Radio 2 Changes Around the Corner

The all new CBC Radio 2 is set to launch in about a week and a half (September 2) and the complaints are still rolling in. When it was first announced that there would be changes I was only curious but as the exact nature of the changes became clear and the fur started flying I leaned more and more heavily toward favoring the changes.

Those that oppose the changes will deny with all their heart that they are elitist - however the do have a tendency to keep referring to classical, opera, etc., as "real music"

Example 1

" This will shame Canada in the eyes of lovers of real music around the world. I agree with Gary above - keep classical music on Radio 2 and get rid of Jennifer McGuire."

Example 2

"I wonder who is the dummy who decided that the audience of CBC radio 2 would be happy with the proposed changes that take away so much of real music and art!"

I personally can't think of anything much more elitist than claiming your music is real music and everything before or since is not. It should be noted here that classical music was, in fact, the first true commercial music - music made for money rather than sheer enjoyment. It also does not help the case of the anti-change crowd that one of their chief spokesmen has been Russell Smith who, the last time I heard anyway, would happily wear a t-shirt that said "Elistist" on the front (if he wore t-shirts that is.)

The other frequent complaint is that other forms of music 'pop and jazz' already get plenty of play on commercial radio. Classical music fans can be forgiven for making this mistake because they likely don't listen to much commercial radio and they don't understand the depth and breadth of the many genres of music that currently fall under 'pop and jazz' (probably 40-50 genres if I were to list them) but their presumption is false. On this page there is a list of 300+ Canadian musical acts that I find worth listening to but I have heard only 10 maybe 15% of these acts on commercial radio. I could, given the time, make a much longer list and that would still be the case.

Commercial radio plays only a very small subsection of whatever genre they play. This subsection is neither representational of the genre as a whole, nor indicative of its best players. Commercial radio tends to play the music that is the most commercial, which usually means the groups with the largest marketing budget behind them. You might have noticed that Avril Lavigne, Sum 41, Dianna Krall, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Allanis Morrisette, Sarah McLaughlin, Nickleback, Celine Dion, and Rush were not on that list I mentioned earlier. Some of them are good, some of them aren't, but given the marketing power behind them none of them need my help.

Even what is called "alternative" radio has forgotten what it was supposed to be an "alternative" to. In the early 1990s when Nirvanna emerged and "the alternative became mainstream" (which it didn't) most of these stations latched on to that idea and haven't evolved since. Most of what was 'alternative' before or since Nirvanna still struggles to get air play.

All of this aside for the moment, we live in an age when anyone, anywhere, can listen to anything they like anytime - between CDs and MP3 players and internet and satellite radio there is music out there of every sound and description, available 24/7 365 and fully customizable - for classical music in particular start by clicking here.

I understand why people are concerned. There is very little currently airing on CBC television that makes it stand out as a public vs. a private broadcaster. I also know that this is largely due to a budget that shrinks annually - forcing the CBC to make money with it's programming, thus making it more commercial. When it comes to Radio 2 though, I have no reason to believe that it will go in this direction. If Radio 2 sounds like a commercial network and ignores talented and struggling Canadian musicians or if, god forbid, it sounds like a commercial network by playing commercials I will be the first to call them on it but given the quality that has been the tradition of CBC Radio (1,2 and 3) I have no reason to believe that this will be the case. If you want more from the CBC (television, radio or new media) - write your MP and tell them to increase the CBC's budget as recommended by the Heritage Committee but rejected out of hand by Stephen Harper. However, until such time as the CBC has more money you should try to find things you can enjoy and understand that they are working hard to do more with less every year. As for Radio 2, since they are not airing commercials, I can only believe that they are making the changes they are because they believe that it is the right thing to do as a public broadcaster.