The CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) is the national broadcaster rather in the same mold as Australia's ABC, Britain's BBC and Japan's NHK. CBC-FM, now Radio-2, has aired some brilliant programs. I dearly missed the CBC when I moved to live and work in Japan in 1993. In particular I missed the following on both the AM and FM bands ... and BTW, most of my FM listening was through a factory wired Dynaco FM-3 and an AR integrated amp.
• Brave New Waves; 1984-2007: This was brilliant programing of avant grade and indie music that commercial broadcasters wouldn't touch. It broadcast five times a week after midnight and into the wee hours — 4 or more. Many of the performers later became mainstays in the industry, but many others were too radical for popular culture and remained popular among fans with more exotic tastes.
• Off the Record; 1960-1996: This program aired classical and baroque music five times a week starting at 11 A.M. All selections came from the presenter's vast personal collection. Bob Kerr educated his audience in an express and succinct manner. Without a wasted word, he would tell us about the music, the composer and some details about the recording itself — all on vinyl, AFAIK. I personally learned a lot from Mr Kerr; I was introduced to music I might have never otherwise learned to appreciate.
• À Propos; 1988-2018: This program aired on both CBC AM and FM bands. It featured Francophone artists singing, performing and being interviewed by it's long time host, Jim Corcoran. The programed aimed to present music in the French language to English speaking audiences. Corcoran would offer explanations and translations of parts of songs. Being a Western Canadian, I loved the program for its presentation of the rich musical culture of Québec and other French speaking nations around the world. Apparently, upon Corcoran's retirement, it was replaced by a similar program called "C'est Formidable".
• Eclectic Circus; five nights a week for about 20 years until 1989: The irreverent Allan McFee (1913-2000) was on CBC's AM band every weeknight with some of the most bizarre programming of any radio broadcaster. It's a wonder he was never fired by the then rather stuffy CBC. (He lampooned CBC management.) He conversed with a small grey mouse on air, and referred to his audience as "vacuum land". I never came away from a program without having laughed my head off. His stuff was truly eclectic — ancient crooners, Fats Waller and one night a whole program dedicated to various records by Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. I cannot imagine how he found some of the strange material he presented. There were interludes of unusual sounds such as clucking chickens; you never knew what was going to come up. He was a much loved personality.
I don't know what the CBC is like now. I rarely ever get back "home". But I have a feeling that from the middle '60's to the early 2000's, there was a rich, golden age in the CBC. The character of the presenters made some sparkling hours of rich entertainment and education for a vast and diverse country.
