June 12, 2000
Just another Friday - THE COMMENTARY
By Joseph Planta
VANCOUVER -- Media types (or media watchers like me) will note that Friday’s are usually a non-news day. MLA’s out of Victoria are usually on the boat home and government’s usually release damning news on Friday thinking everyone has gone on to the weekend, opposition and media alike. Well, this past Friday besides the Hanomansing-supper-hour deal that the CBC announced (which I shall analyse tomorrow in this column,) local sports and media folk were abuzz with Dan Russell’s dumping as host of the ultra-popular SportsTalk.
Mac Parry ran one of the more laughable items in his Sun column on Friday saying:
“Ron Taylor, the late-night hotshot of Global TV’s Sports Page, resigned Thursday and is rumoured to be heading to the mike at CFMI, where Dan Russell is the ruling jock.”
That was the item and as intriguing as it was, Global doesn’t employ anyone named Ron Taylor. If you read Mac in the Sun, thrice-a-week, an item like this is clearly insinuating that this Ron Taylor fellow is nipping at the heels of Russell, waiting to replace him at CFMI.
That’s what it said, and that’s the read into the words of the Macster, so here are the facts brought by The Province. Above the tabloid’s cheap and tawdry headline: “Teacher, 32, accused of molesting seven kids,” in bold, black and huge print, next to Angelina Jolie, is Don Taylor’s mug with the by-line: “Don for CKNW, Sports show host D.T. quits Global after 16 years. “ Page A8 is where you’ll find that story and it happens to be co-written by Taylor’s now-former colleague Joe Leary, who like Don, also writes for The Province. (All too cozy for me.)
So there you have it, the Sun misses the boat on this one, actually by a mile, but then The Province gets its facts muddled too. (Not to mention the Taylor connection to Leary and to The Province.)
Mac Parry’s Ron Taylor is actually Don Taylor and we all know him. CFMI is actually CKNW and we all know them. The headline on page A8 beams: “’NW hires Taylor to retain hockey rights,” it’s a damning headline on CKNW, because certain personalities on ‘NW haven’t been too kind on Joe Leary, the article’s writer. Leary, the opportunist or bitter man? Ah, I digress.
The Leary story states that CKNW was under pressure to please Brian Burke and Dave Nonis of Orca Bay, because Russell has been very critical of the Canucks. It also states that Russell will leave ‘NW on August 15th. Well, CKNW itself has confirmed that Russell is gone and that Brook Ward, the SportsTalk fill-in and weekend host will host till then and Taylor will hit the airwaves soon after.
A couple questions that could arise from this and lemme ask those and answer them at the same time:
Why Taylor and not keep Brook Ward?
Simple. Dan Russell is SportsTalk and replacing him is a tall order. Ward isn’t famous enough and ‘NW could earn new listeners by the fact that TV Taylor is on their station.
Is Don Taylor good enough for radio?
Well, on TV he’s got a magnetic personality and even though I’m not a sports fan, I’ve heard him on the weekend SportsTalk show with Brook Ward (as a guest) and he sounds pretty good.
The other notable is that no comment was available from Dan Russell. Russell is justifiably pissed off at CKNW. He started this show in the ‘80s taking it from CJOR to CFUN to CKWX to CFMI (‘NW’s FM sister station) and then ‘NW transferred it to themselves nearly four years ago. It’s his show, and although he was thrilled to be on ‘NW he could not have foreshadowed his own demise. When Jim Robson retired from the Canucks broadcast play-by-play post and they put Jim Hughson in, followed by John Shorthouse instead (who, incidentally also came from Global,) Russell’s bitterness had surfaced.
When the screws were put to them, by Orca Bay, CKNW was put in-between a rock and a hard place and it came to a head on Friday: Russell’s out, and his baby now is to be hosted by Don Taylor.
It’s a sad state of affairs. CKNW, a bastion of strong, well-rated talk, is now to be characterised as the bastard on the block. After dumping Gary Bannerman, two years ago, Jack Cullen and Fanny Keifer (plus a slew of others) last year and now Russell, CKNW has lost that common touch. Sure, it’s the news and sports leader, but at what cost? With the handling of Dan Russell, CKNW paid lip service to radio being a business and nothing but. It’s all sad if you ask me.
Questions and comments may be sent to: editor@thecommentary.ca
An archive of Joseph Planta's previous columns can be found by clicking HERE .