There has been a flood of e-mail regarding CJRT-FM's cancellation of John Valenteyn's Two Blues Hours, as well as the folk and world music shows. This is a brutal blow for independent roots music artists who already have so few outlets to promote their recordings and appearances in the Toronto area and, of course, a big loss to radio listeners who enjoy blues on the radio. Here are some excerpts from a few of the messages. We encourage all blues fans to make known their displeasure, as well, to Chuck Camroux, President and CEO, CJRT, 150 Mutual Street, Toronto M5B 2M1, or e-mail finearts@cjrt.com
I would like to say thanks to John for all the years of great blues music on Saturday afternoons. I had a bit of a lump in my throat more than once on Saturday. True to form, John took the high road on his last broadcast and said farewell to his listeners with the same grace and dignity that he has exhibited all these years. I know I speak for many when saying that he will be sorely missed and here's hoping he will be back on the air somewhere soon.
- Al Kirkcaldy (host: blue in the face, CFFF 92.7, Peterborough)
One of the reasons I decided to support CJRT as a perpetual donor was because they included blues, folk and world music programming. Like another Jazztalker wrote, my dial is always tuned to 91.1 on Saturdays, whether I'm at home or in my car. It's something I've looked forward to ever since I discovered the station. I am a jazz fan too and will probably continue to listen to CJRT occasionally, but certainly not the extent that I do now.
I will be withdrawing the bulk of my support until the station returns to the programming that won my support in the first place.
- Larry Large, lover of jazz and other genres of music
Like everyone on these lists, I am appalled that CJRT has made the decision to "lose" the blues, folk and world music programming on Saturday afternoon.
Frankly, what can one expect from an organization headed by a commercial radio guy (Chuck Camreaux) who reads ratings, looks at numbers, and goesn't give a tinker's fart about the music.
The loss of these three programmes is extremely serious for Toronto and the surrounding areas. It will make promoting these kinds of music MUCH more difficult. CJRT is turning into a bland, boring, dull station, undistinguishable from the other stations only by its classical music (which can be heard on another station in town, so that'll probably get ditched too) and the boring way it approaches that livliest of all arts, jazz. We shoulda seen this one coming, folks, when they hired Bob Parlocca to fill all the night time hours - at, I understand, the cost of $2.00 an hour to the station! We shoulda seen it coming when they gave an hour of programming every Saturday afternoon to a record company to flog its wares. We shoulda seen it coming with the canned commercials for upscale hi-fi dealers and funeral homes.
We gotta DO something about this. I'm calling my newspaper contacts, I'm ready to organize a rally to protest this, and I'm writing to the CRTC.
...I think Chuck Camroux, the station's president and CEO, is making yet another disastrous decision. The folk, world music and blues shows had dedicated audiences - These audiences were "core" to the station's original philosophy and promise-of-performance to the CRTC. The loss of the blues show, in particular, is disastrous to the local blues community (and blues is, after all, a parent of jazz!); the same can be said of the loss of the folk show, which will impact seriously on the presentation of this kind of music and the fragile "prosperity" of the artists who work in these idioms.
Rest assured, you are unlikely to hear Ted O'Reilly telling us exactly which day Robert Johnson recorded Sweet Home Chicago, or Peter Keagh playing a Bob Dylan song, or Bob Parlocca, muffling in from wherever he tapes his boring programmes, including some African music.
What we are about to get is another "new" PBS-styled lite jazz station (the classical stuff will go in six months, and I'll bet money on it).
If you think that musical diversity on CJRT is what made the station unique, I suggest you write - in the strongest possible terms - to Chuck Camroux, President and CEO, CJRT, 150 Mutual Street, M5B 2M1, or e-mail <finearts@cjrt.com>. I would suggest that you withdraw any financial support you have given in the past (hey, you can ask for your money back!), remove the CJRT bumper sticker off your car, and beg - plead- for the concept of musical variety.
If folk and blues can be summarily dropped, without notice, after more than 25 years on the station, decent jazz could well be next. You may look forward to"Kenny G on the hour, every hour"; count me out!
- Richard Flohil (JVC Jazz Festival Toronto)
I think it's incredibly sad that CJRT is cutting its folk, world, and blues shows, as that was some of my favourite stuff on the station. Eric Gruner writes "some people just don't accept change" as if all change is positive. This is a change for the worse, and I'm not obliged to "just accept it."
He also writes that "in the end it will be the station's advantage to have a clearly defined and predictable format." ...Actually, I found Saturdays at CJRT to be quite predictable and defined, which was why I generally set my radio to 91.1 instead of elsewhere when I sit down to read the paper on the weekend. Frankly, predictable formatting has killed radio in Toronto, which is why I avoid it, except for the varied programming at CBC, University stations, and CJRT. Pity the poor listener who can't deal with a little folk and blues. ...Just when I thought radio here couldn't get anymore dull (and I'm not even going to bring up smooth jazz in this e-mail), IT JUST DID!
Eric may be right in saying that as a business, it's valid to examine funding issues, but if supporters of those programs didn't raise enough of the funds, the station could've at least warned the communities so they could've worked to improve that, rather than simply cancelling them with no warning. I would gladly perform at a fundraiser for those shows, as the airwaves in Toronto will be poorer without them. I have no doubt that my friends in blues, folk, and world would join me. Maybe even a few famous wealthy people who care would sit-in.
- Michael Occhipinti
As a long-time listener and donor, I feel I've lost a big chunk of my family today with the news that Cate's, Kai's and John's shows are being cancelled after this coming Saturday. These shows are the ONLY shows I make a point to hear on CJRT and the ONLY reason I contribute to CJRT. I found CJRT during the debate that triggered CJRT becoming listener-supported when Ryerson would no longer support it - probably mid 1970's - and have contributed to the folk and blues shows most (though not every) years since.
I believe this is a terrible mistake from many points of view. It seems to be a financially driven decision, but I think even this is misguided. Although the folk/world/blues shows may not be the largest in attracting donors, I don't see how abandoning these listeners and offering more hours of programming similar to that already in place will increase the donorship. I will certainly no longer have a reason to contribute and many feel the same.
The recent donor survey had a very strange structure for determining direction. There were many detailed questions about jazz and other preferences, but none about folk, world and blues or the possibility of them being withdrawn. I answered that I didn't mind if the station went jazz or classical (the suggestion seemed to be during the week) and that I would still SUPPORT the station AS LONG AS THE SATURDAY AFTERNOON PROGRAMS REMAIN. This had to be noted as a separate comment as it fell outside the survey structure!
As for the qualitative issues, the loss of these shows is devastating to me and to the folk and blues communities, not only in Toronto, but in Canada. These shows make for wonderful listening. They are outstanding in the amount of information about the music, the support given the artists played and interviewed and the essential gig listings. These folk and blues communities will be more difficult to maintain. Hearing an artist's music, introductory comments and perhaps an interview bring much more than a posting on a music email list serve. In fact, the radio is often the first step in getting aquainted with a artist new to the listener, as it inspires to see them in concert or buy the recording. So, cancellation is a disservice not only to the listeners, but also to the artists, venues, promotors, etc.
Altough there are a few other noncommercial folk, world and blues shows, they are very few and do not have the unique character of those on CJRT. My estimate is that you have just destroyed more than 1/3 of such programs in Toronto. I could go on and on about the benefits of these shows.
Tomorrow I will be either delivering or faxing a request not to cancel these shows signed by 24 people who were at Norm Hacking's open stage at the Tranzac Club tonight. Several are songwriters who have been played and interviewed on the folk show (eg, Norm Hacking, Ron Nigrini, Noah Zacharin) or have concert series (Colin Puffer at Oasis). This quality open stage series itself has been supported by Cate's announcements on her show. Many of those who playing tonight deserve to be on her show in the future.
In closing I want to say a huge thank-you to Cate, Kai and John (and to Joe Lewis) for the many years of enjoyment, enthusiasm, knowledge and love of the music that they have shared, and through this sharing the promotion of local and other Canadian artists. I think they have played a part in building and sustaining the vibrant rich folk and blues scene we are so fortunate to have in Toronto. And Kai has introduced me to wonderful music I otherwise would not have heard.
PLEASE DO NOT CANCEL THESE SHOWS.
An enthusiastic listener and CJRT promoter for many years, about to tune out except for occasional background music and definitely no longer a donor if these shows are cancelled,
- Shirley Gibson
Hi there Chuck.
It's Saturday afternoon, September 23rd, 2000.
The sun is beginning to burn off last night's rain and i'm baking some bread in my too-expensive breadmaker. It's that kind of day. The kind of day i don't get often enough and the kind of day which is augmented so nicely by the variety of CJRT's Saturday afternoon programming.
So, perhaps you can tell that i'm in a bit of a reflective mood.
One thing i'm reflecting on is what it means to take CJRT off my tuner preset buttons. It's a sad thing because it used to be a place where i could regularly go for thoughtful programming covering a wide variety of my musical interests delivered by informed hosts with a deep connection to our local and regional music communities. In large measure, CJRT ceased to be that kind of place a while ago but at least Saturday afternoons remained a kind of island of variety and integrity.
I know you have a difficult row to hoe. I know you are dealing with a hostile and competitive environment. I know that your accomplishments will mostly be measured on the bottom lines of ledgers.
But while media outlets are businesses, they are not just businesses. Because apart from revenues and expenditures, they trade in cultural capital. They are mediums of exchange between the communities they serve and the culture at large. Measured on those terms, CJRT was dealing with a surplus. But instead of recognizing those assets and banking on them, you've chosen to sell them at bargain basement prices for a place in the commercial queue.
So that's great. Toronto now has another niche market franchised to corporate "content providers". I suppose in some circles that's called progress. I call it short-sighted, cowardly and unworthy of a city like this one.
I think the brave thing to do would have been to stand behind CJRT's strengths and use them to provide content for people in less culturally wealthy markets. Instead, you've just bent over for the forces of blandness.
Maybe my community isn't as strong as i thought it was. Maybe one day we'll be content to be a city that takes its news and its culture from elsewhere - a place where Starbucks is the local coffee shop, cultural dialogue is lead by Howard Stern and Bob Parlocca, and Broadway touring companies pass for homegrown theatre.
It will be small consolation when, one day, we'll look around and say: How we have squandered everything that made us great.
The bread is cooling on the rack, the skies are clouded over again and my radio is silent.
- Jowi Taylor (host: Global Village, CBC Radio)
(edited to protect the innocent - ed.)
[Back to Maple Blues Magazine] [TBS Home]