TORONTO – CBC Radio will be bringing a new sound to its arts and culture programming, offering more Canadian musical content on Radio Two and strengthened arts content on the main Radio One network, the Corp. announced today.
The changes outlined today mean CBC Radio Two will broaden, showcasing the best of Canadian music for adult tastes. Classical music will still occupy centre stage on the schedule, but new evening programs will also embrace jazz, contemporary, singer-songwriter and live performance from across the country.
“The vast majority of recorded Canadian music receives no airplay. The place to discover great Canadian talent should and will be CBC Radio,” said Jane Chalmers, vice-president, CBC Radio.
Comedy, drama and arts journalism on CBC Radio One will also be strengthened.
The changes announced today are the result of extensive research and consultation with listeners, contributors, and employees, Chalmers said.
“Our new programs will celebrate the tremendous creative spirit of Canadians no matter where they live. Many people have told us they want a place on our public networks. And so they should.”
Designed to create two distinct English-language radio networks, the new schedule will help to address a shift in how Canadians listen to their music, information and entertainment programming, the network said in a press release.
“CBC Radio Two is making a bold commitment to showcase Canadian talent in all its rich diversity,” said Jennifer McGuire, executive director of programming, CBC Radio. “In the evenings, jazz, live performance and contemporary music will be featured in three highly individual nightly national programs, seven days a week, building on our core and ongoing commitment to the classical genre.”
Jazz will occupy the 6 to 8 p.m. national timeslot, seven days a week, with host Katie Malloch in Montreal on weekdays, and Tim Tamashiro in Calgary on weekends.
From 8 to 10 p.m., CBC Radio Two listeners will be transported to concert halls, music clubs and festival stages across the country to discover some of the best talent and musical traditions the country has to offer. Matt Galloway, host of Toronto afternoon program Here and Now, will expand his duties to host the new national program.
Contemporary music, from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m., will feature CBC alumna Laurie Brown, who returns to host the weekday program out of Toronto; composer Pat Carrabre will host the weekend show from Winnipeg. Overnights, with host Danielle Charbonneau, will feature a roundup of some of the best music from the day.
The CBC Radio One schedule will continue its broad program mix, while devoting new energy to prime-time drama and special events, including comedy, along with the current schedule of news and current affairs programming.
Part of the CBC Radio One initiative will be a new daily national arts program at 2 p.m., with a one-hour version at 10 p.m., featuring reports from arts journalists across the country. Jian Ghomeshi will host it from Toronto.
“This announcement represents the completion of the first of three phases of our radio arts and culture re-development, which began three years ago,” Chalmers said. “Throughout the process, we’ve engaged our audiences and our employees with a view to improving our programs and our service to Canadians.”
“In order to meet our goal of getting the new programs to air in March, all the initiatives announced today will proceed to full development immediately,” McGuire added.
