watch it as well, especially if you haven't heard or seen first-hand testimony from those who have taken part in fighting the U.S. war against Iraq -- and have opted out.

[Via The Practical Nomad]

CBC News: All 72 miners surface after Saskatchewan fire

Mon, 30 Jan 2006 16:36:30 GMT

All 72 miners trapped by a fire in a potash mine in Saskatchewan were brought to safety by rescuers early Monday, a day after the workers took refuge from the smoke and flames.

Depanneurs, stores, restaurants...

Thu, 12 Jan 2006 19:25:16 GMT

Excellent Flickr photoset of dépanneurs, stores and other façades in Montreal.
[Via montreal city weblog]

Click Here! to download the CBC

Sat, 12 Nov 2005 02:37:44 GMT

I've always been a fan of the CBC Archives web site. Well-written, well-designed, impeccably researched, thoughtfully curated, technologically nearperfect, and truly bilingual (not just translated) it's easy to spend hours there.

But as much as there is to see, I wish I could see the rest of it.

You wouldn't believe the stuff we have down there in the basement - thousands and thousands of hours of radio and TV, some of it on thick, vinyl platters, from the days when recording a radio show meant pressing a record in-house. Even the most passionate CBC-hater will have to admit, after an hour of looking, that what we have amounts to 75 years of Canada's social, political, and cultural history.

The irony, of course, is that the people it was provided for (and who paid for it) can't see or listen to it.

I said before that I think these archives - every second of them - should be available for free, online . . .
[Via The Tea Makers]

Another fine rant. Some cool links to the archives as well.

Lockout was worth it: CBC boss

Fri, 28 Oct 2005 05:30:55 GMT

The eight-week lockout of CBC employees didn't save any money, hurt market share and damaged employee relations — but was still worth it, says the president of the public broadcaster.
[Via The Globe and Mail - National News]

Globe and Mail: Montreal music fell silent over cost of curtain calls

Fri, 21 Oct 2005 18:41:14 GMT

Most important, perhaps, both sides have agreed to speak more often about more things, and not to let a bundle of grievances drive them to the barricades again.

OSM musicians and management finally settle after a five month strike.

Globe and Mail: Montreal music fell silent over cost of curtain calls

Fri, 21 Oct 2005 18:40:48 GMT

Most important, perhaps, both sides have agreed to speak more often about more things, and not to let a bundle of grievances drive them to the barricades again.

OSM musicians and management finally settle after a five month strike.

CBC president "sorry," but won't resign

Thu, 20 Oct 2005 19:58:24 GMT

CBC President Robert Rabinovitch says he's sorry fans of the public broadcaster were without their regular services while employees were locked out for eight weeks, but he says despite rumours to the contrary, he has no intention of stepping down.
In an interview Monday on CBC Radio's The Current, Rabinovitch said the union for the 5,500 locked-out workers should share the blame for the labour disruption. He said managers had to lock out the employees on Aug. 15 or face strike action by the Canadian Media Guild at a more critical time.

Listen to the interview[19 min; RealAudio]

[Via I Love Radio .org]

More of same . . .

CBC's web site loses traffic

Thu, 20 Oct 2005 19:57:34 GMT

Alexa.com is reporting a pretty noticable drop in the traffic between cbc.ca and its closest rival, canada.com (owned by CanWest Global). In this chart, you can see how cbc.ca was on top, and now has some serious re-couping to do.
Let's hope people didn't change their bookmarks. Online habits are hard to break.

[Via I Love Radio .org]

The End of the (Original) Long Dash

Thu, 20 Oct 2005 18:48:31 GMT

Pretty much every Canadian knows the phrase "The beginning of the long dash..." Everything from award-winning poetry books to protest t-shirts have used the phrase. It's part of the national time signal aired by CBC Radio once a day. (The actual statement continues: "...following ten seconds of silence indicates 1 p.m. Eastern standard time."
True, it's a bit goofy in today's time of atom-clock synchronized computers -- still, it holds a special place in the heart of Canadians.
And now, the wooden pole which originally provided the signal will be removed from Ottawa's west end over safety concerns. Standing taller than the trees, the pole is located on what used to be the property of J.P. Henderson. He was an astronomer at the Dominion Observatory. Although an astronomer, Henderson did a lot of experimenting with radio and was one of Ontario's first ham radio operators. At his home on Perth Street, Henderson put up a pole for his antenna from which he broadcast, among other things, a time signal. That was more than a decade before CBC was created.
The time signal has been heard every day on CBC since it started in the 1930s.

Watch: Archives: The Beginning of the Long Dash

[Via I Love Radio .org]

CBC Radio show wins at Prix Italia

Tue, 27 Sep 2005 04:26:24 GMT

The Wire, a CBC Radio music documentary series co-produced by Paolo Pietropaolo, Chris Brookes and Jowi Taylor has won the 2005 Prix Italia radio award. The announcement was made in Milan, Italy this weekend.
[Via CBC Unplugged .com]

Very exciting. I saw Jowi on the line in the rain today and he told me the news. He was happy. Natasha and Paolo must be very excited. Congratulations. Now let us back in the door!