CBC British Columbia

This morning, I delayed an appointment because The Debaters was on the radio.
SO giddy was I, that I sent a quick apology to my 11:30, hunkered down into my parked car, and spent a half hour voluntarily huddled on the side of the road, giggling over a coffee.
And in that moment of pure radio gluttony, I knew CBC would be my #200.
I’m a bonafide CBC radio fangirl. I know, I know… it’s a hip and glamourous declaration indeed, but it’s true. Maybe it was eight straight hours on every road trip out to Alberta; or the excitement of seeing those blue highway signs after 100 km of no reception… or the summer that my cd player stopped working and I decided I was too «hip» for top 40’s, instead hunkering down to the Q and As It Happens in traffic… somewhere along the lines, CBC radio one became less of a creature comfort or nostalgic outlet and more of a current obsession.
Now on any given day, i’ll check in to see what’s what in Canadiana.
As It Happens, The Q, The Debaters — all staples in my CBC fan book. But I suppose the thing I appreciate the most is the one-​offs you stumble upon. Sure, sometimes there are dud programs… like the ones with the flowery poetry and the very enthusiastic someone manning a musical triangle… but often, i’ll stumble upon a total gem. It might be a great yarn of a story, or something that reminds me of home; maybe i’ll recognize someone, or stumble upon a local artist I hadn’t heard of; sometimes it’s Steward Maclean telling Dave Cooks The Turkey in the middle of the summer… the point is that it’s a smorgasborg of art, culture and stories that I wouldn’t otherwise seek out, but am better off for having heard them.
And with world news on the hour and local every half, you can hear a grand yarn, catch up on the world, check up on what’s down the street and learn how to be debt free in 60 minutes. Not too bad eh?
So CBC radio, I tip my hat to you in the most enthusiastic of fashions — thank you for not changing anything about your programming long enough for me to reach an age where I finally appreciate it.

The Q and the news. The rest I don’t really hear much but I do like Ideas as well. The commercials? Nada. Zip. Zero. CBC radio has all meat and potatos without the salty gravy. The morning show gets me to work and the traffic reports get me home.

My favorite background noise at home is the news and programs of CBC Radio one. They’re informative and entertaining and I feel enriched by listening to their interpretation of Canadian culture. The comparison to NPR in America feels apt. The music played in between is generally of good taste. And no advertisements! CBC Radio One is as good as Vancouver’s radio gets. Woohoo.

Not sure why others are reviewing the TV channels and radio stations. My review is of the actual building.
Came here for an event, and wow, they’re renovated the place quite a bit. That new TV studio looks freaking AMAZING. A modern interior for a modern era. They really scored when they struck that deal with Concord Pacific.
My one complaint is the location of the washrooms. Why would you put them 2 floors below the lobby («P“arking level) instead of right by the security desk, which is where everyone would assume they’re located? Several people made the same mistake, and the lack of signage ensures this is a daily occurrence for dozens of people.

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Please don’t review this business if you received a freebie for writing this review, or if you’re connected in any way to the owner or employees. Plus Hockey Night in Canada is so 1950s when you have TSN and Sportnet as well as NHL Centre Ice available. Sorry, but even Jim Hughson doesn’t actually do play-​by-​play anymore and as fallen into analyzing the game while play is going on. Is his hero Bob «I’m expected to know non-​Make Belief players?» Cole?

Not long ago, I was listening to Cross Country Checkup with Rex Murphy (not the CBC’s shining glory, but hear me out), when a distinct and familiar voice called in. It was of a childhood friend who I hadn’t seen in over 15 years. Last I’d heard, he moved to Japan and was happily married with children. Sparing the exhaustively personal and sentimental details of the rest of the story, I wasn’t the only one who’d noticed. This call was heard by a number of other friends and family-​members across the country. We all heard Sean call Rex at the exact. same. time.
This is what CBC does. It is the cultural glue that holds us together; it unites this massive country in quieter ways than we sometimes imagine possible. Sure, the CBC is an award-​winning and internationally respected broadcaster, but it’s not just their investigative journalism or high calibre of radio and television programming that wins so many fans.
It’s the long dash. It’s Anna Maria Tremonti repeating her name over and over again during the Current. It’s Jian Ghomeshi getting sick of trying to find ways to rhyme words with the letter Q. It’s barely listening to Rick Cluff in the morning because it’s a very Early Edition. It’s Casey and Finnegan. It’s laughing at the cheese of Dragon’s Den or being ashamed of Kevin O’Leary. It’s watching Strombo get all growed up with his very own show. It’s Radio 3’s Track of the Day. It’s the pride the CBC logo brings to anyone who bears the symbol.
Keeping us together, one dash at a time.

Without Anna Maria Tremonti and The Current, I would get out of bed a whole hour earlier every weekday morning. Thank you for the luxury of snoozing! And if only I could multitask, I’d listen to the Q with Jian Ghomeshi every day.
CBC has been some part of my life, all of my life and this Christmas I celebrated that by filling Peter S’s stocking full of retro CBC gear. A Radio 3 red scarf (the last one at the time) and an old school tee. Now, this is a big deal since he doesn’t take to kindly to wearing brands, but this is CBC, the exception to the rule. The kiosk might be small, but it’s mighty. You know just how much of a nerd I am when I eyed David Suzuki’s Nature of Things DVD set and oohed… and then promptly entered the draw for a big ol gift basket full of shows and swag.
Things on my own wish list: an umbrella, my own scarf, more buttons, and a hug from Strombo (what? he’s awesome!)

I Love CBC Radio, although not as much as NPR, but the love is still pretty strong. NPR is the CBC equivalent in the states and it has wonderful stories and when I moved up to Canada I went in to NPR withdrawal, until I found CBC Radio. The have such amazing feature pieces and one thing I particularly about CBC is that it plays music I know, which I can’t always say about NPR.
I grew up listening to Public Radio. I was seven and my parents were driving me to school and I would hate it, but I would always get interested the stories that were discussed by the end of the ride. I have learned more from Public Radio than any other news source. It is an absolute gem in the world of sensationalized news.
So Public Radio, both CBC and NPR, is what made me want to be a journalist. I wanted to explore the world as the correspondents did and I also wanted to discuss the people around the world that we rarely get to see in other news mediums.
I constantly donate to both companies because Public Radio is what keeps people informed about what is going on with no bias. Their stories are compelling and their voices soothing.
I am so happy the iPhone has a NPR app that I can even listen to in Canada, but I must say, I have started going toward the CBC app a little bit more lately.

For my 200^th review… the one and only CBC Radio.
I wake up most mornings listening to The Early Edition with Rick Cluff, and roll out of bed with a better sense of what’s going on in BC and around the world. Sometimes the stories are sad, or hilarious, or just plain weird and I swear I am still dreaming. But, they offer up a fairly balanced take on the issues that affect us all.
OK, so I may be stretching the truth here a bit. I don’t actually open my eyes until I hear the opening line of The Current at 8:30. By then, I am thinking about getting up and making tea, but if there’s an interesting discussion going on, I may wait until Q at 10:00 to finally get vertical. Of course, I am now very late for class or whatever else I was supposed to be doing. But I figure it’s worth, as I can now carry on a conversation about how the CIA is manipulating public opinion to support wars, or how a drunk driving, coke snortin former MP dodged jail time in Ontario.
I must admit that my addiction to CBC is years in the making. I grew up listening to CBC North and was always so jealous of other kids that had Nintendo or cable TV. But looking back, I am thankful I didn’t. As It Happens, and The World At Six taught me a lot about politicians, corrupt governments, spies, and everything else neato happening on earth. Who needs the Super Mario Brothers when you have the Iraq War version 1.0 blasting through the airwaves?
There is damn good reason why CBC Radio is still going strong after 74 years. And if you don’t know why, may I suggest you set your radio to 690 AM for a week and report back to me.