Ian Power Exits CKNW

At the end of the interview Ian said it himself, “perhaps I am not articulating as well as I need to”. Ian sounds like a nice guy but perhaps his abilities as a talk show host are limited.

As for Neil, listen to the traffic station quite a bit actually and it seems like he was on there all the time, no matter the time or day. Always did a great job and actually tried his best at adding some personality into what has got to be one of the worst radio gigs going.
Could this be another case of making more than the 13 or 14 bucks per hour and needing to search out more BCIT grads to fill the spots?

One sure thing about Broadcasting these days, for the most part it means an eventual trip to the unemployment office. Sad.

If your talk show hosts cannot impart their personal views of even touchy subjects without fear of being fired then your talk radio station is just an idiot shill for those who speak only the P.C. narrative and as such it will deserve any and all fall from grace in the market place.

The idiot woman that he interviewed is obviously a SJW, snowflake and only wants to be heard and not debated. I did not find his interview of her to be so toxic to normal thinking folks.

Good on Ian for standing his own ground. Denise Balkisoon can go blow goats. She represents part of our problem and has no worthy solution nor desire for such.

CKNW980 is really now just a talk show host clone set up, where they all talk much of the same PC and narrative. Often just hours and hours of repeating the same blather between all the shows.

They are allowed (and fine rightfully so ) to be as anti-PC about Donald Trump though as CKNW is a part of the MSM cabal anyways. But these hosts all avoid or try to gloss over the Mt. Everest high pile of crap on Hillary Clinton.

Anyways, talk radio is no longer truly informative, nor open to debate and argument on air. It’s all P.C. love fests and any host who dares to push outside these narrow P.C. boundaries was given notice today that doing so will mean THEY WILL BE FIRED!

Les H. Idiot woman SJW? All she did was ask him to be more specific about what he was talking about, then suggested there could be other reasons people don’t want to talk to him in a store line up. Throughout the interview he was talking over her and seemed to get upset, really upset, at the slightest disagreement or suggestion from her he may be wrong.

Sounds like it’s guys like you, Les, who are the snowflakes.

As for Power, I really don’t think this interview was a fireable offense, it better not be the reason why. As dumb as his comments were this idea of sacking everyone who doesn’t hold the pre-determined “correct” opinions has to stop, it’s bad for discourse and cowardly.

No, no, no, no SHF.

She was belittling him, treating him as if he was a spoiled, little white boy. He backed up his points with his real life experiences and she basically said he was wrong and showing ‘white fragility’ Total nonsense on this arrogant, SJW’s, POV.

When he challenged her, she took it like a snowflake, SJW and could not reason his POV, but only dumped more this B.S. ‘white fragility’ crap on him and by extension the audience.

WE ARE ALL GETTING SICK OF THIS P.C. BULL FLOP!

The real word is not all a safe space by decree from idiots like Denise, for her than to go out and twitter away on it all .

She lacks the mental fortitude to see outside her P.C. brainwashed idealism .

I stopped listening to NW about a year ago and tune it out when it is left on in the car. Totally bland and sanitized talk that I don’t miss at all. They are trying to appease a new younger audience that really doesn’t want any part of them. I wonder when they will figure that out.

That is such nonsense, Les. He said “some” groups don’t want to be included in society. She asked him to be more specific, he kept saying “some”. She asked for an example he said people don’t talk to him in grocery store line ups. She said “Maybe they’re having a bad day”.

Then he started to get mad. Sorry that she disappointed you by not agreeing with the silly assertion that “some” groups of people are apparently ignoring people in grocery lines when in their home countries they’d be chatting up a storm, but if one is going to give such scant proof after such a statement they deserve to be, and were, politely rebuffed.

Ian couldn’t take it and got upset. I can’t stand the SJW thing just as much as you, but that’s not what this was. The only argument I’ve seen for Ian includes attacks on what Balkisoon’s position was that include the words “basically” and “insinuated”. In other words in the absence of her ACTUALLY saying any of these things you people are falsely applying statements or positions she took to try to make her look like a whiner.

I’ve heard that interview five times now, she was more confused by his statements than she was whining or being PC. And that’s just how it is.

He said that he was surrounded by immigrants.
She asked how he knew that they weren’t born in Canada.
He said it was because they spoke other languages.
She asked the question again, pointing out that many people born in Canada do speak other languages.
He was totally flummoxed by this and finally stammered “Well, I guess I’m a racist then.”
She quite rightly pointed out that she did not say anything of the sort.

And then he was off – defensive and fragile throughout, as only someone who only just suddenly realized a Canadian might speak a different language and might not be white can be.

I don’t think he should be fired. There are all kinds of people on the radio expressing all kinds of views. But people should know who they are listening to – someone who IS fragile, reactive, and who doesn’t think logically or critically through what he is about to say on air before he says it.

Another Corus cut — technical producer for CKNW (evenings) Mike Given was dismissed today.

I finally listened to this after hearing about it weeks ago. If he was fired, perhaps it was for doing a terrible job — didn’t communicate his points, couldn’t take questions asking for clarification, wasn’t willing to accept the answers to the questions he asked. Overall, he was talking out of his ass and his guest was surprisingly polite and mature in the face of his lack of professionalism. There was a great conversation to be had and he blew it.

Unfortunately, another classic example of throwing an inexperienced talk show host/journalist/interviewer into the job, and then throwing them under the bus when things go wrong. CKNW should know better. Anyone can interview a book author or travel consultant, but only the most experienced hosts have the deftness to tackle tricky subjects, where the pitfalls far outnumber the potential gains. You get what you pay for, and in this case, so did Mr. Power: disaster. CKNW threw in an in-experienced interviewer, Mr. Power tackled something he was ill-informed, ill-prepared and lacked the skills required with the result: CKNW looks foolish and amateurish, and Mr. Power out of work. All could have been avoided with clear leadership from the top.

So they were fired for speaking the truth?? The media is so corrupt! The toronto blogger is a racists and a special intrest group spearhead that wants nothing more than a free ride in Canada. So sick of these type.

And yet another reason why CKNW is no longer the mighty top dog, Dont forget to put on your Hutton Button

Power showed he is a poor communicator who has trouble debating someone who disagrees with him. He talked about feeling shut out of other communities, then proceeded to cite an example when he was warmly welcomed at a Buddhist Temple. When asked for an example of being shut out and made to feel like a minoroty, all he could come up with was that people at the grocery store sometimes don’t want to talk to him, as if someone being shy, an introvert, dealing personal problems, or any number of perfectly reasonable and non race specific explanations. Maybe the problem is that he gives off the same douchey, entitled attitude in person that he he so openly showcased on air? Good riddance.

Full disclosure: I am an Indigenous woman, “First Nations” to be exact and to use the appropriate political nomenclature in Canada. And it goes without saying that every single time I hear the word “assimilation” and “Canadian” in the same sentence, I cringe. My people, are all too familiar with Canada’s concept of assimilation. We’ve been forcibly assimilated to become more “Canadian” with devastating consequences.

That said, after listening to this broadcast (twice) one thing was unmistakably clear: Ian Power is a very angry white man who is feeling increasingly anxious over what he perceives as his loss of white privilege and power in society. And after he cut his (non-white) guest off when she would not indulge him and switched over to callers of the similarly angry white male variety, it started to sound more and more like “White Power Hour” (pun intended). It was gross and I really can’t believe this is how most white Canadians think or feel. It’s probably fair to say that this does represent a segment of it though. An increasingly vocal segment that are crawling out of the woodwork.

But the fact remains that the host immediately jumped on the defensive and was horribly rude to his guest. He was accusatory, irrational, interrupting her, badgering her, talking down to her, basically not even trying to listen at all. None of which are good qualities for someone employed anywhere, let alone talk radio. I’m guessing that’s the main reason he was fired. Ian squashed an opportunity to really engage and have an intelligent discussion because was simply incapable of putting his personal prejudices aside in order to meet his professional responsibilities. The firing, I think, was more than justified.

Good grief. I can’t believe what I just heard. That was perhaps the most appallingly unprofessional interview in the last twenty years of talk radio. If Power hadn’t sounded as coherent, I would have assumed he’d been drinking. Good on CKNW for upholding some basic standards of radio journalism, in this case at least.

It’s quite amazing that we’ve come to a point in the world and indeed in this industry where people think that everything is a firing offense.

Everything Ian said was wrong. But he didn’t deserve to be fired for it. But hey, he offended the self appointed judges of what is good and bad in society so he must go.

Listen to yourselves. You’re two steps away from the Khmer Rouge.

Power was plainly childish and oversensitive, and that one fan’s pride in “escaping the Nazis” is ridiculous (he did nothing special besides grow up in a safe place).

When simmering a white broth in a melting pot, and you throw in red beets, do the beets turn white, or does the broth turn red? Are you SURE you want assimilation? The Melting Pot analogy is idiotic when used like this.

If you want to live like an American, it’s but a change-of-address away.

SHF- Nobody thinks that “everything is a firing offense”. And your reference to the Khmer Rouge was just silly.

What I heard when I listened to the tape was a former infomercial host who had absolutely no conception as to how an actual interview should be conducted. It was all about him, his biases, his unsubstantiated experiences… and his contempt for his guest was palpable. If someone has the profile of a Rush Limbaugh, perhaps they can get away with such nonsense, but Ian Power is a very minor player in a dwindling media market- AM talk radio- and his complete lack of professionalism during that interview gave his employer a very good reason to look for someone with more media smarts to fill the time period. He might be a very nice fellow in general, and I wish him well, but that interview was a firing offense.

“SHF- Nobody thinks that “everything is a firing offense”. And your reference to the Khmer Rouge was just silly.”

It’s called being facetious and if you actually thought anyone could be trying to make a serious argument that this message board is similar to Pol Pot I suggest your cognitive abilities need some work.

Interview was not a firing offense, he was dumb, but not malicious and there isn’t a continued record of this kind of thing with him.

Obviously he came on air the next day with an apology not knowing that he about to be caned.
I heard the apology it sounded sincere and yet he was fired. I heard a little bit of the interview the day before and was not impressed with Ian or the guest so I turned it off. I might avail myself og the replay but my condolences go out to Mr Power.
To apologize on air and then get axed is a bit hard to swallow. I hope his guest is tickled with the result.

I thought he was reasonable in the interview and if that were the reason he was let go, it’s disgraceful.

As someone who monitors these boards on behalf of our clients advertising dollars – shame on cknw. While not his best effort by far, ian power is a consummate professional and usually does terrific work. to fire him over this interview shows just how scared cknw is and why they have not been top dog in soooo long. i am sure ian will re-surface soon as all good broadcaster do but in the meantime i have instructed my team to pull all of our clients out of cknw as contracts expire. our clients are not only looking for value but also ethical and sustainable companies.

this is the reason breitbart needs to come to canada because there are no decent media here.

@ Rupert — I hope you are for real. If you are, I salute you sir.

Ian Power was about the only on air personality that I could listen to on NW. It is truly amazing how a once great radio station can be ruined.

When Power was talking about being surrounded by immigrants, I expect he was talking about people like Drex and Jeremy Lye.

@mike – Yes i am real and thanks for the positive feedback. My client base is at the younger end of cknw’s demographic – the audience they are trying to build. They take social responsibility very seriously. They do not want to support enterprise that throws their employees under the bus for their own greed. When having these discussions with my clients I have had zero push-back in me placing their advertising dollars anywhere but corus.

I’m not getting into all the PC crap about this, but I really have enjoyed Ian over the years on NW. He’s great doing the home improvement segments, and so on, but maybe he was just a bit out of his depth here.
Actually listened to the interview several times since it happened, and it almost seemed he was his own victim of being too cautious with his examples honestly. Like he said “Some groups”, and when she asked him to be more specific, he skated around not wanting to single out a particular demographic. I think he just felt he was in a bind with meaning to be less specific, as to not offend anyone, and her asking him to be more specific, and then his frustration took over, and he ended up sounding like a jerk.

At least it started out like a normal interview. That there was some of the most uncomfortable radio I’ve ever listened to. Before I heard about mansplaining, I might have thought he was being a little arrogant. Before I heard about white fragility, I might have just put him down in my curmudgeon file. But both mansplaining and white fragility were on display in the interview. I don’t know that I would have done any better in his place, being someone who’s comfortable with the taste of his own foot in his mouth. As far as integration goes, I am as white as the sheets on the line, and sometimes I feel like a minority in Surrey, BC, where I live. Sometimes I feel hemmed in by a kaleidoscope of cultures, but even when I am pressed hardest, I can’t say I feel threatened by other cultures, and I can’t say that I think they need to “work harder to be Canadian”. Have you seen the citizenship tests? They are chock full of things we expect Canadians to know, and yet natural born Canadians won’t know half of what’s on the tests. That’s hard work right there.

I think what people are trying to say instead is that they would like flavours of other cultures: hanging lanterns, a totem pole here or there, maybe a bit of Thai food at the mall. They want these little bits, but dealing with the whole of other cultures is too much of a strain, let’s just hear English spoken, let’s all go to the same church and be part of the same club, let’s sort ourselves out in the same groups as each other. Let’s make the fundamental culture of Canada white again. I think it would be better if perhaps, we (still the majority) white folks “worked a little harder” to broaden our perspective. The alternatives aren’t pretty, and we might just be able to be more comfortable with ourselves.

Canada (Pierre Trudeau) has sown the seeds of our own demise with multiculturalism. On paper it looks (looked) good but in practice it created neighbourhoods where you think you are in a different country.
Richmond is so Asian that it may as well be China
Surrey is so South Asian that it may as well be India.
What changed from earlier day ? East Vancouver seemed like a success. Italians , Chinese and many other cultures. Government policies have created Richmond and Surrey. We sit back and we think were a tolerant diverse society. Were like the frog in the pot of boiling water, we dont realize that we are slowly lowering our standards and expectations to levels that we might see in India and China. We havent brought immigrants up to a better life we allowed ourselves to become a third world

Hmmmm, isn’t it interesting that the Fraser Valley is filled with those “white people” who still see themselves as Mennonite FIRST or Dutch FIRST (and Canadian second) but no one ever complains? Have you ever been told by a Dutch person, here in Canada, right here in Canada, “if you ain’t Dutch you ain’t much”? Have you seen Mennonite people play the Mennonite bingo game? (who are you related to?) Seen how the Mennonite/Dutch people drained an entire lake (Sumas Lake) and took the land away from the natives and now are wealthy and have power because of this? We talk about the Chinese/Indians wanting to keep their cultures, but it’s perfectly okay for the white people to keep their cultures. Do you think the Mennonite and Dutch, who have very large families, really care about non-Menno/non-Dutch “white Canadians”? Do you think they roll out the red carpet of welcome into their insular, fundamentalist communities? Nope. Let me tell you, Richmond and Surrey seem like friendly, warm, fun places to live compared to the fundamentalist-land the Mennos and Dutch have created out here in the Fraser Valley. So, let’s start having honest conversations about the white settlers who came in the 1940s/50s and still don’t want to give up their culture. No, no, no–let’s keep pointing the finger at the “brown people” who want their cultures. Most of these BROWN PEOPLE were here long, long, long before the recent waves of white settler immigration. Hypocrisy, total hypocrisy.

Mattias, I disagree with your racist rant about the “white” people in the Valley. Yes there are many dutch people and a variety of religions. There are also many other races and religions in the FV. Good luck comparing a farming community to Richmond or Surrey.
Ive dealt with many buisnesses in the FV and Ive never felt like an outsider. Try shopping on 3 road in Richmond. Try spending some money in the Yahoan complex. Be prepared to feel unwanted

Powers was a lightweight to be sure, but cutting him for this is simply another blow to what at one time was a great radio station. Years ago comments like Powers would hardly have been noticed. Now SJW and the PC crowd have “NW management by their withered testicles.

It’s pathetic how the Politically Correct Religion will not allow disagreement with their fanatical convictions.

P.S. No more special treatment, it’s time for ‘first nations’ to be a part of Canada and be treated equally. Nobody alive today is responsible for any past actions. You don’t put the child in jail for a crime committed by the parents.

I think he lost his cool too fast. He may have had a point which I was hoping to hear very well, but once it became an argument the original narrative was lost.