By David Farrell
Mark Elliot needs a headstone
Born Nils Fleming Johansen, Mark Elliot was a man fraught with addictions that were brought on by a traumatic childhood. He bravely fought to have a semblance normality in his life, and that spirit was perhaps what bonded him to the many who became his friend, up close and on the air in Toronto, Winnipeg, Windsor, and Ottawa. He suffered two heart attacks and developed pneumonia last year. It killed him at age 65 last year.
Elliot mostly tried to do his best, but the ravages of his addictions and, later in life, fighting to help those who endured the same, left him poor in the pocket. Jarrett Rainhard, his partner of 18 years, has set up a gofundme account to raise enough money to give Mark a headstone to mark the spot where he was laid to rest in Niagara Falls. So far, $600 has been raised with a goal of $5,000. Let’s give Mark his due, and pay our respects for a man who I believe tried his very best, and helped so many to overcome that which eventually took him down. – David Farrell
'I'm going home': Jeff Douglas bids an emotional goodbye to As It Happens
It's been eight years since an up-and-coming performer best known for his starring role in the famous I am Canadian Molson ads stepped foot into the studio at CBC Radio's As It Happens.
Jeff Douglas would go on to become one of the most beloved co-hosts in the program's 50-year history, forging an incredible bond with his listeners, his radio colleagues and, of course, his co-host Carol Off.
Now Douglas is leaving As It Happens to return to his home province of Nova Scotia as the new host of the weekday afternoon show Mainstreet. – CBC News
YouTube closing Toronto studio
YouTube says it'll close the company's only permanent Canadian studio later this year as it shifts strategies for how it reaches its creators.
The media giant sent an email on Thursday to its online creator community outlining plans to replace its Toronto studio with a "pop-up" approach that'll roll out temporary studios in different regions of the country. – CBC News
Does radio need to accentuate the ‘human’ factor?
Where do you think Apple would be today if Michael Dell had been put in charge? What did Steve Jobs, who had just returned to lead Apple, say to Dell’s assessment? “We’re coming after you, buddy!”
Jobs gave Apple a vision, backed it up with management fortitude and people with the technical skills to make the Apple vision a reality. It was those human factors that carried Apple to become one of the most valuable companies in the world.
Apple’s market value (at the time I was writing this article) was $948M, and Dell’s was $27M.
Which brings me around to the industry I loved for over 50-years, RADIO. The aspect of radio that first captured my attention was the radio personality. These were the people who built a relationship with the listener. – Dick Taylor blog
