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Friday August 16, 2024

August 16, 2024 by Graeme MacKay

The decline of AM radio and traditional local media erodes vital community engagement, diverse cultural representation, accurate news coverage, and job opportunities, leaving society adrift in a landscape increasingly dominated by misinformation and fragmented digital platforms.

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday August 16, 2024

A Lament for a Vanishing Medium

Link to the animated version of this editorial cartoon.

The decline of AM radio and traditional local media erodes vital community engagement, diverse cultural representation, accurate news coverage, and job opportunities, leaving society adrift in a landscape increasingly dominated by misinformation and fragmented digital platforms.

April 9, 2012

As automakers like Ford, BMW, Volkswagen, and Tesla phase out AM radios from their new vehicles, a cornerstone of American life teeters on the brink of obsolescence. The removal of AM radio from cars signifies more than just a shift in technology; it marks the erosion of a key medium that has been the voice of local communities for nearly a century. This change is part of a broader trend that is seeing traditional centralized sources of information—radio, television, and daily newspapers—being eclipsed by the vast, decentralized world of the internet. While this transition is exciting in its promise of innovation, it leaves us to grapple with the profound implications of losing a vital source of local information.

The recent closure of WCBS Newsradio 880 is a stark illustration of this trend. For nearly 60 years, WCBS was a bastion of all-news radio, providing reliable updates and in-depth coverage of local and national events. Its impending shutdown, as Audacy shifts its focus to sports programming, highlights the financial and operational challenges facing traditional news formats. Despite being a top-billing station, WCBS’s inability to survive in the current media climate underscores the fragility of established media outlets in the face of evolving consumer preferences and technological changes.

News: What the Demise of WCBS Newsradio 880 Says About the Future of All-News Radio

October 4, 2013

Similarly, the shuttering of CHML in Hamilton, Ontario, this week, further exemplifies this shift. CHML’s departure from the airwaves represented the loss of a local institution that had served the community for decades. This move not only deprived listeners of a trusted source of local news but also contributed to the growing phenomenon of news deserts, where local information becomes scarce and harder to access.

News: 900 CHML closes, ending nearly a century of local radio in Hamilton

The loss of local radio is emblematic of a broader issue: the decline of traditional media outlets that have long served as the backbone of local news. Daily newspapers and local TV stations, once staples of American households, have been supplanted by a plethora of online sources, often leading to news deserts—areas with little to no access to reliable local news coverage. This shift has significant consequences for public accountability, as fewer local journalists are available to cover city council meetings, school board decisions, and other vital civic matters.

As we navigate these uncharted waters, society appears to be adrift, struggling to find its bearings in a rapidly changing media landscape. The evolution from centralized traditional media to a decentralized digital world is fraught with challenges. Job losses in journalism and broadcasting have been significant, leading to uncertainty about the future of local information. In the absence of robust local media, rumours, confusion, and misinformation can spread unchecked, undermining the very fabric of our communities.

Essay: End of a love affair: AM radio is being removed from many cars 

June 9, 2022

The excitement of the digital revolution is undeniable. It has democratized information, giving voice to the previously unheard and connecting us in ways that were once unimaginable. However, this progress comes at a cost. Little has emerged to fully replace the comprehensive coverage and local accountability that traditional media provided. As a result, we find ourselves in a precarious position where the loss of local radio and other traditional media forms threatens the cohesion and informed nature of our society.

In this moment of transition, it is crucial to reflect on what we stand to lose and what we must do to preserve the integrity of local information. Efforts to save local radio are not just about preserving a nostalgic past but about ensuring that our communities remain informed, engaged, and connected. We must seek ways to adapt traditional media’s strengths to the digital age, finding new models that blend the best of both worlds. Only then can we hope to navigate these uncharted seas without losing our way. (AI)

Published September 13, 1995

Way back in September 1995, before I became the Spec’s editorial cartoonist, I drew for the Brabant chain of newspapers serving the communities of Hamilton, Dundas, Ancaster, Flamborough, Stoney Creek and Hamilton Mountain. I was given a nice gig at the time illustrating local personalities (John Fortino, Max Mintz, Sheila Copps, George Love and Jimmy Lomax) written up by longtime CHML radio presenter, John Hardy. He was axed from his job in local radio the same year, 1997, when I was hired at the Hamilton Spectator. In the Saturday August 17 edition in the Spec, Hardy reflects on the loss of am900 CHML, and what it means for the city of Hamilton. 

Posted in: Hamilton, Lifestyle Tagged: 2024-15, CHML, engagement, Information, John Hardy, local news, media, misinformation, news, radio, Sports, technology, traffic

Saturday November 1, 2014

October 31, 2014 by Graeme MacKay

Saturday November 1, 2014Saturday November 1, 2014

PR firm dumps Jian Ghomeshi over ‘lies,’ sources say

Jian Ghomeshi was dumped by Navigator, the high-profile crisis management firm retained to protect his public image, because the company believed Ghomeshi lied to them, sources have told Toronto Star.

“He lied to the firm,” said a source with knowledge of the situation.

According to the sources, until late Sunday night, Navigator was “buying (Ghomeshi’s) story” that it was a jilted ex-girlfriend who had manufactured lies that Ghomeshi was abusive. One source said the former CBC radio star had convinced the firm that there were no other allegations and there was nothing to be “concerned” about.

Then, as a Star investigation showed at least eight women were making serious allegations of assault or sexual harassment against Ghomeshi, the firm decided at a series of meetings that it could not represent someone who, in their opinion, had lied.

The Star was not able to determine if publicity firm Rock-it Promotions dropped Ghomeshi for the same reason. A source with knowledge of the Rock-it situation said that firm, which had been with Ghomeshi for two years (Navigator was a recent hire) was disappointed as more and more allegations surfaced.

Both companies issued releases Thursday afternoon announcing they had cut ties with Ghomeshi, but neither said why. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

 

Posted in: Canada Tagged: Canada, CBC, consent, Jian Ghomeshi, public opinion, radio, sex

Monday April 9, 2012

April 9, 2012 by Graeme MacKay

By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator, Monday April 9, 2012

CBC cuts 650 jobs, wants ads on radio

The austerity axe chopped deep into the CBC’s budget Wednesday, and will result in “a very different public broadcaster,” CBC president Hubert Lacroix said.

Viewers can expect less original programming, more reruns and – for the first time – ads on CBC radio as the broad-caster copes with a $115-mil-lion cut in federal funding. The agency will also sell some buildings, tinker with employee pensions and cut jobs in the coming three years as it adjusts to a smaller budget.

“It’s not a fun day,” Lacroix said.

Across Canada, 650 full-time CBC jobs will be eliminated. This includes 475 this fiscal year, a further 150 jobs in the 2013-2014 fiscal year and the remaining in 2014-2015. Those 650 jobs – split equally between French and English services – amounts to about nine per cent of the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.’s work-force. That includes 150 management jobs.

Budget cuts will start this year with a $27.8-million reduction in government spending on the CBC’s operations, and increase to $69.6 million in 2013-14 and finally reaches the $115-million savings mark by 2014-15. The CBC will also no longer receive its $60-million top-up from the federal government for programming. Taking into account budget trimming already done this year and severance pack-ages, Lacroix said, the CBC is staring into a budgetary hole of $225 million.

“We are talking about financial pressures totalling $200 million today,” he said. “Plus an additional 25 million for severance of about 650 [jobs].” CBC television’s senior correspondent in Ottawa, Terry Milewski, was stoic in his response to the deep cuts.

“We’ve been through this a few times before, and we’ve survived,” he said. (Source: Globe & Mail) 

 

Posted in: Canada Tagged: austerity, broadcasting, Canada, CBC, Culling, cuts, Dragon's Den, Front Page Challenge, radio, Rick Mercer, This Hour has 22 minutes

Please note…

This website contains satirical commentaries of current events going back several decades. Some readers may not share this sense of humour nor the opinions expressed by the artist. To understand editorial cartoons it is important to understand their effectiveness as a counterweight to power. It is presumed readers approach satire with a broad minded foundation and healthy knowledge of objective facts of the subjects depicted.

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