Related not so much to to the decline of AM radio which is not unique to Canada, but to the article on Corus above...
Canadian content regulations are a relic of the 1970s when broadcast media was pretty much a walled garden for music and video entertainment distribution. It makes no sense today when global online platforms are now able to compete on a very uneven playing field in a country still trying to push 40%+ CanCon down residents throats on radio and TV. The audience is obviously not going to put up with that in the 21st century.
The thing is, Canada has the perfect vehicle for distributing and promoting Canadian content without placing such a burden on private broadcasters. It's called the CBC. Radio 2 is full of fantastic Canadian music. CBC TV creates some excellent Canadian series, some of which even end up on global platforms like Netflix. The government broadcaster does way more to foster Canadian talent and Canadian music than commercial radio which is still overplaying burned-out old CanCon songs for the most part, sounding quite tiresome and driving away the audience that wants to hear global hits.
So, the solution is staring regulators in the face. Use the CBC to promote Canadian culture wile allowing private broadcasters the freedom to meet the demands of their audience without such unfair regulatory burdens. Unfortunately, the CRTC commissioners are a bunch of stodgy old government bureaucrats who can't see it. The audiences are fleeing elsewhere to easily get the content they crave and Corus is trading at 15 cents.
I agree that CBC has historically done a good job at promoting Canadian content. Over the past few years, I have observed a drop in quality in CBC programming, however. While CBC was once a network full of interesting programs, a lot of the programs in 2024 don’t appeal to me. Some have stated that CBC programming in the modern era is designed to appeal to people who are on the fringes of society, without targeting the average person who wants to watch Canadian content. While I won’t comment any further on that topic (as it tends to get pretty political), I can definitely understand this perspective.
I do believe CBC had a stronger formula in the 2000’s and 2010’s when their programs had more of a reliable (and sizeable) audience. The last show I watched on CBC was Schitt’s Creek, and that show had its season finale a number of years ago. There’s a real opportunity for CBC to build themselves back up as a go-to source for Canadian content, though. And I think using their radio platform would be a great place to do it.
As for can-con, there’s a lot of can-con that I like, but there’s also a lot of can-con that doesn’t really appeal to me. My music taste is concentrated more towards classic hits and classic rock. That leaves Rock 101 and Jack 96.9 as being the major stations in town that a listener with similar tastes would likely want to listen to. For those who aren’t in the market, the format of Rock 101 is more of a hybrid between classic rock and classic hits, while Jack 96.9 is more aligned with adult hits. Add in the can-con requirement, and it the playlist for both stations becomes pretty predictable.
I actually like a lot of can-con, but heavy doses of Alannis Morisette, Barenaked Ladies, LEN, Spirit of the West (and other similar artists) don’t do a whole lot for me. And as demographics shift up, I’ve noticed that many of these artists receive a fair amount of airplay. Time will tell if these artists can provide a solid foundation of can-con to build around.
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