paulcrosstoronto’s Podcast

On whether news gathering is an essential service during a state of emergency. From January 27, 2021.   In Ontario, newspapers, radio and television broadcasting are listed on the province's document specifying businesses and services considered "essential" during the Covid-19 state of emergency.  So does that mean reporters are safe when doing their work? Is news gathering an essential activity?  As heard in this episode, police have stepped in to block news gathering in at least one case where a news videographer was trying to cover a covid protest in downtown Toronto.  Isolated incident? Or is this a taste of how police are going to be used to interfere in news production? For educational purposes.  Makes fair dealing use of audio taken from video posted online by CNN, Global TV, CityTV.  (Image taken from CityTV).

How local radio reports on a national crisis happening in its own community.  From January 20, 2021.  The world was watching and listening as a mob invaded the U-S Capitol in Washington January 6th.  But to people who live and work in Washington, it's a local story.  Their local radio stations need to serve them.  This time, a taste of how news and talk stations in the city reported the story on air as it was happening.  For educational purposes. Makes fair dealing use of aircheck audio from CBS Radio, WTOP and WMAL Washington.  

How a memo from a Radio boss does not violate a host's right to freedom of speech. From January 13, 2021.  Right-wing talk radio hosts in the U-S have been influencing and encouraging Trump supporters for years.  But since the election of November 2020, many have been going even further: they have been perpetuating the falsehood that he had won the election.  It took the violent insurrection of January 6th for a radio company that is one of the biggest producer/purveyors of toxic talk radio to tell its hosts stop telling that lie. One understands a host might react on air.  But claiming the memo infringe's a host's right to freedom of speech is also a lie, and hosts know it; and they're playing to the civically ignorant and media illiterate. Commentary. For educational purposes.  Makes fair dealing use of bits of audio from The Mark Levin Show and the Rush Limbaugh Show both from January 11th. 

On the different receptions Americans are given in Washington - depending on race.  From January 7, 2021.  What was obvious to anyone watching live video of the attack on the U-S Capitol during election certification is that the insurrectionists were mostly white.  That's something we'll have to bring back to audio reporting including radio -- describing who's there.  Because the story here for today's episode is about the difference in the way authorities prepared and reacted for a recent peaceful gathering by Black people and supporters, compared with the non-preparation for a gathering of mainly white people...whose leaders urged them to be anything but peaceful.  For educational purposes.  Makes fair dealing use of bits of audio from CNN and Sportsnet TV; all other audio is public domain.

From New Year's 2020/2021.  You Won't Hear This On the News, but it should be news. One of the great friends...supporters...boosters...writers...champions of the Toronto live music and songwriters scene passed away in late December 2020.  Gary 17 was an original; writer, entrepreneur, publisher, songwriter, promoter.  Some unscripted thoughts, recorded outside. 

On A Christmas Carol on the Radio. Reposting, with a slight edit to remove the original reference to live theatre performances, which were happening when I produced it in December 2019.  For nearly a hundred years, the Charles Dickens classic has been coming alive on the radio at Christmas time. Makes fair dealing use of bits of audio from the 1951 United Artists picture; the 1939 Campbell Soup Playhouse radio production starring Lionel Barrymore, with Orson Welles as the narrator, and from Radio Drama Revival Project.  For educational purposes. The hardcover "The Books of Christmas" by Charles Dickens, pictured in the photo here was published in 1907.  The Radio is a General Electric TA200A VY, 1960s but hard to date exactly. For previous Christmas-time Radio history please listen to Season 1, Episode 15 - "On the Canadian Christmas Eve broadcast that gave Radio to the World". 

On Making Change: It's a Start.  From December 17, 2020.  Continuing the theme of how things might change in the era of Black Lives Matter and the growing sense that this other pandemic -- racism -- must also be the focus of vast resources and commitments.  Last week's episode looks at how people are starting to inform themselves better.  This time...a surface-level look at a very few select cases which suggest there is some will to make some change.  For educational purposes.  Makes fair dealing use of audio from CBC news video (re: McNeil, Nova Scotia), YouTube (Jaffer's site). Final original episode of 2020.

On how news reporting is changing and consumers are engaging with new content about the other pandemic. From December 10, 2020.  Has the coronavirus pandemic of 2020 given people the time...and the mindset...to become more aware, more concerned and more vocal or active...about the other pandemic that's been dragging on for centuries? Perhaps it's the awareness of the news through mass media and social media that is driving new engagement in the vast array of new materials -- books, audio books, video -- about systemic racism and especially the constructed racism and oppression of Black people in western countries.  Concurrently, mass media reporting about both the individual flashpoint cases and the reality of systemic racism is changing; systemic racism is reported as fact. For educational purposes.  Makes fair dealing use of bits from audio book samples from audible.ca including The Skin We're In by Desmond Cole, White Fragility by Robin D'Angelo, and How to Be Less Stupid About Race by Crystal Fleming.

On MOVE, Mumia Abu-Jamal and Prison Radio. From December 3, 2020.  A story from history that resonates today is being brought back to life with a new documentary-style video series this month.  The story of MOVE in Philadelphia and the fates of nine Black people sent to prison for decades over the case should be remembered.  It's still going on.  One of the most outspoken members of the Move 9 has been speaking out for decades...over the radio.  This time...Mumia Abul-Jamal...and Prison Radio. For educational purposes.  Makes fair dealing use of Prison Radio audio files and the trailer for the HBO series 40 years a prisoner. (Image taken from YouTube).

On 100 years of Radio. From November 20, 2020.  Radio is now in its second 100 years.  In the months following the start of XWA Montreal in December 1919, radio stations were coming on the air in the United States.  WWJ in Detroit and KDKA in Pittsburg have their official starts in August and November 1920.  Had 2020 not been under the cloud of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, maybe the celebrations of their 100th anniversaries would have been more high profile in the broadcast industry and related academia.  This time...100 years of radio, including XWA; WWJ; KDKA. And 98 years of news on BBC. For educational purposes.  Makes fair dealing use of bits from official anniversary videos from Canada Post -- about XWA -- WWJ, KDKA and BBC Radio.  For more on XWA Montreal please check Season 3, Episode 9. (1920s microphone image taken from Pinterest)