Cancon, 1952

Bits and Pieces of BC Radio History

Cancon, 1952

Postby cart_machine » Sat Oct 22, 2022 11:55 pm

On October 23, 1952, the Vancouver News Herald published an editorial about proposed Canadian content laws in radio programming. It was all vaguely communistic, according to the writer.

CBCs Iron Curtain For Radio Listeners
By Chester A. Bloom
OTTAWA.
CANADIAN RADIO LISTENERS are in for a heavy diet of pretty second-rate radio amateur stuff if the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's new rulings are implemented by the Board of Governors.
CBC proposes behind the screen of the Massey report to force Canadian city radio fans to give about half their time, and in smaller towns more than one-third, to listening to so-called "Canadian origin" programs.
This proposed mental iron curtain by a kind of national socialist time censorship hasn't even the excuse of providing superior Canadian entertainment.
For example, re-broadcasting in Canada of songs by Canadian songstress, Gizelle (Mackenzie) LaFleche, now so popular on US networks, would come under the ban as not of Canadian origin. Many other Canadian artists working in the US or Britain would be hit the same way.
* * *
EXPERIENCE PROVES that all non-government radio stations—and they constitute the vast majority—do use and pay well for all the really first-class Canadian professional and amateur talent they can get in their areas. But such talent must win on its merits, determined by constant expert testing of listener demand.
CBC already gels full advantage of this by its selective choice for its own monopolist networks of talent developed by non-government radio stations. So it is quite evident that other motivation than better entertainment for listeners is behind this move.
* * *
HlTHERTO, managers of non-government radio stations have had the ordinary free Canadian's right to refuse to clutter up the air in their local areas with performances of half-baked amateurs promoted by local members of parliament.
This right of free born Canadian citizens to arrange their programs purely on the basis of listener appeal is one of the major grievances of the CCF socialists. M. J. Coldwell, CCF parliamentary leader, has year in and year out fought to apply political pressure to local radio programs under the smoke screen of nationalist, cultural patriotism.
* * *
THE SOCIALIST DOCTRINE, of course, is to put across socialist coloration of song, drama and comment. But sincere as this drive may be, it is welcomed by other politicians with more practical notions. They want to get their fingers into the local radio programs.
Thus, one always finds the local politician appearing in the role of Champion of radio amateurs. The politician is looking for kudos as well at votes.
The obvious fact is that Canadian radio broadcasting has to meet the same kind of US competition as professional acting, skating, hockey, baseball or any other type of public entertainment. But radio has this great advantage—its top level people who are lured to the big US networks are not lost to Canada provided Canadian radio stations are not put in a straight jacket of political party nationalism. One listens with delight to Gizelle singing in Denver or Detroit equally in Toronto or Montreal.
* * *
ANYONE FORTUNATE ENOUGH to pick up nightly the big New York, Albany, Philadelphia or other US stations must have a narrow nationalist complex if he cannot admit their quality—and particularly this: that CBC has a good deal to learn in cutting down the advertising time it gives to its network sponsors.
* * *
IT NOW appears that CBC intends to interfere directly with radio station entertainment by its proposed blanket rule requiring 30 to 40 percent to originate in Canada. Thus, a local radio station running out of live or recorded first-class talent must fall back on second or third rate amateurs to comply with the iron curtain rule. The station will be tempted to fill-in with CBC network offerings, most likely CBC commentator broadcasts stuffed with government propaganda.
* * *
TO ILLUSTRATE the kind of confusing problem that will confront radio station managers, here are a couple of proposed vital rules:
"Any live or reproduced program, the original of which was produced in Canada, and any program originated by Canadians sent to other countries for the specific purpose of originating programs to Canada, is a Canadian program within the meaning of this program but a reproduction made in Canada from an imported original does not qualify as a Canadian program."
(The reference to Canadians sent to other countries to originate programs for Canada apparently is intended to cover CBC commentators sent to foreign capitals. It would not cover Canadian artists performing on U.S. networks.)
"The main content of the program shall be taken as the basis for determining if it qualifies as Canadian unless stations clearly identify the proportion of Canadian in the program."
User avatar
cart_machine
Advanced Member
 
Posts: 1710
Joined: Tue May 09, 2006 12:52 pm
Location: The Past

Return to BC Radio History

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests