John Shannon: chatting with Caleb Malhotra, Network changes, and the Toronto bias
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Let's take care of some Bryce from the Historic Wall Center. And boy, we're all sitting here feeling so much pride about how our city looked, huh, Mike, at the World Cup? Let's go to the Okanagan. John Shannon on the east side of Skahale. He doesn't look much prettier than that. Who joins us? The most famous man from Oliver, British Columbia, back in his home province. I hope it's treating you well, Mr. Shannon.
It has been fantastic. I can tell you right now that I have donated a great deal of... Revenue to Predator Ridge, Sagebrush and Merritt, and obviously my favorite course in the country, Fairview Mountain in Oliver. Yes.
Well, great to have you back here, the former executive producer of Hockey Night in Canada. And, well, someone we like to talk to when there are matters with our industry, Mr. Shannon. Another sad day yesterday. with 230 people losing their jobs as Roger shuttered stations in four cities, including the sports talks in Vancouver and in Calgary. Talk to me, my friend. What do you think the future of sports talk radio, terrestrial sports talk radio is after yesterday?
Well, terrestrial sports talk radio is on its last legs. I think that's a reality of what we're witnessing in our country. And let's face it, sports talk radio has had its ups and downs in the United States as well. I mean, a lot of the big companies that invested in sports talk in the United States have gone through bankruptcies and reconstruction of companies in order to make it work. The frustration, I think, for all of us is that there are more sports than ever before. There are more sports fans than ever before. And it's just now, how do we deliver the content to the viewer and to the lister? You know, Matt, when you started working, whether it was the Ottawa Senators or the Toronto Maple Leafs or the Canucks,
Not every game was televised and there was not really an expectation that every hockey game would be televised. That's just not the case anymore. And so the viewing public is now used to being able to watch everything all the time. And so it really demotes what radio stands for. And therefore the technology that is AM radio becomes quite antiquated quite quickly. I mean, one of the reasons Sports Talk Radio is going away, Matt, is the success of shows like yours. And that's the evolution of sports, the sports media world. I mean, people, and I tried to explain this yesterday to a young guy from the Sun, that, you know, newspapers went through this 20 years ago. And now radio is going through it. And if you don't evolve, and if you don't change, then you die.
And that's exactly what is happening with terrestrial radio, with the cost it takes to create terrestrial radio. Transmission, studio costs, in addition to the cost it is of putting people on the air.
Yeah, we were even saying yesterday, John, the only people who were left listening to hockey games were those stuck in their car. But even then, maybe only the driver, the passengers might just be watching it on their phone, right?
Exactly, exactly, exactly. And that's, you know, the hard part isn't that sports talk radio is gone. The hard, because it will reappear, it will manifest itself some other way, some way. thing will occur that allows it to happen. But it's the 230 people. And that's where, for guys like you and me, it hits home even deeper because we've been through that. It's not fun. And when you have to worry about mortgage payments and you have to worry about where you're going to work next, then it really does hit home.
I said yesterday that I I want to go down this road carefully because, needless to say, Blake and I were not unbiased, right? Like we were in a sports talk radio war here in Vancouver against 650. So I mean this with the utmost respect, and that is I think it was a poorly conceived station for when it launched in 2017. like the audience stratification was already upon us, right? Like starting a sports talk radio station in the late 90s or early 2000s, it's kind of the heyday, right?
How did John Shannon react to the recent Rogers radio station closures and job losses?
Like you were seeing shows like your old show with Bob McGowan was number one in the market in Toronto.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:02–4:59
2
How did John Shannon react to the recent Rogers radio station closures and job losses?
4:59–7:56
3
Why does John believe terrestrial sports talk radio is 'on its last legs'?
7:56–19:17
4
What cost and technological factors are driving radio stations to shut down?
19:17–23:04
Speakers
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