David McGown, chair of the board for Toronto radio station JAZZ.FM, denied allegations that the board was corrupt and ineffective amid an attempt by others to take control of the board. (RICK MADONIK / TORONTO STAR)
The daughter of Canadian billionaire Allan Slaight is behind a major push to gain control of JAZZ.FM, a Toronto radio station mired in scandal.
In a three-page letter sent to the station’s board of directors Aug. 17, Marie Slaight, a poet, author and director of an arts production company in Australia, says the only solution to the station’s problems is to “dissolve the board in its entirety” to pave the way for a new institutional culture.
In her letter she says changes are needed to address the “corruption of the board itself” and the “toxic situation” the board has created at JAZZ.FM.
Slaight donated $250,000 last year to name a studio at JAZZ.FM in her father’s honour for two years. Marie Slaight, 63, is the sister of Gary Slaight, a wealthy Toronto entrepreneur and CEO of radio broadcasting company Slaight Communications.
She claims the current board is “quite simply killing” JAZZ.FM due to what she calls the board’s lack of judgment.
And she’s one of several people in an Aug. 3 email exchange that included a chart with names of 20 potential directors who could form a slate to toss out JAZZ.FM’s existing board.
This is a real tragedy.
JAZZ FM is one of the great jazz stations worldwide…a home for the greatest jazz artists when in the GTA.
I have donated for years, and have been a regular listener from my home in Vancouver, and in Argentina, Chile & Peru.
This station needs to remain a “charitable entity* and return to it’s heyday of several years ago.
I did one of their jazz tours in Toronto hosted by James Bee…it was outstanding.
I’ll be donating again soon after the board issue is settled.
I know Vancouver once had a Jazz radio station back in the 80’s? Obviously far ahead of its time. I say that now, because to me, its obvious Vancouver could support a Jazz radio station now…I look at Edmonton and Calgary, they too, should have jazz radio station formats…. would be great to have Marty Forbes weigh in on this, because he was involved with CJAZ in Vancouver I believe?
Marty?
I don’t really want to go back over three decades to discuss CJAZ.
But to highlight. It was a very different time.
Transmitter problems; cumbersome and heavily monitored CRTC licences with little flexibility; a large news and magazine commitment (expensive) etc. etc.
It was hard back then to break even and that was with a great deal of in house support from CKWX staffers.
I do feel bad for the Toronto situation because there’s some pretty darned good people involved – so hopefully they get over this Board problem and carry on with the station.
As for Edmonton and Calgary don’t forget CKUA broadcasts a good deal of jazz/blues speciality programming and of course there’s always CBC.
As for 2018 you can also find great ‘streaming’ of the music – one of the best being Acuradio – but if you want to run a 24/7/365 stand alone all jazz station you’d need a solid base of highly knowledgeable announcers to make the station credible and a bucket full of start up cash.
Add in a really really good sales department and/or ‘listener supported donations supplemented by limited commercials” and hope to break even.
This is a real tragedy.
JAZZ FM is one of the great jazz stations worldwide…a home for the greatest jazz artists when in the GTA.
I have donated for years, and have been a regular listener from my home in Vancouver, and in Argentina, Chile & Peru.
This station needs to remain a “charitable entity* and return to it’s heyday of several years ago.
I did one of their jazz tours in Toronto hosted by James Bee…it was outstanding.
I’ll be donating again soon after the board issue is settled.
I know Vancouver once had a Jazz radio station back in the 80’s? Obviously far ahead of its time. I say that now, because to me, its obvious Vancouver could support a Jazz radio station now…I look at Edmonton and Calgary, they too, should have jazz radio station formats…. would be great to have Marty Forbes weigh in on this, because he was involved with CJAZ in Vancouver I believe?
Marty?
I don’t really want to go back over three decades to discuss CJAZ.
But to highlight. It was a very different time.
Transmitter problems; cumbersome and heavily monitored CRTC licences with little flexibility; a large news and magazine commitment (expensive) etc. etc.
It was hard back then to break even and that was with a great deal of in house support from CKWX staffers.
I do feel bad for the Toronto situation because there’s some pretty darned good people involved – so hopefully they get over this Board problem and carry on with the station.
As for Edmonton and Calgary don’t forget CKUA broadcasts a good deal of jazz/blues speciality programming and of course there’s always CBC.
As for 2018 you can also find great ‘streaming’ of the music – one of the best being Acuradio – but if you want to run a 24/7/365 stand alone all jazz station you’d need a solid base of highly knowledgeable announcers to make the station credible and a bucket full of start up cash.
Add in a really really good sales department and/or ‘listener supported donations supplemented by limited commercials” and hope to break even.