CKNW Closes down Comment Section of website

Smoke and mirrors. Total BS. Call it what you want Larry Gifford has orchestrated cost cuts at NW that should continue their free fall from number one to a bad memory.
The big 5
Therapy Tuesday
Dickers tech spot
Dickers weekend review
Call the listener line (must not have been cheapskate enough because)
Call the buzz line.
Repeat this format for 16 hours Monday to Friday . Yawn……hey wake up .
When is the last time NW actually broke a story. The neophyte producers reporting live from a broken down sky train dont count.
While Mcomb and Steele might be able to carry their shows without ever being able to get an interview with a news maker sooner or later the smoke will clear and no one will be listening.

The comments section is the cesspool of the Internet. Kudos to them for eliminating a venue which allowed Neanderthals and Old-Cranky-And-Will-Never-Evolves to have a voice.

GUTLESS CKNW!!!

Freedom of speech is not only about being politically correct. It is about reading or hearing from any and all regardless of politics and ideals. Often voracious free speech invites candor that can be one of having intelligent people respond in kind even to hateful vitriol.

CKNW has now proven to be gutless in disallowing free speech on its comments page, even if it’s tardy, angst filled and maybe even speech of hate.

Froo, froo, fluff, fluff speech of candy canes and purple unicorns does not equal vibrant and informative discussion and debate.

As to people who CHOOSE to visit CKNW’s comment page, WELL YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO BE OFFENDED JUST AS I DO! BUT I ALONG WITH OTHERS ALSO HAVE A RIGHT TO OFFEND! So suck it up butter cup. I know today, especially the snowflake generation is often easily offended. But that is their problem not mine nor others. LIFE CAN HURT A TIMES! GET OVER IT!

Maybe management cant take the heat any more. The lineup is weak and tired today. When are they going to retire McComb! Lynda Steeles voice grates on me like no one else. Every one else I know agrees with me. I guess she cant help it. Drex is good but who is still listening by night time. Too many paid infomercial programs for my liking. If I want to buy something or if I need something, I will let you know. Can they go back to playing one song in a row again, at least that way I can hear some real talent on NW again.

One of the worst things about the internet is the anonymous hate that gets spewed out in comments sections, usually by people who see reasoned dialogue as ‘political correctness’, and who respond to criticism of their vulgarity with lines like, “suck it up, buttercup”. CKNW probably had no choice, as an uncensored comments section eventually reflects on the venue as much as on the angry trolls who use it.

Or the Intern that was assigned to moderate the page quit to concentrate on doing better in school. Apparently, His/Her High School grades were slipping.

Well what else is new with this poor excuse for a radio station, do as I did and stop listening to it,not listening to McComb,Silly Simi and Drex is a great relief.

Take a look at the comments above and you’ll see why the ‘NW Comments section was closed down!
Websites that run comment sections have staff to moderate those sections, removing expletives and other insulting language that doesn’t fall into the “respectful dialogue” category. Sometimes comments are so bad they have to be refused in their entirety.
On top of that comes the ‘money card.’ The staff that edits those comment pages has to be paid. In many cases this keeps them away from their regular jobs that they were initially hired to do.
Sadly, running any competitive business these days is not as easy or straightforward as it once was.
So, all you contributors…try to be reasonable.
Thanks

Neil F.

Here is the thing, you nor anyone else needs to visit the comments board or read all the comments. You are free to pass over ones which may offend your senses, I DO! BTW I am not one who posts on any comments board vile and hate filled comments. But I defend others’ right to do so. All persons may get caught up in discussions and even may post heated and angry thoughts on subjects, to which I have done on various comments boards in my past.

But it gets to the crux of it all, again you, me, any others have the freedom to NOT read posts we may not like or may find offensive (plus again you have the right to be offended but your right to being offended should not shut out another’s right to speak). Closing down comments boards shuts down ALL SPEECH and DEBATE! For that I will not support doing it, be it CKNW or any other media outlet. CKNW is gutless on this topic.

Les H:

As many others have said, you’re not losing your right to free speech. You’re just losing the ability to exercise it on NW’s website (property). I have every right to come and protest you, your beliefs, lawfully, on the sidewalk in front of your house. But as soon as I step foot on your property….

Every entitlement you hold so dearly comes with some restrictions.

Tell you what: if you want debate, why don’t you post your email or home address or phone number? That’s rhetorical. Please don’t.

As for getting “caught up in discussions and post(ing) heated and angry thoughts” – why not stop and take a deep breath and think like a mature adult before entering a response? I’m sure for many, that’s difficult, but shouldn’t that be the standard that we all should strive for?

Les H: When you defend the right of people to make, as you phrase it, “vile and hate filled comments”, you’re not going to bat for worthwhile debate or free speech. You’re simply defending the cowardice of people who hide behind the anonymity of their internet connection to degrade themselves and those they disagree with. Nobody learns anything from such nonsense, and worthwhile arguments get lost in the bile. When you have too many nasty, angry pundits and too few editors, public discourse gets cheapened. That’s where we are, all too often, and it’s not something to defend.

Wayne/ Neil.

No, no, no, of course CKNW has the gutless right to disable a comments board. The problem is they are doing it because they do not like the speech posters may have put on said board at times. But CKNW is a NEWS and TALK station. It has numerous hosts who’s job is to entertain and tell us their POV on all sorts of topics. From serious to fluff. CKNW hardly opens lines anymore and Facebag is pick and choose by each host or producer from posts people put on Facebag.

A comments board is a way for people to share comments on topics of the day or such and on what CKNW is reporting as news and discussions in talk.

The B.S. about anonymity is that. The content of one’s post is as valid whether one puts what looks to be a real name or some other handle. Some people want to speak their mind including posting views that may boo hoo offend others. But wish to remain anonymous, because they may not want others such as employers, businesses, business partners, family, neighbours etc. to possibly know and as such with possible retributions.

Anonymous persons may post more truthfully than if they posted under their real name, BTW hard to prove a real sounding name is real to said poster or not. My name is Johnathon E. Doe, prove it to be wrong? But my point is the comments are valid based on the content not on the name of the poster. If you, me or others do not like what others may post or choose to be offended by such then just disregard and/or avoid reading the posts. Ignore the trolls!

But CKNW has killed an avenue for others who would visit its webpage to post free thoughts good, bad, silly, angry or even yes, hate filled. I’m mature enough to read and handle it all. I can choose to counter thoughts even those I may not like or to just ignore them. I do not need good two shoes folks trying to censor free thoughts and speech nor CKNW being gutless in shutting down it comments board. It is again a NEWS an TALK station. News (hopefully) informs and talk on air may provoke thoughts by listeners. As such a comments board serves a valid place at a station like CKNW .

Comments vile and full of hate? Im not sure but it seems that every comment function on every blog deals with them. BUT because it costs time and money to read each comment to decide if you or your organization wants to delete or publish NW has cheaped out. I wonder if its easier to monitor written comments than it is to monitor their “buzz” line What they likely have is a program that simply skips calls from any phone number that they have flagged. NW is afraid that any real discourse be it written comments or audio tape will expose their shallow and uninformed production crews. Much like the extinct sports department and the close to dead news department NW is determined to do it on the cheap.

Thanks for your comments Les.

There are many reasons why NW has closed down comments, including cost. One that hasn’t been discussed is NW’s target market. They are going after female listeners. If men stick around, that’s an unexpected bonus. Most (not all) of the aggressive and tasteless comments are likely from men, and – I’m not female, so I’m guessing here – are often off more oft-putting to women than men. Also, if the discourse continues to include aggressive posts, it encourages more of the same and pushes away the more civil commenters.

I have nothing good to say about the station any longer and I do mean NOTHING (Linda Steele was eviscerated by a defense attorney guest yesterday – rendered her speechless). But, I don’t consider the decision gutless

News 1130 has the right approach. Have a comments section, but have a moderator review them before they’re published on the website. But that doesn’t jive with Corus’s “cut to the bone, plus a little more” philosophy.

wayne,

If CKNW is targeting towards only women, they are basically going to kill their business. Focusing on only ONE gender over another is stupid for this business model. It will cost CKNW, advertisers who feel that a declining or irrelevant male market share no longer affords them paying ad rates to be on CKNW. The race to its bottom and possible demise is then in motion.

As to vile or aggressive posts on comments boards, I disagree that males are worse than women today. Maybe 20-30-40 years ago. But observe the 3rd wave feminists and their often vile , narrow minded, vitriol that will seep often into the minds of less feminist women and you will see that often today especially under age of 30 year old women are often more vile and vulgar with rhetoric and actions/conduct then most men. Just go on You Tube and watch all too many videos by and for women, these videos will often have you at minimum raise your eye brows or even make your stomach turn. I choose to call it a female version of small man syndrome. These toxic women are certainly not ladies but one can use a host of bad terms to describe most of them.

CKNW if it is pivoting to a female only demographic will continue to sink. But I’m sure they have up in the Black Tower, college educated experts in media/marketing with a wall of diplomas in cheap frames on office walls saying otherwise. I call them EDUCATED DUMMIES! They may know what was told to them in school but have little to no real life brains on the topics of business, marketing an media today.

Les, I think it’s clear, they ARE killing their business, at least they’re driving away long time listeners. I don’t think there is any disagreement about that.

Go to Corus’s website. They make it VERY clear that they target women (and family i.e. children). I listen so rarely now, but I’ve wondered for a long time why NW doesn’t cross-promote shows from Corus specialty channels like W network, Cosmo TV, Oprah network (all Corus properties). Lo and behold, I was listening to Drex last night and that’s exactly what they did – promoted a W Network program

Simi’s show on CFUN, when CFUN focused on women’s issues was far more mature than her current version on NW. Bet you that this coming week, at least 3 of her segments will involve distracted driving.

I don’t disagree that some posts by some women can be vile and narrow minded, but I’d argue that they are more vile and narrow minded to some men than they are to women, just like vile and narrow minded comments from men often have a more visceral impact on some women than men.

Wayne,

I agree with CKNW and its lost ways. I have it on in mornings mostly as back ground blather. I’d say 25% of the time it has real news worthy content and compelling talk. Even Jon McComb’s show is a shadow of the days when he and Till co-hosted. I don’t listen to Drex much because his is an evening show, but he has some bite and edge. Simi and Lynda both may be nice persons but are both leaning towards blind feminism. They do not come off as being deeply informed beyond women’s and general family issues. They both lack bite and have not much depth, and not a provoking mindset. They can’t hold a radio candle to hosts like Bannerman, Webster, Mair, Faux even back in the day old Dave Barrett. Hell I’d take even mellow Bill Good over either.

I am an open minded male, REALLY because I enjoyed Fanny Keifer back in the early 90’s when she was on CKNW. On CBC Radio I got a kick out of Gabereau and I thought Cecilia Walters back in the day was a very good host on CBC Radio.

CKNW’s other problem and it may be unfix-able at this time as it may be a societal one, is a lack of truly informed young producers and news people. Standing back and seeing things today the snowflake generation is leaning towards being more dolt-like on most anything other than celebrity gossip and crap on Facebag or Twitter. Very poor grammar is hi-lighted daily as such. And NO! it’s not the way it has been. I for one can easily recall as a teen and a twenty-something being informed well enough on news events, politics and modern history etc. to be able to sit and carry on intelligent talk with my parents and their mature friends. I’m not saying all youth I knew and grew up with were as informed as me and a few others I knew, but I knows this, they were no dolts towards the world around them.

None of us needed our safe spaces, nor over bearing rules and censorship on life. We knew about winning and losing but doing either with grace. It was not everybody gets a trophy or ribbon compared to much like it is today.

So the thinness of knowledge and vision around many of the young producers and news persons have is worrisome to me. They better get up to see quickly or life will only get tougher.

Check out the PSR post on the Ghommeshis aquittal. If ever there was an opportunity for the hateful vile disgusting bunch that would be it. As it stands right now not one comment. NW should be happy that the lunatic fringe bad mannered bunch listen read and comment. Sooner or later it’s all they will have left.

Nothing to do with free speech.

Call me old fashioned, but I like to listen to the radio. I like to listen to a talk show, not a text in or Twitter show. There is is something much more interesting with hearing the callers voice than having the host fill the airtime with reading text after text. Radio in the past few years has strayed from an audible friend to an all encompassing interwoven media outlet with websites, Facebook, Twitter, website comments sections etc etc. They have forgotten the basics of theatre of the mind.

For me social media is a great place to engage radio station loyal followers, to inform them of promotions and contests and events, but in my opinion not the place for on-air programming. Radio Station website comments sections are simply an extension of the Facebook and Twitter, the social media phase the world is navigating through. I say through, because in 10 years I believe people will think of social media as a phase we all went through. In the old days, the host would take phone calls off air and tape them. Every so often you would hear the edited call or part of it was used as part of a bit. To me it was much more interesting hearing Sally describe her hots for the boring news guys, than to hear the jock read her texts.

If I were a PD I would look at the technology where I could have people leave their comments audibly in my website comments section. That would be fun.

CKNW is not the first do to this, but that’s because their current web platform allows ANONYMOUS comments. From what I understand, they are trying to look into a way to allow comments that are NOT anonymous.
NW allows comments on stories on its Facebook page, because those are not anonymous either.
Toronto Star has shut down its comments.
CBC now requires a Facebook account to comment, also shutting down anonymous comments.
And despite the NW hate, it looks like their ratings are improving. CBC lost how many share points year over year? If they sold advertising, someone would be getting fired.
WX is also down in the ratings.

To PJ and others.NW isnotthe firstto closedownitscomments section. Why does NW get a pass just because others have chosen toignore their readers or listeners. NW prior to being owned by the cheapest organization in radio was a leadernot a follower. Other media entities were measured against NW. Not anymore.

Ive noticed that while I still go to NWs web site to listen to the programming I no longer bother reading any of the articles. No ability to interact equals no interest in their stories. So NW management the next logical step would be not to listen to the station. Perhaps you should think twice about saving a few dollars and where it all ends up

Some good comments above. I tend to agree Silli and Lynda are pretty much lightweights. I miss the sense of anticipation and excitement generated by the likes of Rafe and other hosts (not Bill Bland who would rather kiss a political ass than ream it) who had a no-holds barred approach and who generated lead story after lead story. I have not heard ‘NW break a new story in ages.

I think Corus killed the comment section because of the amount of criticism of them posted there, much the same as they got rid of Rafe for the same reason.

Ratings and ad revenue at NW fell faster than Dix’s polling numbers inthe last election so the high priced help like Good and Ian K had to go. They thought they can save some money with cheaper talent. Well Drex obviously wasn’t the answer because he was replaced with a Global TV similcast. The problem is real journalists like Webster Bannerman and Mair have been replaced by so called radio “personalities” So if you have one, I guess you’re qualified to work in radio. Can anyone imagine Jack Webster during a interview break with the PM pushing Simi’s time share exit team, or how about John’s joint pain formula. Is NW hiring journalists or Playland Carnies? How can anyone take McComb seriously when in one moment he attacks greedy realtors for driving up home prices and in the next, NW is running his personal endorsement for a no name realtor named “Rick” bragging about selling a house for 3% over the asking price? The “Top Dog” that NW boasted about for 50 years should be put down with some dignity .

Please choose your guests who are able to speak with a “listener friendly” voice. Whoever was the speaking guest on Simi’s show (just finished) had the most boring & unpleasant voice for a radio interview. His voice droned on & on & on without any expression for the complete interview………kindly choose guests who are able to speak with an expressive narrative!!!! MOB

With comments shut down, hard to reply to a headline this morning around temperature in offices and Bc Hydro suggesting that ideal temp is 23 – 26.

Frankly, everyone is different, but I find 23 stifling hot and would not work in an office at 26 unless it had Windows that opened and fans.

More climate hysteria.

I get it that some folks are cold at 20-23 – they can wear and extra layer or a sweater. Those of is who swelter at the same temperature can’t very well undress. On a similar train of thought the air temperature control on the skytrain s they say are air conditioned are a joke. Some people seemingly don’t know what a shower is and and the odours are made worse by sweating.