I like CBC Radio. It’s a great service. I get the news that I need, and it’s commercial-free.
I just want them to stop reading letters from listeners on the air. It seems like this is something that’s getting worse — not that I’ve done a comprehensive content analysis on this. I’m guessing that at least ten percent of every show (except WireTap — pure genius and in need of a podcast) involves the reading off or solicitation of telephone calls, email and letters. They seem to prefer reading emails and letters to playing voice mail comments. Letters can read out at a more leisurely pace. Although it was replaced, Richardson’s Roundup was the best example of this because it used to consist almost entirely of listeners’ emails and letters.
It’s time the CBC moved forward. The CBC Radio site has an incredibly sad and non-participatory model. I’ve noticed it’s updated at an incredibly slow pace. And, the feedback mechanisms are limited to the format that lead to emails and letters being read aloud on air. Hello? Comments? CMS? Other Canadian sites like the Globe and Mail have introduced comments with great success yielding reasonable (moderated) dialogue. Just think — comments online, increased participation and more time for actual, original programming on-air.
I should mention that the CBC has a blog (thanks to Tod Maffin). It is “neither reviewed nor approved by CBC management prior to posting.” It’s a great idea; too bad it’s not linked on any page I can find from the main site. If it is (more of a find Waldo activity), please correct me.
