By David Farrell
CBC returns “Baby It’s Cold Outside” to its playlists
The pubcaster initially said it would join Bell Media and Rogers Media and remove the song “in light of the times we are living in.”
Corp Public Affairs chief Chuck Thompson said Tuesday the decision to reinstate the song was made after overwhelming audience input, which was to include the song on playlists.
CTV News last night reported on the return of the Frank Loesser penned classic but ignored the fact it was the CBC that did a 180, instead stating that “some” Canadian radio stations had second thoughts about giving it the cold shoulder.
And here's the Holderness Family's spoof on the song that has gone viral.
Matt Cundhill spotlights Danny Kingsbury in his latest SoundOff podcast
Danny Kingsbury is the National format director of Rock Radio for Rogers, and the first question is all about Rock Radio. In this episode, we discussed his 30 plus years in radio, especially about his years at Q107 which were the last ones before the era of online streaming and the birth of digital. During the chat, I was reminded about the success of Y95 in Hamilton which happened concurrently with his stint at Q, and that time the Leafs moved to FM and aired their games on Q107. As format lead for the rock stations, he led the initiative to rebrand all the rock stations to Gord-FM after the passing of the Tragically Hip's Good Downie. We also found time to talk about life, including his trip to Korea to the Olympics and how he has grown an appreciation for blogging. To listen, follow the embed in the headline above. – Matt Cundhill
Canada’s zombie media
History shows that journalism is not in and of itself a foundation for the public good. It exists and has existed in many societies that are not even remotely associated with democracy. From Pravda and Der Sturmer to today's Pyongyang Times and Tehran Times, journalism's history is as inelegant as that of the cultures within which it resides. – Peter Menzies, Castanet.net
Flames radio voice Peter Maher recalls hockey memories in memoir
Peter Maher was an eyewitness to the first 33 years of Calgary Flames history, including when the team won the 1989 Stanley Cup and nearly won it again in 2004. Maher spoke to The Homestretch Monday about If These Walls Could Talk — Stories from the Calgary Flames' Ice, Locker Room and Press Box, his new memoir co-written with longtime Calgary Herald sports columnist George Johnson. – Stephen Hunt, CBC News
Verizon Taking A $4.5B Writedown resulting from AOL, Yahoo! acquisitions
US telecom giant Verizon conceded on Tuesday that its media brand Oath, which includes Yahoo and AOL, was effectively worth nothing.
In an 8-K filing with the SEC on Tuesday, Verizon said that it was taking a $4.6B write-down on Oath, the media venture they launched in 2017.
According to the company’s filing, Verizon had previously reported the “goodwill” value of the company, which includes intangibles such as its reputation and brand value, at $4.8B, meaning Oath is now worth a total of about $200M in Verizon’s estimation. – Celebrity Access
Google CEO explains why Donald Trump shows up in ‘idiot’ search results
During testifying to Congress about user data on Tuesday, Google CEO Sundar Pichai was questioned by Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren about why the word "Idiot" that she "just typed" into the search engine produced top images of Donald Trump.
US Companies set to spend $19B on third-party audience data
The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and the Data Center of Excellence released a forecast Wednesday that puts the amount marketers will spend on audience data, and solutions to manage it, at about $19.2B in 2018. – Laurie Sullivan, Media Post
US: TV No. 1 as social media bumps newspapers as a news source
Twenty percent of U.S. adults polled by the Pew Research say they "often" get news from social media while 16 percent "often" turn to newspapers. Last year the two media were "about equal. TV remains the most popular means for digesting the news — 49 percent of adults polled still get news there — but that's down from 57 percent in 2016. – CNBC
How Beirut's Commodore Hotel became a safe haven for world media
Hailed as the 'godfather' of the international press, Yousef Nazzal's astute action and international connections allowed Beirut's Commodore to become a global centre for news and information. Nazzal already had lines and telex machines from his existing businesses but got hold of extra lines to accommodate reporters' demands. – Al-Jazeera
Inappropriate Christmas songs: The true horrors of the festive season
Songs we used to regard as harmless festive numbers are being ditched as unsuitable - but, as Damian Corless reflects, they are tame compared with the true horrors of the 1970s seasonal novelty hit. – The Independent
Disney’s "Kiss the Girl" under scrutiny
"Kiss the Girl" from Disney's The Little Mermaid is now being called "misogynistic" by some people because of its lyrics. For decades, this song has been a beloved Disney classic. Disney has not responded to the criticism. – Nicole Hui, Narcity
