Corus Radio Launches New Late-Night National Talk Show “The Shift With Drex”

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Vancouver, Canada – Beginning Monday, January 22The Shift with Drex will hit the airwaves on talk radio stations across Canada.

Hosted by Justin “Drex” Wilcomes, this late-night program will offer a fresh take on the day’s biggest headlines and the untold stories that matter to listeners. Packed full of interviews with newsmakers, columnists and celebrities, The Shift with Drex will be a go-to source for late night banter and lively debate with content driven by its audience. From listener calls to comments online, Drex will interact with audiences every night, to get them involved in the conversation.

“It’s stories, it’s opinion, it’s culture, it’s irreverent and it’s Canadian,” said Troy Reeb, Senior Vice-President, Global News and Corus Radio. “The Shift with Drex will tap into the common humour, pride and honesty that pulls our country together.”

“I’m looking forward to a fun ride ahead hosting a show where the phone lines are always open,” said Wilcomes, Host of The Shift with Drex. “My goal is to challenge the status-quo by delivering a program that’s both entertaining and thought-provoking.”

Known for his witty candor, insatiable curiosity and off-the-cuff style, Drex has been on radio airwaves since 1993. He joined the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Triple J in Sydney in 1995 and was one of the youngest radio announcers to host a national radio show. In 2001, he ventured into commercial radio, working as a program director and host across several stations in Australia, before immigrating to Canada in 2009 and making a name for himself in British Columbia radio. Most recently, Drex has been co-host of the weekday afternoon show Steele & Drex alongside Lynda Steele on 980 CKNW Vancouver.

The Shift with Drex will air at the following times:

980 CKNW 
Vancouver    10 p.m. – 2 a.m. PT (LIVE), 2 – 5 a.m. (REPEAT)

770 CHQR
Calgary         11 p.m. – 3 a.m. MT (LIVE), 3 – 5 a.m. (REPEAT)

630 CHED
Edmonton     11 p.m. – 3 a.m. MT (LIVE), 2 – 5:30 a.m. (REPEAT)

680 CJOB
Winnipeg       Midnight – 4 a.m. CT (LIVE)

AM 640
Toronto          1 – 5 a.m. ET (LIVE)

900 CHML
Hamilton        1 – 5 a.m. ET (LIVE)

980 CFPL 
London          1 – 5 a.m. ET (LIVE)

 

98 COMMENTS

  1. Very excited to hear this! Drex is perfect for late night and it’s a much better fit than Coast to Coast ever was. Congrats to Drex and CKNW. Very smart move.

  2. Congrats to Drex, who now joins an illustrious club of late-night radio entertainers, the likes of who include the late Pat Burns, David Berner, and Stirling Faux. It will be nice to hear a made-in-Canada show back on overnights. The reruns of Old Time Radio shows have been a welcome treat in the past month, but a live and interactive talk show is definitely more relevant.

  3. This could work! Yes, I shall be tuning in to Drex, like I’m sure many, many will. As for ‘the Shift’, isn’t that what Michael Eckford called his show?

  4. Oh joy, the self-loathing white guy who is intolerant of anyone who does not espouse progressive views. At least nobody will be listening at that time. LOL

  5. I’m in. For sure will listen. I like Drex. I’ve had enough of coast-to coast. It seems it’s on almost every station I flip through looking for something different to listen to.

  6. Note the error in the press release…

    the release has a Vancouver byline but the show days are based on Toronto time. It runs Sunday to Thursday Vancouver time.

  7. Well, we shall see what kind of show Justin does. The story says he will have open lines and if so there will be much less of talk show host monologues as most of the CKNW980 hosts do and prattle on and on and on about. BORING!!!! Callers may provoke open and hopeful lively discussion and less SJW, P.C. do as your CKNW/GLOBAL media Masters tell you as a talk show host to do.

    That said Drex is much a self-loathing, white male homosexual and will probably verbally berate himself as said male and white males in general often on air. He will probably keep the CKNW anti-Trump, anti-USA. I LUV JUSTIN TRUDEAU, NDP, Marxist love fest rhetoric going all night long too… I so truly hope not. I hope being now over night talk show host he tries to be more balanced and allows maybe his own mind to be provoked by stories/news and callers on the night train. I know being blue pilled is a tough illness to crack. I know as I was very much one for many years of my life. I could virtue signal, giving myself high fives as I stood on my own hands making it look as I if “I HEART” any and all ascribed national, global, social victims. I’d for a while in my past years even have given Justin Trudeau arguably the current King of “look at me.” virtue signalling a run for the money.

    Thank God and in the voice of the late great Johnny Cash “I SAW THE LIGHT!” and realized what an ahole and “blue piller” virtue signaler type person can be.

  8. Well you know they’re doing something right when it upsets every 100 year old angry white guy on this site.

    PS. Gas no longer has lead in it now too

  9. West Ender

    I hate to explain the obvious but please consider the fact that the Demographic The Mensa Member PD at CKNP (NW) seeks out does not purchase Fireplaces, Sidewalks, Roofs, Sierra Syl, Alpine House Finance, Carpet/Flooring, Dental Implants, Automobiles, Windows, plumbing Tepairs, and so many others.

    When NW Advertisers figure that out they will leave Quicker than Rats Leaving a Sinking Ship!

    It just so happens that those over 45 ARE the ones that can in fact keep a Station in the Revenue it requires to stay healthy!

    It is obvious to me Willy that you do not get The Guns N Butter thing! Ever need to make a Payroll Willy?

    Who needs FACT when you have Ideology, correct Willy?

  10. BMCQ I have to agree , I probably tune into NW for 2-3 hours a week and mostly on the weekend as many of their weekend hosts sound more enlightening that during the week I often wonder if their sales department even listens to their own station. The demographics that the advertisers target appear to be about 15-25 years older than their programming targets.

  11. BMCQ,

    Aside from a few retail clients, the $ demo for radio is Adults 25-54. Spend a week in the sales department and you quickly realize that the golden age of 55 is the cap. So based on your statement there is a 10 year window of 45-54 for’NW to monetize. The hardest thing for the baby boomer generation to come to terms with is that they are no longer in control and that as influencers they re done, except at the home.

  12. Well, looks like I’ll be looking for a different radio station to stream. Losing Coast to Coast was bad enough, but losing Those old Radio Shows is the final straw. Only time I’ll listen to CHQR now, is when the Stampeders are playing.

  13. BTW

    Drex is only a Legend in His Own Basement!

    He seems to believe he is a Hard Hitting Media Pit Bull that goes for the Story yet he goes after that story without really having the factual information required to come to an informed conclusion.

    He is a Low Information Guy with an Leftist PC SJW Snowflake agenda without the Investigative Skills to accomplish what the Listener requires.

    I have called into him on a few different occasions and he relies on the “Kill” Button if begins to feel he is losing control and cannot defend his position.

    Having said all of that, I believe Drex will give West End Willie everything he desires in Talk Radio. One thing for sure Drex is already guaranteed one Loyal Listener.

    A Ratings Winner in the Making!

  14. Poco Joe

    I am not a Radio Guy but I was born and raised in Vancouver and as a Baby Boomer I am quite happy to say I have been invested in very successful businesses for a while and over the years employed well over 100 people in Canada, U.S. Aus and the UK.

    Perhaps because of that and the fact that it IS the Baby Boomer that has accumulated Wealth and HAS Cash along with the FACT Radio IS INDEED in a Death Spiral and FAILING I have concluded that MANY in Radio Management do not know WTF they are doing!

    Doesn’t their dismally poor track record speak for itself Joe?

    The Radio Ratings of almost all Stations are going down quicker than M L at a Bill Clinton Oval Office Party, do you not think it might be smart for Radio PD and Management to hit the Reset Button and consider offering up Programming that appeals to those with Money to actually spend on Consumer Goods already mentioned and win the over the 45 year old Listener?

    Oh No Poco Joe!

    If Radio Mensa Member PD’s we’re correct Ratings would be going up would they not Joe?
    I refer you to the Post up the page from Mark.

    Oh and then you might like to look at the Formula used by FOX News as opposed to CNN and MSNBC, that might give you a clue of where the Ratings are.

  15. Oh well I guess I can lend my opinion on the Shift with Drex. First off I agree 100% with Les H and BMCQ. The ad guys can go after the millennial demo till they are blue in the face . Might as well try to sell that demo a Polaroid swinger, a portable record player, a piece of furniture that contains an 8 track player a radio and a BW TV set. All in one convenient council.
    I am going to hold off critiquing The Shift until Ive heard a few episodes. He promises to have regulars on the show. Hopefully they will be some right wing pundits. Kevin Oleary types and if he needs in house guests balance every interview. If he has a the regular crowd that NW uses Davidoff types bring in Micheal Campbell to give a counter balance. If he carries on with the same attitude as he has so far it will be a short shift.
    Real winner in this is Lynda Steele

  16. West End Willie.

    100y.o. white guys…. Said rhetoric here does not surprise me.

    Lets see.

    Starting at 5:30am weekdays:

    John “I may be an older dude but I too can be SJW/lefty too” McComb. Prattles on in circular leftist, look at me be a ‘woke’ SJW, self-loathing white dude. Add blather with his white knights and feminist producers = ho hum in the AM.

    Then we get Simi “I so want to be relevant” Sara. She carries herself as if she has a wider and deeper vision in life and the world, but she is a typical lefty, SJW, feminist too who LOVES to hear herself talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk in her socialist, social justice ideals where she wants ALL OF US TO FEEL HER “I HEART THE CURRENT GROUP/DEMOGRAPHIC OF THE DAY”

    Next up folks we have (had) Drex and Steele. A lefty gay male import from Ausiland who would flog himself on air if he knew he’d get affirmation from his current partner on air, Linda ( I’ll get to her soon), the college age think they know it all and they are quick to tell us such producers and CKNW liberal, hypocrite management. Linda “I try to talk sultry and smooth to hide my wrank feminist illlogic” Steele. Who is also just another female liberal, axe to grind feminist radio host. Girls (oh know did I mis-pronoun her ) like her are really dime a dozen circa 2018.

    Then we get said to be ‘balance’ of Charles Adler. Yes, back in Winterpeg he was the rare voice of commonsense and conservative ideals. In Vancouver the water he now drinks has looked to have him slip towards the liberal even ‘progressive’ left in many ways. Though not a flamer lefty he certainly does not have the bite he once seemed to have a few years ago. Maybe he just punches the time clock now ??? You know, to pick up his pay check and not wrongly rub the hypocrite liberal elites who run Global/CKNW today.

    So West End Wille, where does and in recent years CKNW cater to 100 y.o. white guys today?

  17. Donavan, I think its premature to place Drex in the line up with Burns, Berner and Faux. Yes Roberta Eckfords show was the shift. Its odd that NW would reuse that banner. Oh well , what the eck.

  18. Who’s the PD @ ‘NW these days…Homer Simpson?
    Do they have a clue what demographic they will profit from?
    Drex was solo before..then to save his & L.S.’s bacon, they teamed up..not great but worth a listen now & then.
    Now Drex solo again catering to a much smaller audience..who’s going to advertise on a show like this, besides Bob’s Pet Haven, Jimmy’s Pizza & Ice Cream and Sarah’s Yoga & Meditation..

  19. BMCQ,

    See what you fail to realize is what the advertisers are after and you’re not it. They don’t want old white men pounding on the dashboards yelling at the clouds in the sky. You can have all the money in the world and be the smartest person you know and employed millions of people but to the majority of advertisers they don’t want you. Your brand loyalty is already formed.

    The hardest issue fo the baby boomers to come to terms with is that they are done. There time is up, You may believe that your demo have all the money but you are one step closer to death and when you’re pushing daisies your cash you’ve been hording, your property will go back to FREE PARKING waiting for the thimble to land on it and clean up. You can’t take it with you.

    And radio is doing just fine right across the country. Quite possibly your political views are systemic of your position in life and you are in the minority, but attempting to be the vocal majority.

  20. I find the suit’s espousing Drex’s experience in Australia interesting. I find no evidence of his having worked as a talk show host and I wonder whether his bona fides have been checked out. Also interesting to hear him described as irreverent. If you mean stammering and interrupting with low or no credible info to back up the position, then that’s what they’re going with. There also appears a lack of formal, higher education and a totality of life experience that allows one to peel back the layers of the onion and connect the dots. Simply spewing the obvious is the most common fault with talk show wannabes.

  21. Did anyone notice NWs signal last night? From around 1am till about 4am(thats when I quit checking) the signal was GONZO. So I tuned in C2C on 97.3. Good signal and another great George Noory show. I guess they might have been practicing the shift with drex. Some mornings if I cant pick up 97.3 kiro (maybe komo) Seattle I will listen to Adler. Much like cod liver oil Adler is very hard to take. Difference is the cod liver oil didnt sell its principles to get a job.
    So Sunday night will be the big debut of the Shift. I AM looking forward to the big debut. Having heard Drex when he and Eckford each had their own show it seemed like they each tried to be a bigger SJW than the other. I.f Drex stays true to form it will be easy to find 97.3.
    BUT I will tune in and hope for at least a hint of balance. First sign of Trump bashing and that will be it.

  22. BMCQ,

    Um EACH AND EVERYONE ONE OF US ARE EACH DAY ON STEP CLOSER TO DEATH! What’s your point?

    Businesses cater to established markets for sales and profits. The Boomers ( I’m not one. I’m what would be called an early Gen X ) have crap loads of money to spend and as you inferred less and less time to spend it. They want to enjoy the remaining 15-25-30+ years of their lives. Lots of businesses both longtime running and new ones for the future WANT THEIR MONEY!

    Talk radio is most listened to by people over age 30 and most between 35-65. Lots of money to be peddled too in that demographic. Not so many ears listening in the sub age 30 and they have much less disposable income and what they have is not being spent on sponsors of talk radio.

    When they get into their mid 30’s and many develop an inquiring mind as to life, politics, economics and current affairs they will likely tune more into talk radio. I consider myself as an anomaly by listening rather heavily to talk radio (CKNW, KGO, then CJOR and later in the 90’s CBC Radio 1) in my teens and 20’s. I’ve always been a political junkie, current affairs and history buff, so talk radio fit for me growing up. But 9/10 of my known peers did not really listen to talk radio as I did in my teens and 20’s.

  23. Err sorry my last post was to POCO JOE not BMCQ

    POCO is missing the point, I made it clear above. Under 30 y.o. today have little care for politics, current affairs and economics short of the socialist shite they were taught in school and if so post secondary by the pollution of leftist teachers and professors.

    Marx was a lazy SOB who helped by such to starve 4 of his children to death. Che Guevara WAS A SCUMBAG KILLER! who rots in Hell. So to was the bastards Castro, Mao, Stalin, Lenin, Polpots, Hugo Chavez and all leftist commie bastards. Only fools and the willfully ignorant champion these aholes who have about 200milion deaths on their collective hands. As well as fools who buy the sold utopia of socialism/communism… IT’S A LIE AND ALWAYS ENDS AS A DISTOPIC NIGHTMARE!

  24. Les H

    Let alone what is going on in Venezuela as of the past 10 years or so!

    Talk about a Distopic Nightmare!

    One of the Largest Proven Oil and Gas Reserves in the World, Chavez and now Madura have destroyed the Country and its Economy and the Poor Innocent People are so desperate they are eating Zoo Animals, Pets, and resorting to running down Domestic Livestock with Rocks and Machetes.

    Perhaps CKNDP (NW) SJW Drex can have Madura on as a regular guest along with Poco Joe, that would play really well with the Demographic they are seeking.

    Who was it that said, “Socialism works well until you run out of other people’s Money”!

    BTW, what kind of a name is Drex for a Pudgy mid fifties White Guy? Who does he think he is, Cher, Oprah, Bono?

  25. Les H,

    Unpack your baggage and stay for a while, wait I believe you just did. So by your admission then, the educated are the enemy of the people, all that shite they’re learning up there in them fancy learning places is wrecking the common man. Let’s keep em stupid reading their bibles and the lord’s word and be fearful of tradition or rot in hell like Che. Please understand that your perspective on radio is just that, and the you may not reflect what is really going on. Remember someone a lot smarter than either of us once said, there is no absolute truth, it’s a matter of perspective.

    and BMCQ, radio as an industry as a whole is just fine in Canada, your re absolutely correct, AM radio is in trouble and has been since the 80’s. But as whole talk radio has to change as does the world. What I am saying is that you can’t control how the radio business operates its relationship with advertisers and if you’re over 55, you’re too old for what they want.

  26. Pcoc Joe

    I have attached something YOU and the Programming Genius’s at CKNDP and a few other AM Radio Stations might consider of interest.

    https://www.immersionactive.com/resources/24-stats-marketers-need-to-know-about-baby-boomers-in-2017/

    https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2017/07/17/economy-still-all-who-else-boomers/476908001/

    https://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-bradbury/the-7-incredible-facts-about-boomers-spending_b_6815876.html

    Now if I was a Mensa Member PD from NW and I happened to read the attached pieces all from different sources I might think twice about my “Failed Strategy” when it comes to attracting the advertising Dollars and Listeners.

    Would you not think that there is just a little logic to my argument that those over say 45 might have a Dollar or two to spend?

    My Company is an oddity, we are a B.C. Manufacturer that exports our Manufactured Product to virtually ever Coastal location in ALL of the Free World that has Boats, Ships, and Docks.

    Most of the Consumers of our Product that actually own Boats and Yachts and Ships and Tugs, and other Commercial Vessels happen to be Baby Boomers, imagine that.

    We are not attempting to market our Products to those under say 35 that live in their Mommies Basements and have no interests other than Facebook Twitter, and Video Games.

    Again those same under 35’s DO NOT purchase Roofs, King Carpet, Sierra Syl, BMW, Metro Ford, Sidewalks, Trail Appliances, Fireplaces, and the rest.

    How difficult is it for you to figure this out?

    Those including the PD at NW that do not get this need some Sunshine in their life, I suggest they Draw Back the Curtains in their Bedroom in their Mommies Basement. I also suggest that they open the Window and let in some Fresh Air, it may assist in the thinking process.

    Again, the facts Speak for themselves. Don’t they?

    I REPEAT, what AM Radio PD are doing now DOES NOT WORK!!

  27. Yeah…..Drex – Mr All white men are NAZI white supremacist while walker white nationalists – is going to replace Coast to Coast AM…..

    More LOST ad revenue for CORUS…….

  28. CKNW has gone full lib, and disgustingly so. I heard a Terry Shintz,chintz,whincz. whatever his name is on Sini(allNDP all the time) Sara the other day say that Donald Trump spends most of his time watching television and playing golf. The fake news of this sneering ignoramus was stunning. Donald Trump must be the most hardworking President the US has seen tin decades. And he has done much for his country and taken nothing but brickbats from leftist idiots like this supposed reporter. CKNW is becoming insufferable. Jon Mccomb is as bad.

  29. Also.. This Drec fool said to a woman who called in to say something positive about Trump, to”Just shut up”, and cut her off. These clowns don’t seem to know that a huge percentage of their audience don’t think like them.

  30. I believe that from the top down at NW they actually puke endless liberal left dribble on purpose. They get a twofer. They pander to the left leaning diversified dimwits that cant see the crosswalk for the rainbow. Secondly they constantly piss off a large portion of right minded sound thinkers that understand that Trudeau is a moron and Trump is a great president. Drex is pretty transparent and he would tell a woman to just shut up. He will bluster away with zero facts on his side. He doesnt let anyone with a point of view ever get the last word as he just cuts them off. This technique makes idiots think that drex is open minded. Not so. He is simply using right wing callers to make fun of . Hes a bit of an ineffective bully by design. Not really a shock jock but as close as he will ever come.
    Simiwill take the most idiotic government program and spout it out like its carved in stone. When a caller points out that everyone that called in has told you the mobility pricing that the experts have rolled out is BS she backs down for a moment then spews again. She creates controversy
    McComb also has also drank a gallon of LGs koolaid. He manages to be as balanced as he can but still likes to jump on the bash Trump band wagon.
    Point is the whole bunch keep spewing the rhetoric hoping that we keep calling the buzz line . That keeps the PD happy and they understand that we keep listening . Sooner or later we wont bother with them anymore.

  31. BCMQ,

    It is not for me to figure out, stop typing and start reading objectively. I don’t make the rules of advertising. I am just stating the facts. What you are asking for is a complete re write of how business is conducted to suit your needs and it doesn’t happen that way.

    So while at your Mensa meeting make your suggestions to the ‘NW PD or even better call the GM and tell him/her that what they are doing is all wrong and you have the golden secret how they can maximize revenues while over achieving ratings. If you have a sound business case I can guarantee you that they’ll be all ears. The next time the posting comes up I suggest you apply for the position. If you have a better way present your case or sell it to them.

    So how much money do you spend on radio targeting your product to boomers all over the west coast? I’ll bet not much.

    I don’t care if NW have a political lean one way or another, and if it opposes your value set then it’s probably a pre set target to get you going.

  32. Pcoc Joe.

    Your remarks are bang on. Thank-you for the refreshing comment. Previous noise confuse content with business model. I am sure they have all line-up and waited in the lobby to personally voice the above opinions to a GM or PD. You sir sound like you have been in the radio game. Other posts stink of peanut gallery. Bravo good sir. Finally a post that puts them all in box and is filed under “have no clue” Have a wonderful day.

  33. BMCQ.

    [Who was it that said, “Socialism works well until you run out of other people’s Money”!]

    I recall it was PM Margaret Thatcher who coined that phrase, and she was 100% correct.

    But tell any lefty, Che lovin, socialist about that sorry case of Venezuela today and they will say this.

    “But that’s not real socialism.”

    GAWD if I had a $1.00 for every time a socialist stooge has said that I’d be a rich man.

    I recall Donald Trump said something of the matter that Venezuela proves socialism works as designed, in that it destroys nations and societies.

  34. POCO Joe,

    Oh there is truth, don’t buy that it’s all just perspective. Truth in life on many things is quite evident. Perspective is a term often used to dupe and deceive. Post Modernists for one rely on perspective… THEIR OWN PERSPECTIVE! as perverted and untruthful it may be.

    Of course there is the great slush box of life too, not all things are merely black and white, but just as black and white exists, so too does truth. The shades of grey do open us up to a greater debate but not all things are debatable, many things are factual and true.

    Every Socialist/Commie advocate and notably leaders of said cause over the last 100 years were tyrants, with lust for power to only exploit and purge societies. They may have believed at first in the spun utopia of Marxist Socialism but they all succumbed to its distopia and eventual rivers of blood mixed among the tears, sweat and crushed bones of human suffering. THAT IS THE TRUTH!

  35. As imperfect and screwy as the socalled western developed world of general free markets, free enterprise is, I ask this.

    NORTH KOREA
    SOUTH KOREA.

    Given the choice which one would any person here want to live in?

    Just as ‘Sh*thole’ countries, There are many, the list is long, Notably most of Africa, Central America and yes Haiti.

    Given the only choice offered to anyone here,

    NORWAY
    HAITI

    Which would you want to live in, or send to live say your college age daughter if you have one?

    ANY SANE PERSON KNOWS THE PROPER ANSWERS TO BOTH QUESTIONS!

    There was a time when Rhodesia existed and it along with South Africa were the jewels of Africa. Today and for 40+ years Rhodesia became Zimbabwe and it has been a sh*thole since.

    Today South Africa is fast becoming a sh*thole too. The leader of its 3rd largest political party holds rallies among tens of thousands of black South Africans and he calls for the genocide of all whites in S.A.

    YES SH*THOLES EXIST! President Trump even if he did say that, would be 100% correct.

    BTW it was not racist, only the left/Dems turned it to race (if they gave medals out for identity politics in the USA the Democrats would win GOLD 100% of the time). El-Salvador the most violent nation on Earth is over 80% white in demographics… STICK THAT IN YOUR EAR YOU ANTI-TRUMPERS AND VIRTUE SIGNALLING LEFTISTS!

  36. Hi tim murphy. Appreciate your professional opinion on radio and how misunderstood the genius that runs NW is. Odd that those that have no idea about the inner sanctum out number the in crowd at about 10 to 1. So Ill put my dough on the 9 non experts that seem to know bad radio when they HEAR IT. To yourself and the rest (very very few) that are experts in radio demographics and programming, good luck.

  37. Les H

    Yes, it was Thatcher!

    Rhodesia, once the Bread Basket of a whole Continent!

    As to Sh*t Holes?
    I find it rather odd that SJW types are 100% against deporting Illegal Migrants many with Felony Convictions back to Countries like El Salvador, Haiti, and the rest because they are concerned about the Safety of those Deportees yet when DJT refers to the Countries as Sh*t Holes those same SJW criticize him. How does one square that Circle?

    The only Cards the Snowflake Dems have to play now are the “Race Card” and the “Sexist Card” and those are being overplayed to such a degree that no one is paying much attention to them anymore.

    Whites and Good People of various other Races are fleeing South Africa as quickly as they can. I have a highly skilled CNC Tech doing work in my Company On a regular basis that came from S.A. With his Family last year. They are a great addition to Canada and we are lucky to have them here.

    BTW – the Countries with the Largest Muslim Population in the World are Indonesia-and India and Citizens from those Countries Are NOT on the U.S. Travel Ban List! Dems never seem to point that very important fact out in their “Talking Points “ when On CNN.

    Can I be confident that Drex will bring that up on his very first Show on CKNDP Late Night?

    Unfortunately I will not be listening.

  38. Les H,

    You’re delirious. Take the whole pill and don’t break it in half.

    You should be teaching at SFU or UBC, it’d be refreshing to have you speak on the evils of edumacation and making people smart. You’ll like this quote, “heaven help the educated, that schooling is the devil’s work”.

    But please keep typing so you can prove your point even more, really it is fun.

    Tell us a little more how us liberals with that fancy education are gonna rot in commie hell.

    I bid you fair adieu!

    Poco Joe now go.

  39. Hello Poco. I have often found that people that boast (brag if you prefer) about their education are a bit insecure. I hope your alias doesnt indicate that you reside in Port Coquitlam as I used to live their and I remember that their public sector workers (okay only one worker) were very adept at ordering extra supplies then selling them on the side. The worker was caught yet for some strange reason (likely an investigation would have turned of a lot of municipal corruption) was not prosecuted. Yes PoCo is a great place to be from

  40. I just retired from CHQR (QR77 or Global) as the callers always say…. a faithful longtime listener. Been listening to CHQR for many years and because of all the recent changes I have been searching for a new home on my dial. Radio I can relate with- a good friend to keep me company

    Because of a cumulation of a new boring morning show with a host who is either terrified of taking any risks or is told not too. Who gives a sh*t about celebrity birthdays and most of the beige fluffy topics and interviews your doing. If I wanted to watch TV, then I will turn on my TV. I detest the simulcast of boring Breakfast & evening TV news and crappy weekend programming. I stopped listening to the talk shows pretty much since Rutherford. The times I listened to Daniel she was interesting but I can’t ever get past the fact she is responsible for our current NDP disaster of a government by crossing the floor because she was afraid and had no faith in herself. Rob Breckenridge is just plain awful and I’m sure the root cause to many suicides by depressed listeners. Angela is a snore and safe, the perfect co-host for Gord.

    You see I liked Coast to Coast and I would flip on the radio in the wee hours when I couldn’t sleep and if I was interested in the topic I would keep it on. Most of the time I fell asleep but I liked the show. The loss of Coast to Coast and the Old Radio Shows demonstrates clearly to me they think they have to change everything. I know competing Bell Media controls the distribution of Coast and that the Corus minions could never pay a competitor for programming. Yesterday I purchased a new Bluetooth speaker system with remote control and installed it in my bedroom. Now I stream Coast to Coast from my computer to my bedroom and I’m back in business. I guess I should give Drex a chance but I won’t. Screw you Corus.

    This new overnight show with Drex is being sold as a Canadian perspective. Hell if I want Canadian perspectives all I have to do is listen to CBC. Funny I should bring this up. So over the past week I have been listening to CBC on the morning and afternoon drives with no commercials which is a nice bonus. There are times I have cursed and switched back to QR- but I do find myself switching back to CBC. Undecided. 50/50 so far.

    I wonder what else I can find on this new streaming radio I just discovered? Oh look- I have Cirrus on my truck radio. $15 per month and I can listen to whatever I want with no commercials . Thats interesting ….

    Bye Bye QR77 or Corus Radio or Global crossbreed or whatever you think you are. To quote Kevin O’Leary – “get out here- your dead to me”.

  41. I think Chris hit the nail on the head with his description of what radio means to him.” Radio I can relate with a good friend to keep me company”.
    George Noory fits that need to a tee. His ability to communicate with ALL callers is unparalleled.
    From the truly spaced out to the most interesting to some of the simplest callers each and everyone of them is treated by George with the utmost respect. My gut feeling is that Drex has a “style” that is quite different than Mr Noorys.

  42. 13

    May I suggest you, Les H, and all the so called posting radio experts book an appointment with the GM and PD of the NW radio station. Arrive early to go over in your head the years of experience you all have of flipping a radio dial.

    Walk in, close the door and grab a seat.

    Start by indicating how big your pointer fingers are. “This finger must have at least 30 years of dial changing experience good sir”. Make sure you point that finger in their faces, make sure you raise your voices and stomp your feet (yelling always is a great way to get your point across) Make sure you indicate how your many years of flipping that dial have given you the right to indicate how a “private business” should be run. You must be exhausted, give that pointer finger a break man. Make sure you indicate what content should be expressed on that “private business” radio station. Make sure you insult and name call as well, that really ups your point making. Tell’em how this world should be run, tell them how you are doing it all wrong, tell them what people should be listening too. That’s right gentleman, the floor shall be yours. Tell them how this world is all wrong and NW is to blame. Tell them how they should train the staff, what spots should run, what stories should be in what order. Who should be on the air. Better yet, ask them what time YOU and Les H are starting and what you are going to say on that “privately run radio station”

    “Mr GM and PD, let us on the air with our ideas and name calling. We have it all figured out”

    As I said in my previous post …no clue.

  43. Poco Joe,

    Delusional??? Not all liberals are commies. Classic liberalism is not what current liberalism is today. But more espoused liberals today are blind SJW’s, nutty 3rd wave feminists and out right hypocrites especially to what were once more classic liberal ideals. Most current liberals are socialistic to communistic. 93% of US college professors (it’s probably similar in Canada and most western nations today) identify as socialist to outright communist and this has been a growing trend for 40+ years.

    1960’s peace/love hippies came to the 70’s either grew up, got jobs/careers, started businesses and got married to start good families… Or they stayed in their pinko hippie ideals and got into govt. bureaucracy, mainstream liberal media or public education up to the university level to spew their leftist (disguised as liberalism, Ronald Reagan at the 1964 Republican convention said that would happen) now having spawned two generations of even more rabid SJW’s and pinko loving kin folk.

    OBTW, for much of my adult life I too fell into the liberal/progressive camp. I was not bat shit crazy but I was center-left on most issues. The indoctrination of me was partly public education, but I was graduated before it became a leftist mental indoctrination camp and baby sitter. But I fell into leftist/liberal media, news and talk radio as a big push to my many years of centre-left ideals. THANK GOD I DID NOT LOSE TOTAL CRITICAL THOUGHT PROCESSES!!! as again was not a bat shit crazy, liberal, virtue signaler (though I did my fair share of such) and social protagonist. I did have moments of lots of I HEART [input any noted by their crying victim group name here].

    Pretty well most liberal/social justice ideals championed over the last 30+ years I either was indoctrinated to embrace or at minimum passively supported out of often some form of self back patting virtue signaling.

    IT WAS NOT AN EASY THING TO CRACK! God help me if I would have been an over the top nut on liberalism and social justice activities. I’d may then still have still been a modern liberal with a look at me HEART others.

    But my waking to reality land started slowly about 3-4 years ago and the 2016 US Presidential campaign with the MSM smear campaign on President Trump and its love fest for the horrible hag H.R. Clinton, well and OH YEAH HATE OF WHITE MALES, while MSM put every non-white, non-Christian group into 24/7 crying oppression. Toss in our nation electing Trudeau a virtue signaling leftist who loved Castro and praised China’s government while he said many stupid things such as “CANADA HAS NO CULTURE!”

    Well proverbial bright lights started going of in my head and I saw how the left 100% of the time GOES TO IDENTITY POLITICS! Add that they are 100% BIG GOVERNMENT tax and spend and anti-freedom, well I could not stand being in said camp anymore. I SAW THE LIGHT! and I hated what I saw and for long time more or less supported a lot of it.

    I refuse now leftism, liberalism , SJW’s, Feminism and all weak men/betas who carry water for this shite. Those who say they care but by actions do not and do not support general freedoms and human values.

    I accept we have some social responsibilities, we have a place for government, but I want limited government. I want government that does not play cronyism and does not support corporatism (which BTW is not capitalism). I realize the right plays such crap too but I see the left baths in such crap. Limiting government makes cronyism and corporatism harder to do.

    I live as much as I can in reality land today and not airy fairy, pixi dust, rainbows, post modernist, social justice whining, utopia promising socialism.

    Socialists and collectivists of all stripes promise us all utopia tomorrow if we all just stick to their plan, but tomorrow is always just one day away.

  44. Hi tim.
    Thanks for your advice once again. I have a simple way to deal with the program director. Turn the radios tuner to another station.
    Seems quite a few listeners have done just that

  45. timmy
    While your assertion that NW will be there long after I am gone is correct, what about Larry Gifford? What ever became of Ian koernexpress and Tom Plasteras? Working in radio seems to me (an outsider ) like being a coach for a pro team.
    And when it comes to pointing a finger and calling people names I think youve confused me with someone else. So once again thanks for your advice, its always so helpful.

  46. In this day and age of switching radio stations being as easy as ordering your smartphone to do it you really don’t have to waste your time thinking about an appointment with the PD of the station. Just switch stations and dispose of them like a used kleenex. Don’t waste any more effort thinking about it.

  47. Not a bad start for the new program. Lots of little things that can be fine-tuned over time. Those who hearken back to the days when Noory took over C2C from Art Bell will remember that it took a long time for the replacement to grow into the format. Sure, this program isn’t fully “national” but it potentially reaches a significant fraction of the Canadian population. Kudos to Corus et al for giving it a shot. I think Drex will actually be a good fit.

  48. Yes, a solid start for sure. I could hear the excitement and confidents in Drex’s voice when he first cracked the mic! Great open line interaction for sure; it was a cool treat to be Drex’s first caller.

  49. Outside of the west coast, the program doesn’t really have the pick of the crop with callers from the east. The only people calling into radio shows at 3 in the morning are either insomniacs who are sick of watching TV infomercials for pressure cookers or someone who is unemployed with lots of time on their hands and no money in the bank to spend on sponsor products. C2C has larger scale and started at a reasonable time on the East Coast so could claim good demographics.

  50. I started reading the comments on this topic and finally had had ENOUGH!!! It became a self-indulgent parade between roughly three people who sometimes agreed or disagreed with one another. And they weren’t very nice to the people involved in the story itself. The PD, Drex Linda and Simi work for a living and work very hard for that income. TAKE A PILL and leave room for other people to have their opinion uploaded.
    Oh, don’t get me started on all the people who miss C2C. That show died years ago. It just wouldn’t lie down.
    Now, let’s agree to give Drex some time on the air overnight to make his mark or not.
    Thank you.

  51. Going to miss Those Old Radio Shows. I know I can find them online but it won’t be the same. I have been tuning in since the mid-90’s at 11:00 pm if my middle-aged memory serves me right.

  52. I agree with you, Larry! It was a fun month of overnight filler programming, which reminded me of what ‘NW used to play prior to C2C, and of course who could forget Lights Out on Rock101? That being said, as much of a fan I am of OTR, a live talk show is much more relevant. Not to go too off-topic here, but I’ve spent the past few weeks listening on my new Amazon Echo device, flipping between NW and QR in Calgary, sometimes also Ched in Edmonton (which carried the same feed as Calgary). I couldn’t help but notice the quality of the OTR programs was a lot crisper e.g. less hiss and crackle on the Alberta stations, complete with pre-recorded intros leading into each segment. CKNW must have just run some of Jack Cullen’s old library without tweaking the sound.

  53. Terry

    When were you appointed “The Opinion Police”?

    I do not speak for PSR but last time I looked this was an Opinion Forum open to argument, discussion, and debate.

    There is plenty of room for anyone to add their opinion or theory to the discussion, as a matter of fact you just did that. Did you not? Were you restricted or impeded from stating your point of view? Please explain you statement about leaving other people room, I do not quite get that.

    Personally I am not a big fan of Many in Media and I am not a big fan of Patriot Head Coach Belichik, am I not allowed to state that? Belichik May be the hardest working in Sport but that does not mean I need to like what he represents,

    I believe many people work hard in their chosen field, does that mean they are good at their job? Does that mean that if I disagree with them that I am wrong?

    Fortunately we still live in a Democracy and if you don’t like someone in Media or any other Vocation you are entitled to your opinion.

    It is very obvious to me that several contributors here feel that the PD and some On Air Personalities Have an Agenda, why would my opinion concern you?

    Argue or debate the point if you wish but please do not come here to tell others to “Take a Pill” that is not part of your job description.

    Hell I may agree with you next week on any given topic, should someone then come on this Blog and suggest that we are stifling the opinion of others?

    I suggest that YOU think about taking that Pill and let others that care to partake in an exchange of opinions and ideas fill their boots.

    I wish Drex well, that is the least that any of us can do. BTW I must admit I do not get the name, seems odd for an Adult in his 50’s. Is there a significance to that?

  54. Well I see that a few more voices of support have appeared. Still a disproportionate number of people that remember how good NW was compared to those that like what NW has become.
    I dont get the pill thing. Blue red or otherwise.
    Agree with BMCQ that even the most jaded among us wish and even hope for this venture to be successful for Drex. I listened to a couple of hours last night and I will listen again tonight .

    Sorry Mr Bell but this entire conversation erupted when NW (dropped C2C) I realize that you told us we have to forget that C2C existed, that C2C died some time ago. I enjoyed that program and it appears that many others also listened and enjoyed the show. The one thing Ive noticed and will give Drex credit for is his tactful handling of callers that open with ” I was a long time listener of C2C” Drex does not compare his show to C2C he simply thanks them for tuning in. A touch of class. I think it was John Daly the other day that asked Drex if he was going to tackle UFOs. Drex deflected with a quick ” we will talk about a variety”.
    Enough defending Drex, Ill tune in and hope for the best. Where the hell are my pills?

  55. Nothing personal against Drex, I have listened now for a couple nights and I want my COAST TO COAST back. I realize ROUNDHOUSE RADIO has picked up COAST2Coast but can’t pick them up in White Rock. I actually got Coast to Coast the other night from KGO in San Fran. Must have been a damn clear night.

  56. Ok! Now would you “pretenders” please “park it” and give “now” a chance and “yesterday” a gravesite, for which the gravestone might read, “forget me, I’m gone forever”.

  57. Okay Mr. Bell. I’ll take you up on your offer give you an opinion. Long, long time NW listener living in Surrey. Who has been partaking less and less of NW over the last while. Used to have NW on all day at my Shop. No longer. Got tired of listening to the Leftist BS. Used to enjoy listening to Coast2Coast on NW at night in bed. I still listen to Coast2Coast but not on NW. Now Thanks to technology, I now only have to say , Alexa. Play CFAX 1070 Radio.
    As to Drex. I have heard more than enough of him to form a dislike. I turned him off during the day, a long time ago.
    And Mr Bell. If George’s show died years ago?????

    https://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/166411/coast-to-coast-am-host-george-noory-re-ups-long-te

    Coast To Coast AM’ Host George Noory Re-Ups Long-Term Deal With Premiere Networks
    June 6, 2017 at 3:14 AM (PT)
    PREMIERE NETWORKS has reach an exclusive long-term agreement with GEORGE NOORY to renew and extend his relationship with the company. NOORY will continue his current role as host of “COAST TO COAST AM,” the most-listened-to overnight radio program in NORTH AMERICA, with a weekly audience of nearly three million on more than 600 radio stations across the U.S.

  58. Scruffie

    Well said!

    Thanks for the attachment, thanks for the opinion, thanks for the info on the extended Noory Contract, and thanks to Alexa!

  59. Scruffie, thank you for pointing out the obvious. NW has become left wing anti conservative and fiscally cheap. If you think of the list of radio personalities that have retired, been fired or died you would be hard pressed to find a SJW among them
    Bill Good
    Neal Mcrea
    Frosty
    Rafe
    Webster
    Berner
    Faux
    Christie Clark
    Till
    and many many more. You take an organization and make a hard left turn like NW Corus Shaw have done and then some wonder why the push back on an internet blog????
    Look at the “Popular Articles This Month” go back and look into the PSR archives. Anything to do with CKNW gets A LOT of attention. People care. People want what has been taken away. People are not happy with the new direction the station has gone.
    So to those that keep telling us that we dont know what were talking about, perhaps your correct that we are not in the buisness. We dont know all of the logistics, and we dont know all of the insiders. All we know is that a very successful radio station has changed. It has lost many listeners. It is a shadow of what we the non pros once were entertained by and listened to day in and day out. Were just the audience. Chilliwacks lyrics sum it all up
    Without an audience their aint no show

  60. 13,

    What are the real results like, ratings and financials? The only ones that matter.

    Based on your observation, one could conclude that their ratings are highest with older people and a hard demo to sell. So if they want to attract younger listeners then they’ll have to appeal to them.

    No different than adjusting a music format, like when Andy changed the format to rock n roll and all the old people showed up protesting the change. Heck no, we won’t go. Remember when Johnny Fever said, I’ve killed a lot of old people in my day.

  61. PoCo, step one to attract a younger audience to am radio. Buy thousands of radios and have them handed out on the last day of school. Explain that they cant play games or talk or text or really do anything except listen to them. Patiently explain that their isnt a screen so quit looking for it.

    As for Drex and his shift, Im outraged. I am confused. I cant stand the shoulder music. I havent thrown in the towel yet but its hard to keep on listening

  62. I would love to have Sterling back. Spent many nights out in my garage with him and Dan Russell. Why don’t sports shows have open lines anymore? Open lines is the only thing that Drex may be doing right.

  63. 13,

    Trolling the millennials, even Gen X’ers to listen to their fathers/grandfathers style of talk radio is a silly business case. The younger generation don’t need radios, producers of quality streams will find a home on smart phones like podcasts of good relevant content have. If owners continue to think like they have been, radio as a medium will end up like blockbuster.

    I understand your frustration, your station has changed significantly and they no longer speak to you. I am gonna suggest the they are not going back to where they were.

    It is the circle of life, the kids of today who we raised in play groups are left/green leaning so to reach them the talk has to be relevant. They are now in the driver seat and the older crowd are on the outside looking back.

  64. Yes, sure the “Kids are in the Drivers Seat”, sure.
    And Barack Obama is still President, HRC will soon be President, the Canucks are Stanley Cup Favourites, and Bruce Jenner is going to make a comeback in the next Summer Olympics!!

    How difficult is it to understand and realize that those under 35 DO NOT Listen to Radio?

    CKNDP (NW) are after a Demographic that is unreachable for them in any format.

    Who needs the Facts when you have uninformed opinions, correct?

    I would like to comment more here but the Temp here is about to reach 84 F today and I need to get to the Beach. Interesting enough I rarely see those under 35 years old Swimming, relaxing on the Sand or playing Beach or Water Sports.

    I am told they have no Money to travel to Hawaii, Can’t Swim, Can’t Surf, Can’t Play Volleyball, Can’t Golf, and Can’t Boat because the Sun and Surf causes Skin Rash.

    Then to top it all off they cannot read their Screens very well on the Beach even sitting under an Umbrella because of the Glare of the Sun!!

    “Ain’t Life a Beach”!!

    The Good News is in another 20 to 30 years those under 35 will be the Beneficiaries of some very sizeable Estates!

    But then they still will not be able to travel to Hawaii for reasons already pointed out!!

    But then think again of the Fancy New screens they will be able to afford!!

    YIKES!

  65. BCMQ,

    I love it when the self appointed experts make blanket statements about things they have no knowledge of. You come across as a an expert with little background.
    I ask you, what source do you quote when you say no one under 35 listens to radio. What is your source or is it your opinion and that of the others gathered around the bridge table. If you are correct then one observer may think that if you are correct then it may be because radio is targetted to old people.

    Things need to change or radio will go the way of the photomart in the corner of the mall parking lot. From a casual observer I applaud with CKNW are doing, its smart. Your issue is that you lost your radio station. While in Hawaii why not dial up Rush or another dashboard pounding host yelling at clouds.

    And yes they are in the drivers seat and it is a matter of time before we see who the new president will be, but we all doubt it’ll be Donald Trump.

    Now I’m off to the beach cause I can and if you still have good eye sight you can see your screen easily on the beach. It’s better when u have an Apple phone with the retinal thing.

  66. So as not to offend any Station Managers or PD’s reading this, I will clearly state I am not an expert nor have I ever been responsible to make a radio station profitable. But I do have my educated opinions and observations and a considerable amount of experience in real business entities to support my comments.

    What I am hearing in this thread is a considerable amount of fear being expressed. Fear that Radio is dying right behind the newspapers. Fear that some of your livelihoods are being threatened. I’m sorry to say, but in my opinion, your right, your fears are justified. Radio is dying. More like being killed off.

    It’s something us old timers grew up with and liked over the years. We remember when it made us laugh or cry or remember good times or yell at the dashboard because it touched a nerve. No longer is that the case. It bores me for the most part and I have a craving for the better days. It seems theres nothing intimate or personal anymore when everything is designed to be non specific as to not disclose the presenter is in another city or voice tracked two weeks ago. Radio has had it’s time and now it’s morphed into big buck machines for national corporate shareholders. No longer is it our friend, our companion that was with us when working in the garage at night or sitting at home alone on a Saturday night, or lying on the beach in the sun or driving to Regina or Great Falls. It’s rare to find radio today with any real talented entertaining people (expensive) who’s sense of humour’s or levels of risqué kept us saying “Oh my” and wondering how they keep their jobs. Yes old fashioned radio.

    Yes we have lost our stations and we are pissed that the corporate leaders put more faith into the
    opinions of consultants who are only out to line their own pockets with no accountability in the end. “Our reports states you should change your format to attract the younger demographics. This way those flash in the pan hip advertisers can hear their name on the radio and will spend big bucks for that fleeting pleasure before they go out of business after 6 months of buying reach blocks they couldn’t afford. ” The cheques cleared and the consultants are long gone by the time corporate discovers it’s not working and to save face blame the talent and the PD. Look another format change and a new PD and Morning Crew.

    Any business, a radio stations, restaurant or a mall will go out of business once the customer smells fear or senses a negative change. Have you ever watched your favourite restaurant die a slow death because they started to cut back and serve smaller portions or start cutting items on the menu? Items that made them successful in the first place. The great staff are gone and the nice plant in the corner is dead and the owner doesn’t care anymore. You stop going there because it’s not the same anymore. Oh look, a new Dollar Store took over the space that used to be my favourite restaurant.

    Oh look, digital streaming has taken over my favourite radio station.

  67. To the point
    Drex and the shift do not hold a candle to Noory and Coast 2 Coast. And guess what? I can still listen to C2C and all the youngsters can tune in Drex and the shift.
    I tried and failed to acquire a taste for bad radio.
    3 million listeners cant all be wrong.

  68. Just read up the PSR page that Bob Addison has been hired to produce The Shift starting Feb 11.
    Mr Addison was the producer of one of my favorite NW shows. David Berner. The two of them obviously had great chemistry as they talked on air and it was entertaining as hell. I look forward to hearing The Shift with Addisons finger prints all over it.

  69. Hi poco
    If you have a couple of seconds to spare google top rated radio programs. The list is interesting and has a very conservative component. Lists and numbers.

  70. Pcoc

    You are attempting to defend your argument when there is no basis to it.

    Your Argument is specious at best.

    You are like everyone else, entitled to your own opinion but you are not entitled to your “Own Set of Facts”!

  71. It is bordering on the obscene to mention Dreck with the same breath as Pat Burns. I worked with Pat and Dreck isn’t fit to wash his soiled shorts. He is well placed however with those other has-beens David Berner, and Stirling Faux. The latter is so appropriately named.

    I suspect Dreck has air-checks out across the country since his big demotion.

    One thing though, he does personify all that is now wrong with CKNW.

  72. The upside to all of this has been the improvement to the Lynda Steele show. She is showing everyone that she is quite capable of hosting the pm drive all on her own. The guest co host novelty is fun and will likely run its course but shes a okay all on her own. As long as the PD doesnt notice that she is not in the tank for the NDP and actually might be a teeny bit of a anti crime pro punishment voice she will continue to grow her audience.

  73. Im sorry Bud but I heard Drex in an interview and it is certainly not a demotion. I believe he was on holidays and he pitched the idea to corus and they were smitten with his idea.. Its a national show you know. Head to head with C2C across the country. So it seems that from 7pm till 2am NW is National radio. Its a big deal ,you know.

  74. 13 well, we will see. The numbers will determine his fate, that and the ability to attract advertisers. I give him 6 months max and then the Blunder From Down Under will be back looking for work in Van Diemen’s land. In any even, my ears won’t be among those being abused by the sod.

  75. Tuned into his show a few nights ago and it sounds like its starting to take on a midday format with topics like how do you like your Doritos.

    Sort of like the Simi Sara show with a huskier voice and an Aussie accent.

  76. Good to hear a new or different intro theme/music for tonight’s show. Not sure if that is coincident with the arrival of new producer Bob Addison. And good to hear him on air at 11:05 pm this evening.

  77. Bud , I tried and obviously failed to be sarcastic with my comments about Drex. Unless his new producer can turn water into wine that show is doomed. Now news watcher has pointed out that one of the first impediments to tuning in to listen to “The Shift” has been removed. The intro music was horrendous. I would turn the volume down for a couple of minutes to protect my hearing from the most bizarre and unappealing intro Ive ever had the displeasure or misfortune of being subjected to. Nothing beat loathing a show because of the horrible assault on your ears.
    So far the shift has been one blunder after another. Or if I may the blunder from down under.

  78. Last night’s program, the first apparently under the control of producer Addison, appeared to be mistake free. The intro music/theme was “infinitely” better. Also, the host announced that a new station was coming on board, in Kamloops. I missed the beginning of that segment so I’m not sure if it is NL.

  79. Looks like the program is settling down and attracting a following. Certainly the naysayers have backed away. I’m hearing callers who are complimentary of the program and who appear to welcome an overnight Canadian talk show. Who knows, maybe the CBC will follow suit and drop its overnight foreign station rebroadcasts in favour of a competing talk show.

  80. Its amazing that Mr Addison is managing to make Drex bearable. Sadly you can only do so much and if Addison had a better host and a show with a bigger budget he would probably be able to make a legitimate run at other late night programs.
    Still news watcher is right . Its better than it was.

  81. Dare I add that CKNW, overall, is morphing into an improved talk station? I think it is. There are still too many inexperienced news readers, too many repeated program segment, and too many scuzzy infomercials but on balance the station is well ahead of where it was over the past five or so years. The McComb and Steel shows are solid, and as noted above, the all-night talker could become a winner. The Adler segment is solid as well.

  82. News watcher, I stumbled upon a very interesting web site called Vancouver Broadcasters. From A to Z. It has a photo and a short bio of enough different past and present radio and TV people to keep you amused for hours.
    I did note that more than a couple of NWs current staff are fresh out of BCIT. I always was under the impression that when you got your diploma from BCIT you went to the hinterland and someday you might work in Vancouver for a top notch operation.
    This was before I learned just how incredibly cheap Shaw/ Corus is.

  83. Vancouver Broadcasters is a wonderful resource. Very professional. It’s an adjunct to nwbroadcasters.com . Yes, so many of the ‘NW news readers are newcomers. And unfortunately it frequently shows. A relatively recent addition was making one mistake, or hesitation, in each sentence of a newscast. It was very difficult to the listen to that segment.

  84. Drex will be a hex to Corus Radio. With Coast to Coast gone along with the UFOs and Bigfoot, I thought this is great, looking forward to a welcome change and what do we get: Drex—the hostess with the leastess. He has a poor grasp of the facts and the state of the world and his topics are like some afternoon women’s chatty talk show. Drex you gotta go!!

  85. bob, your being a little hard on our drex. Just kidding you have pretty much encapsulated the whole “shift”.
    Couple of nites ago drex proclaimed Jesus Christ to be a lie. Ive already given him more attention than he deserves. Its a national show you know!. Outrageous. not so much. Maybe he can insult another female politician.

  86. Is The Shift gaining an audience, and a loyal one at that? Based on the caller segments, which are lively and drawing people from across the land, it would seem so. Are night time shows measured by some sort of service or metric where the numbers are released publicly?

  87. I can’t stand listening to this program.
    All day, every day, we hear the same old stuff played over and over until I shut it off….now THIS program, rehashing everything and anything else that is so worn ou and absolutely uselss.
    Bring back the Old Radio Shows!

  88. Radio Talk is a valiant attempt to revive radio. Commercial Radio Hosts in Canada tend to lack an Education much past Grade 12. A 2 year Broadcasting Diploma really doesn’t cut it.

  89. I do wish Corus success with Drex, and I have to assume it is happening because they have not pulled him as yet, However personally I can’t handle the tone of this program, I have tried many times to tune in but can’t listen to more than 5 minutes. I know it is thought to be a good thing to have a Canadian show, but it is just way too intense for late at night. And then it repeats after 3:00 a.m., just too much, sorry. I think I go back every couple of weeks just to see if he is gone yet. Maybe the thing that was refreshing about Coast to Coast was that for the most part it was different content from daytime news, and they don’t sound like they are yelling at you which is the tone of The Shift.

    I know this is just my opinion but this is my chance to share it, thanks.

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