Boiled. Fried. Baked.

What's the history behind the Society? The Children's Cottage Society opened its doors as a crisis nursery back in 1986. It's our flagship program. It primarily helps families, a lot of young mothers, single mothers in the community. They're looking for support when they have no other support available to them. It might be respite support. [Example] They're going in for surgery and they need someone to take care of their children. So we'll do that for them.  How did it evolve into what it is today?  Since then, the cottage grew up with the city, and the nine beds that we had when we started in 1986 are now 20 located here in the new family and child centre.  You also have a facility down in the southwest? That's in the Killarney area. It’s called Brenda's House. That's our family shelter; an emergency shelter to support families that are experiencing homelessness. It is for families that are transitioning. They've lost their home, or lost their j...

All I want to do is read the news.  The print media is struggling and no longer a great choice. I've never been a fan of scheduled reports on TV and radio. I want to digest the news on my schedule, not theirs. So, what about the internet?  Too many websites. Too much biased reporting. What to do?  I have gravitated to daily, semi weekly and weekly newsletters. The ones I follow tend to be aggregators of information I want to know, or need to know.  I subscribe to:  The Peak  Peak Money  The Peak Tech  Maple Syrup Mind Your Business Broadcast Dialogue Forbes Daily Money Digest Daily Hive  The Peak, Peak Money, and Peak Tech are creations from the fertile mind of Moses Znaimer. Slim compendiums that deliver on three fronts.  Maple Syrup keeps me current primarily with Canadian cell phone news and internet provider news (and with Canadian pricing). Mind Your Business is one of a slew of newsletters that originate from the CBC. Broadcast Dia...

  I worked for Newcap Radio from 2008 to 2018. The company was a major player in Canadian media with over 100 radio stations from Newfoundland to British Columbia, making it the second-largest radio conglomerate in Canada behind Bell Media.  The company was founded in 1986 by Harold R. Steele as Newfoundland Capital Corporation. Although it was traded on the TSX, the majority of shares (over 80%) were held by the Steele family. The company was acquired by Stingray Media in 2018 for 530 million dollars.  Rob Steele, Harry Steele's oldest son  was the CEO during the ten years I worked for Newcap. I met Rob a few times during my tenure at Newcap's Cape Breton stations. In addition to talking radio, we chatted about airplanes, not cars.  Rob has his pilots license and has owned a few aircraft, including one of my favorites, a King Air.  I did not realize during those brief chats, that Rob has an all consuming love of cars.  Rob's company Steele Auto Group ...

Gord ...  Good morning. Thanks for the email.  No I did not go to, or take in, any of the Calgary Stampede events. Why? Well, I don't like crowds. And many of the events are standing, no sitting. And my legs aren't that great. But the real reason? I have overdosed on concerts and other crowd based events. I know it sounds like a cop-out but due to radio commitments during my broadcast career, I attended or emceed so many (too many) hence my term - overdosed.  I've been to three concerts in the three years I've lived here in the west: two were at the Saddledome, one was at a high end acoustically perfect theatre.  The Chris Stapleton concert at the Saddledome was a family affair; my son Zach, daughter in law Emily, me and Emily's dad who was visiting Calgary.  The John Fogarty concert at the Saddledome was a no brainer. A great artist. And I played every CCR hit during my years on air.  The Herb Alpert concert at the Bella Concert Hall at Mount Royal Univers...

According to Edison Research, "for every hour that Americans listened to podcasts in 2021, they listened to 6 and a 1/2 hours of AM/FM radio". This does not surprise me. You have to search for a podcast. You simply turn on radio. Instant gratification. A podcast is one subject stretched out.  Radio is variety. Radio can be a background form of audio. When we hear something interesting, we pay attention and turn up the volume. Suddenly passive becomes active. If you lose attention listening to a podcast, you have to rewind or start over. Radio is more in tune with our fast paced society. Short, interesting material ... when done right. 

My Dad was a Flight Instructor for the RCAF during the war. He was stationed at three different locations, Uplands in Ottawa, St Hubert near Montreal and Whitby east of Toronto; all part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP). Dad didn't talk much about the war. It reminded him of the pilots he trained that were killed overseas. But he talked openly about flying and the aircraft he flew during instruction with the BCATP. He loved the Harvard. He  was fascinated by the history and the experience of flying the Tiger Moth, the older, ever forgiving biplane. And he was impressed by the manoeuvrability of the much larger twin engine Avro Anson. My oldest brother was able to coax more information from him than I could. He admitted he was one of the the RCAF flying instructors at Whitby that was tasked with teaching some of the 'Camp X' crew how to fly single and multi engine aircraft for their spy missions in occupied Europe.   From my oldest brother, Ken: "A...

Do I have the attention span of a gnat?  Or the roving curiosity of an international explorer? Or something in between, based on the day of the week or the time of day? Case in point. I started reading John Steinbeck's: Travels With Charley. This is what happened:   A few pages in, he refers to Sag Harbor. So I jump on Google maps and discover it's a community on Long Island; part of the Hampton's. Now I am aware that the Hampton's are an expensive place to live (maybe not so in the early sixties when the book was written). So now I check real estate listings for Sag Harbor, dreaming of living next to the beach in that Long Island community. But now I'm thinking "Isn't there a Long Island in the Bahamas?" And that reminds me of my bucket list: my long term desire to vacation on St. Lucia. So I check out accommodations on that island.  Now my Kindle has gone to sleep. And it's time for lunch. Back to Steinbeck and Charley later. 

AFTER spending most of my adult life on the east coast, you can only imagine my reaction to Calgary weather. It's the sunniest city in Canada. And it's dry. Not drink dry lol. Humidity dry. You can be hot in the sun. And very cool in the shade. Unlike Maritime weather where the higher humidity carries the heat into all crevices. This pic is from Tuesday afternoon around 4:00. It's only the 6th or 7th time I've spotted "dark" rain clouds in the sky during the last eight months. Oh yes, it's rained. But the clouds are usually light grey not dark or ominous. JB 

ADULTING is all about making good decisions. In my case. I'm at the grocery store and the spicy dill pickle chips are on sale. Two bags for five bucks. Or one bag for 2.99. I take two bags then put one back. As an adult I know if I take home two bags I'll eat both in one day. One bag in one day is enough. Right? 

Did you ever turn down a job that would have changed your life in unfathomable ways?  I did. And I'm glad I did. For all the right reasons. In the early 70's, Jim Keith offered me an on air position at the CHUM owned, CJCH Halifax. I had been recommended by Gary Crowell from Eastern Broadcasting in Moncton. Jim flew me down to Halifax from Sydney for the weekend. We met. Then the requisite tour of the facilities. Shook hands with staff etc. The offer was made. Jim called me on the Monday. I turned down the offer. He asked if I wanted more money or more vacation time. I said no. I told him I wanted to stay in Cape Breton. He was (obviously) quite surprised that I would turn down the opportunity to work at the biggest station east of Montreal. But he respected my decision.  And I retired in August 2020 after 52 years of radio. The bulk of my career spent on my beloved CB Island. 

Busy day? Need a calming break? Then I recommend Slim. I've been watching his videos for three years. His photography is actually superior to National Geographic. He has about 140,000 followers. I knew he is Canadian but only found out recently that he's from Calgary. His commentary is as gentle and as charming as his video work.  Here are a couple of links. His best stuff is before Covid when he traveled the southern US on a regular basis. Throw it up on the big screen in the living room. You won't be disappointed.  https://youtu.be/7Y8jnpoMF1U  https://youtu.be/ECBtxJYf00k  https://youtu.be/D0rwetsRvSc  https://youtu.be/iwBuL2jZSOs 

  I'm human. I react emotionally to the news stories I read. I am very much influenced by the tone of an article. My (virtual) rose coloured glasses allow me to remain positive and happy. But, I will delve into a serious and upsetting subject when I'm in the right mood or when I steel myself to my potential negative reaction. Around the time of the American election I succumbed to the great introductory Canadian rate promoted by the New York Times. I was already aware that the paper is perceived as slightly left of centre,  especially in their opinion section. But that was fine, I believe that my thinking is slightly left of centre. Well, I got my monies worth. I dove deeply into the digital version of the paper everyday before, during and after the election. Good for me. I was keeping abreast of the political, economic and health related aspects of our behemoth neighbour. But recently (mid February) I cancelled my subscription. Why? Reading about the attack on the Capitol Bui...

I've coined a phrase to describe the new norm in corporate radio -  Efficiency Branding . It has become a thing. Good example: the ten Bell stations recently re-branded as Move. To my old ears those stations really didn't change their format to any degree. Just the moniker. Why? Shared imaging. Shared visuals. Shared promotions. Shared voices. And most likely a shared playlist. I believe you'll see more of that in the future as radio income shrinks and profit margins narrow. Oh, it also allows for more networked (out of market)  programming. 

 I am so tired of advertisers and advertising agencies using lifestyle commercials for the wrong products and/or services. Yes, lifestyle advertising is very effective if you're promoting the cruise ship business. And due to government regulations, it’s one of the only ways to plug beer and liquor products in the media. But, don't show me dressed for success or drinking coffee unless it's an ad for clothing or coffee choices or espresso machines. Let’s take this one step further. Practical advertising versus emotional advertising. Or value versus feel good. I will ‘feel good’ behind the wheel of a Caddy or Mercedes. The Nissan Micra is the cheapest new car in Canada. So if you agree with this approach, the luxury models would benefit from lifestyle advertising. But the Micra is all about price and value for the money spent (practical). Another example: The safety features on a new SUV and the backseat entertainment unit for the kids (also practical).  But let’s get to the n...

There is much material on the subjects of marketing and advertising. But to this day, the book - Ogilvy on Advertising - is still my number one recommended read (even though it was first published way back in 1983).  (Wikipedia) David Ogilvy was a British advertising tycoon, founder of Ogilvy & Mather, and known as the "Father of Advertising". Trained at the Gallup research organisation, he attributed the success of his campaigns to meticulous research into consumer habits.

Handsome and humble! Lover of coffee and country music! Big Formula One fan! I just wrapped up a radio career that spanned 52 years and six provinces . I'm a gadget freak. Love my laptop and my smart phone! You can always find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. I've got two great sons; one in radio, one in oil. Married twice, but no regrets; two lovely ladies. I love country music with a passion! An extremely proud Canadian. A self appointed ambassador for Cape Breton. My Dad was a professional musician. My Mom was a professional dancer. I've got two left feet and no rhythm. But I know how to play a radio! 15 radio and television stations ; Alberta to Newfoundland: Positions have included on air host, program director, promotions manager, sales manager, and assistant general manager Writer : Country Weekly, the world's #1 selling country music magazine Publisher : Trade Talk, Cape Breton's Business Magazine Instructor : Broadcast and Journalism, Canadian Caree...