As expected, Zerbisias is doing a great job blogging the CBC lockout. She flags a locked out CBC blogger named Parkdale Pictures who cites a Russell Smith Globe and Mail column entitled The Lockout Unlocks the Ideal CBC
Well, the CBC lockout has so far been blissful. Right now I am listening to a lovely bit of Bach piano. Before that a Debussy arabesque. Before that a Beethoven symphony, and before that a melancholy bit of Grieg. No announcers. No letters being read about people's pets or retirements. No giggling "personalities." No folk-jazz, folk-pop or folk-classical. It's uninterrupted heaven -- and exactly what Radio Two should be.
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What I am thrilled about is that when they get back to rehiring people for Radio Two, they may well notice that their ratings have gone up. And then, in an ideal world, they wouldn't rehire anyone: They would get the nerd who chooses the records to come on between tracks and announce the name of the composer, of the composition, the date and the name of the performer. And then play more music. With news every couple of hours. What a sweet idyll to imagine! And -- think of this -- a whole lot cheaper.
This is a very common attitude amongst the cultural elite of this country. They place a higher value on classical music than other genres. Classical music already gets most of the money from the music departments of the Canada Council and the Ontario Council - symphony orchestras are expensive! - so in effect what Russell Smith wants to do is turn all the public, tax generated funding for music over to one genre.
Unfortunately for Russell Smith we all pay for the CBC. And the rest of us think so-called classical music is important - but then so is jazz, so is world music, and so is folk-roots music. The CBC, when it gets up and running again - has to reflect these genres - or it isn't doing it's job.
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