When you have a moment, would you Toronto-based news anchors and editors mind letting us know if there’s any end in sight to the Winter Weather Wallop: A Special Report you’ve subjected the nation to for the past 5 days? Two days of national pre-storm “a lot of snow is going to fall” coverage, followed by two days of national “the snow is now falling” coverage and today’s “a lot of snow fell” coverage is beginning to wear thin. It’s a story line we’ve seen before. We pretty much know how it turns out.
Last time I checked, it’s December. Logically speaking, snow in December isn’t news.
Now that I mention it, neither is it news when rain falls in May, wind blows in October, heat bakes in July, or cold snaps in March. But for reasons you haven’t bothered to explain, you treat it as such. And your interest knows no borders – it seems as though no Canadian newscast is complete without a storm report from Miami, or flood warning for Las Vegas.
If I may be so bold as to make a suggestion, please do something to restore your role as a news anchor. For starters, report news. Stop stealing material from your weatherman.
(And since I’m in the mood to give advice to anchor chairs – here’s a freebie. The next time your script includes a tour stop for the Spice Girls, fire somebody. That’s rightfully the domain of your advertising department).
I realize I’m just a lowly media consumer, and you’re a respected TV journalist, so don’t feel as though you need to pay any attention whatsoever to a word of this. You just keep staring at that drain, and I’ll just keep staring at my computer screen*. One of these days, you’ll figure out that sucking sound.
I’ve really enjoyed how they keep calling it an “early blast of winter”.
Yes, technically winter isn’t until Friday, but jeezus.
It’s equally galling considering last year’s ” will winter ever arrive?” starting at Halloween.
Over here on the west coast its coverage of wind and rain storms…. It’s winter in Canada for heavens sake, are people nuts?
Geez, Kate just struck a home run!
Now if Rupert Murdoch would find a way to enter the Canadian market and get a Kate McMillan Canadian FOX Factor on air, that would be a surefire moneymaker for old Rupert.
Or own home bred Laura Ingraham eqivalent to shake the crap out of all the leftists that infest current Canadian MSM.
But that won’t happen will it?
The CRTC much prefers the current incestuous Radio TV monopoly we have in Canada.
It is really odd the way news organizations have taken to describing a typical snowfall in Ontario as some sort of ongoing catastrophe — “Snowplows. On our streets. In our cities…”
30cm = 1 ft.
Hey guys, take it easy. Toronto is important. It matters when it snows here. Toronto is a very busy place! As you know, when Toronto stops, Canada stops. So of course that’s important news.
AAAAARRGOOOOOS!!
You said it perfect, Kate !!!
Have always thought that, but never knew quite how to say it.
Never had a medium either. (They seldom printed my letters to the editor)
Saw Galloway on MDL (without the Duff) spouting off on how PM Harper went over the Atomic head. She said it was a dangerous precedent — what if the CRTC was next ?
Ya, what if —- a biased, fear mongering media is dangerous too. And about as radioactive.
For survival:
Appoint Don Cherry King of all things CBC. And let the cards fall where they will.
At least you’ll reveal some equity for the stock holders. if not the taxpayers.
And perhaps not be devoured in the meantime.
And please not just the spice girls…but any Hollywood person doing anything is not news.
I think that it is so stupid of them telling me its cold outside today. Or hot or windy.
Everybody already knew that.
Ya know Kate…..this is a bigger pet peeve of mine than Al Gore.
My theory is that journalism just isn’t a serious profession in this country and that nobody with multiple brain cells (or a decent level of self respect) signs up for it. There isn’t a single national media outlet of any sort in this country that’s tolerable on a day-to-day basis and anyone interested in public affairs has to look elsewhere.
Wouldn’t it be nice if winters were warmer? Oh the joys of global climate change!
Kate,you rock. Watching the news the past few days reminded me of talking to my parents when there is nothing substantial to discuss. BORING.
Laughed tonight when CTV’s report included one of those so important ‘on the(snowy)street’ interviews. A woman(they chose to show)thoughtfully explained to those “deniers” that one weather event proves nothing, much less that global warming doesn’t exist. Umm…except…exactly one year ago when it was plus 13 and the MSM couldn’t show enough joggers in shorts, people golfing, etc. Then they would interview the likes of Jack Layton and Elizabeth May who screamed this one weather event IS proof the world’s going to end.
every year I wait for the its snowing in Toronto to be my official CBCpravda offering that its winter in Canada, the west may have 3 ft of snow that started falling on Sept 1st but its not official till the CN tower, the apparent centre of the known universe gets more than a dusting.
my only hope is the Bali delegates get stuck somewhere to warm their collective buns so they can preach ever the louder to us hoi polloi on the give end of the government handouts. why?
because eventually even the MSM will figure out the absurdity of it.
Kate, you’re on the money, as usual.
Finally figured it out.
Have wondered why I always become nausious and have to puke when on the elliptical machine.
Realized it is also the only time I watch Newsnet, newsworld.
Thank you for stating what my wife and I have been rolling our eyes at for a long time now.
When weather is news, there is no news. It’s freaking weather report and it’s boring boring boring.
I think these people are so drenched it the Bull Shit of climate change that they cannot think of anything else but climate, weather, temperature, rain, wind, snow and how much they wish they could go and get a tan somewhere.
Did I mention BORING?
Dont be daft. The snowstorm hitting the region is getting worldwide coverage, most of it focused on the US. Its hitting airports and causing disruption during a peak travel time. It isnt just snow in winter, its a disruptive snow storm thats affecting thousands, if not millions.
Go to some international news sites and see thier coverage. 200 cancelled flights out of Chicago O Hare is not small fish. Nor is it regular snow. And this storm has already got fatalities attributed to it in the US and Canada.
But we arent concerned with whats actually happening, are we? This is just a nonsensical potshot at your reviled msm.
canajun conversation.
canajun 1: hows it going eh?
canajun 2: pretty good, how about you?
canajun 1: okay eh, cold enough for you?
canajun 2: yeah, cold , she’s cold awright
canajun 1: yeah but its a dry cold.but not in trona , der its a wet cold.
canajun borat dion: dat his not fair.
when it elevates to news it aint fair to the rest of us.
please Stephen , dont send in the army to dig out Trona. let them stew in their own global warming.
Daft Punk
1. In Canada, it snows, every year.
2. In Toronto, it snows, every year.
3. Pearson Airport is, by design, the major airport in Canada, where it snows, every year.
4. Flight delays at Pearson affect other airports in Canada because of Point 3.
5. The above is info at the “Farmer’s Almanac” level.
6. Remove Toronto and its airport from the above: NEWS.
The importance of Chicago O’Hare is that it can screw up the US system in a similar manner to Toronto Pearson: which is not news.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/1999/01/14/snow990114.html
Cheers
.
CBC offers KATE McMILLAN 1 hour per week as a fair and balanced approach to Canadian journalism.
Can you imagine such an announcement?
14% of Canadians are very Left politically. Yet 43% of CBC staff are very left politically. When Anne Coulter asked the CBC to name ONE political conservative on staff , they were unable.
Is it possible for Consevative Canadians to get a voice at CBC. Yes , we would have to adopt the Liberal strategy (ouch) by making a political issue out of it , lobby the government , CRTC and the Human Rights commission. It could be done.
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I’m wondering if anyone in the MSM remembers their dire predictions of last winter that Canadians can forget about having white Christmas’s and doing things like skating on the Rideau canal.
Given that we’re in a sunspot minimum now, I predict that the next few years are going to be colder than usual and then the winters will be warmer again. Don’t be surprised though if the the MSM will be running stories blaming global warming for people freezing to death.
When it snows, travel modes have to change and I have both cross country skis and snowshoes and I’ve used both to get to school and work when driving was impossible. Also, 1 foot of snow is nothing and I remember Ottawa winters in the 1970’s when I was running out of places to put snow when shovelling my parents driveway. I fondly recall having to deal with a 3′ ridge of snow left by the snowplow when it came by on the street. Snow shoveling was a great workout especially when every shovelfull of snow had to be tossed above my head to add to the 7′ snow pile beside the driveway.
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Joe Molnar you inspired me to another idea. What If we could privatize the CBC & sell it to Robert Murdoch.
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Ok, this is wierd. That is almost exactly what I posted to a web forum yesterday.
The two local dailys had a total of seven print articles and two videos for 15cm of snow……..
I could understand if we got hit with White Juan amounts of snow (90 to 100cm) and Halifax shut down for three days to clear it out, but 15cm of snow that was gone off the streets by the time we got up?
@ Arnie.
That would be fun, just so we could watch Neil MacDonald’s head explode.
I was on the ferry at 4:30 yesterday…It went up and down. It was quite windy on the windward deck so I smoked to leeward. The chief steward, after announcing the distribution of the bin bags for barf, came on the PA and suggested that running on the outside decks was, er, dangerous. “This is a storm, people.”
I was torn between calling the Navy and blaming George Bush. Needless to say I did both.
Bali Hi!
The best part of this “Winter Wallop” crap is having the GeePLs (Green Party Liberals) explain to me how this is all part of Glowball Warming. Apparently if it weren’t for Bush, there’d be no storms in winter.
And then there is the comedy of errors that is Toronto drivers in the winter.
For my own amusement/peace of mind I leave my new car at home and take ol Dodger (my 91 Ram) to work once there is any sign of snow or ice on the roads. The sight of that venerable beast of burden bearing down on them strikes fear into the hearts of all luxury SUV drving incompetents.
“My theory is that journalism just isn’t a serious profession in this country and that nobody with multiple brain cells (or a decent level of self respect) signs up for it”
Ha Ha – good one.
As I watched the “storm coverage” (what else was on the news anyway???) I was struck by the fact that when Alberta or Sask or even Manitoba has 30 cm of snow (such as last week) I don’t remember getting this kind of minute by minute coverage?
Dang that Global Warming, huh…
“But we arent concerned with whats actually happening, are we? This is just a nonsensical potshot at your reviled msm.”
This has nothing to do with potshots (although that is fun too.) This has to do with how they make it sound like it is something that is not expected every winter – yes it is inconvenient and yes it is a pain for the drivers and the planes etc. etc. but it is winter in Canada, it happens EVERY single year – a flood is not normal, a tornado is not normal, even an ice storm could be considered not normal weather, but a snow storm in December…..Forecast it so people know it is coming (seems like that is even tough these days)- do a five minute blurp on it on the news and get on to other things. That is how it works out here in the colonies.
My theory is there at too many news programs – back in the day there were two – CTV and CBC – competition to have your news watched over the other guy was not as tough as it is today so news programs today pontificate over and sensationalize every little detail in order to grab their share of veiwership.
“My theory is that journalism just isn’t a serious profession in this country and that nobody with multiple brain cells (or a decent level of self respect) signs up for it.”
Well, considering the drugs I was doing when I got into this profession, you may have a point. But if I’d been a bit more on the ball, and went back to school to study law, I’d miss the unique sensation of being the Only Conservative In The Newsroom, and the invigorating tone of my hate mail. You can’t buy that sort of thing …
@loki:
I know what you mean. During this last snowstorm – specifically, as of yesterday afternoon when I was getting rid of more plow remains – the snow hills got so high, I began ‘idly’ wondering about what kind of device would melt the stuff so as to provide more room. The best idea I could come up with was some kind of portable metal bathtub, into which a few burning logs could be lit up. The metal would conduct the heat, and the bathtub shape would keep the fire from being doused out from below by the melting snow.
Now, if I could only think of a way to get rid of the resultant water…
The media are enthralled with the metric system. 200 mm of snow sounds so much more than 8 inches. Same with the wind. 100 kph winds (which is a pretty strong wind, I’ll admit) sounds so much more than 60 mph. Dramatic effect, I guess.
I’ve decided there are 11 provinces in Canada. The Toronto area is so important it should be listed separately. NOT!!!!
I was glued to the news on Sunday because we had to make a decision whether we were going to travel into Toronto or not (we didn’t). After that, who really cares? The storm warnings are important if you live in the area, but if you don’t, as Kate doesn’t, why broadcast them? She’s right.
But here in southeastern Ontario, we’re going to have a white Christmas. Do you know how long it’s been since we had a white Christmas? It very rarely happens. Meanwhile, in Bali, some enviro guy breaks into tears because no one takes him seriously enough to wreck the world’s economies over his certainty that we’re all going to die.
It’s hard to take him seriously when we have the most snow in December that we’ve seen in decades.
Any time now I expect the Prime Minister to announce a recall of our troups in Afghanistan to come home and help Toronto dig itself out of that huge snow storm. Ya, right.
I’ve noticed that MOST of the weather “reporting” on the MSM is fear mongering.
Over the past ten years, after some very frightening snow driving experiences and a large hill to navigate to and from work, I’ve been very squeamish–actually terrified!–of driving in severe weather. So, ironically, considering I trust the weather reporters like I’d trust a snake oil salesman, I follow the weather “news” very closely. (Of course, that’s the point: get everyone tuning in all day to check the latest.)
What have I noticed consistently? A few things:
1) The information given is ALWAYS worst case scenario.
2) The information given is invariably inaccurate: I’d say the really bad weather forecast is dead wrong about 75% of the time.
3) Even the weather of the moment is inaccurate: e.g., the sun may be shining and the talking head will say, “Heavy rain this morning, tapering to showers this afternoon.” I’m shouting, “Look out the window, you moron!”
Overnight where I was on Saturday, the snow was to start at 2:00 a.m. Depending on how much, I was or was not going out on Sunday morning. I checked the snow at 2:00, 4:00, and 6:00 a.m. It didn’t start until about 7:30: a 5 1/2 hour discrepancy!
If they can’t even get the hourly WEATHER correct, how the hell do “one world governance” thugs think we should be duped by their worst case scenario CLIMATE scam?
In “The Weather Report” spoof, a wonderful Anglican Chant–usually used for psalms–weather report, sung with plummy, English accents/tones, the listener is assured (paraphrased: I couldn’t find the lyrics), “There will be weather for the next 24 hours”!
We now have the weather fully politicized: that’s the end result for everything gerrymandered by our leftist overlords. Can’t they leave ANYTHING alone? (Rhetorical question, of course.)
When you have a government that runs a fair and reasoned administration with no scandal, no cabinet leaks all there is left to do is agonize over the weather….at least the lack of news from the PMO has made the MSM take a serious look at a cold winter and perhaps question their pimping the global warming myth.
Nawwww asking too much can’t get past the “stupid filter”.
When the city of Toronto can’t afford to clear the snow away, leaving cars buried in 6ft snow piles, it is news to these boobs. I lived 6 years in the snow belt of Ontario, where snow doesn’t make it past the traffric report, for importance.
And let’s not forget…when they are mired as deeply as they are in global warming dogma “the earth will burn”, etc, snow in December IS news.
consider this to be the balance part to the comtinuous bleating of the MSM about global warming.
If in every 50 global warming stories they insert one “cold and ice ” story they will be shown to have a balanced approached.
maybe the youth delegation to Bali can earn their keep by shoveling walks, my own occupation till about 14.
A couple of simple rules about enviroMENTALism you guys are missing; once it gets cold each fall the name must change from “Global Warming” to “Climate Change” to keep the sleeping and retarded from realizing the hypocracy, and if snow storms don’t get 24/7 news coverage than how will the enviroMENTALists convince us that it’s unusual.
The key punch line now is: Climate Change…Forget global warming: The message is and will continue to be: It can rain, snow, be hot, be cold BUT NOT TOO MUCH OR NOT TOO LONG OTHERWISE IT’S MAN’S FAULT…IF IT INCONVENIENT, IT’S NOT “NORMAL”.
The UN propaganda and brain washing of the younger generations (30 yrs old and less) must continue unabaited…They are the ones who will be most likely to support carbon credits and wealth redistribution, not the ones who remember the colder 70’s for example.
What is truly unnatural is how the richer western world has become ignorant about nature…specifically people born and raised in big city cores. The medias just exploit that ignorance. Sex might sell, but so does fear: Witness Hollywood: The best selling box office attractions are of armaggedon/end of civilization subjects.
My point (or at least one of them) is that weather is the job of the weatherman. Apart from truly unique events like the Quebec ice storm, normal winter forecasts, snow closures, flight delays and traffic reports are the job of local news, not the national desk.
The National desk borrows the weather because it has now become a sensationalistic subject invoking fear…Thanks to Gore/Suzuki/IPCC and the likes.
MSM do not thoroughly report things anymore. It is all purely sensationalism for ratings now. Dumbed down and Selective: Why aren’t past comparasons never given to the viewer? In this case a big, early snow storm might be seen by many younger viewers as something unnatural. If the big snow blizzard of say, 1971 in Montreal was also invoked in the same report it would defuse the “sensation by fear” which is deliberately planted in the first place.
“Not waiting for the asteroid”
Vive les blogs!
Vive SDA!
Wow, it snowed somewhere in Canada in December – who could have seen that coming?
If the news copy ever includes anything about a celebrity doing anything other than curing cancer or dying, fire someone. Drunks, skanks, drunken skanks and over the hill pop singers are not news. Or interesting.
Well said Kate …. but you know the guys who should be listening are not paying attention. Not reading your blog and are incapable of seeing the point in any case..
Overconcern with the weather was the first step in sissifying Canadians. I still remember on one wintry day in Ottawa, back in 1970, that the news announced that some civil servants working downtown mightn’t be able to go home that night because of snow. I was working downtown too, but (given the several bars and restaurants in the neighbourhood) didn’ see it as a problem. Sleeping on a desk … not a hardship for a night.
But the radio announcer kept on and on – CIVIL SERVANTS WORKING DOWNTOWN MIGHTN’T BE ABLE TO GET HOME! And on and on. The country had changed, I realised.
Well done,Kate.
Once again you demonstrate why I like to frequent your site.You expressed my thoughts on this exactly.
We no longer have snowfalls in this country,we have SNOWSTORMS.
This manipulation of information to stir excitement,and thus create a news story has been SOP for the press for far too long now.
Slow news day?Lets give nationwide exposure to some shitty little one-off study that shows oxygen MAY cause cancer.That’ll get their attention.
Slow news day,not even a small bit laying around to sensationalize?No problem,let’s do a poll and we’ll create our own news.
How oblivious does one have to be to not clearly see these consistently fraudulent tactics?
Oh, come on guys. Toronto got more snow in 2 days than it normally gets in the entire month of December. Almost 400 flights out of Pearson were cancelled. Thousands of people were stranded. To me, that’s newsworthy.
I mean, it took my wife, me, and my two daughters almost 2 hours just to clear our driveway. The drifts in some points were almost 3 feet high. Our small street, always one of the last to get plowed, was almost impassable. Luckily, our van has traction control so we could get up the hill on our street. Others were not so lucky.
In Toronto, this isn’t normal; it’s not Mel Lastman “Call in the army” bad, but it seriously disrupted people’s ability to get around. It made business at restaurants and malls on Saturday night and Sunday – on a weekend just before Christmas – virtual ghost towns. I understand that there are parts of Canada where such immobility is an expected part of winter, but not in Toronto. We expect things to work. So, yes, we think this is news. When you combine the populations of the GTA, Ottawa, and Montreal, and all the cities in between, it’s almost 10 million people – nearly 1/3 of all Canadians. When that many people have their lives disrupted, you don’t think that’s news?
Geez, when there were floods in Manitoba a few years back – an event that affected maybe 150,000 people? – it was all over the news. I didn’t hear any complaints then, and I wouldn’t have expected them. Extreme weather events are always news. Try to get a grip.
I was driving this morning listening to CBC radio (I know, I know, but they were going to interview Senator Pat Carney who I’ve always admired). They led the interview with 20 minutes of how Toronto was coping with the snow. It was so insipid I almost nodded off. I’m thinking of writing the minister of health and safety to get CBC to broadcast a regular warning.
May cause drowsiness. Listeners should not drive or operate heavy machinery.
KevinB said…
“Almost 400 flights out of Pearson were cancelled.”
That may very well be true,but you reminded me of a news bit I saw yesterday on the telly regarding the maritime’s snow.
The camera zoomed in on an airport arrivals sign board,specifically to punctuate their claim of the havoc the storm was creating by showing a closeup of a glowing red CANCELLED flight.
The only problem is,they didn’t zoom in enough and besides the red-highlighted cancel,you could still see four other flights on the board.
All four of these flights just happened to be high-lighted in green and said ON TIME.
I’d say an 80% chance your flight being on time is pretty damn good odds on a calm,sunny day.
So much for havoc.
excessive weather reports by Canada’s MSM are designed as a distraction from the “real issues”
and consider all of the “fake” hysteria about global warming and climate change – an issue which attempts to justify or rationalize the redistribution of wealth to corrupt foreign despots
“extreme weather” is now the mantra of the fanatical left and their solutions involve taxation,regulation and the crippling of western industry
it’s no wonder that television news ratings are at historic lows
My favourite LSM story today………… Women with short legs have a higher incidence of liver cancer. I couldn’t finish it. sigh