Facts to Counter False Claims around Radio2 Changes

Canadian baritone Peter McGillivray, founder of the Facebook group Save Classical Music on the CBC was sent by a CBC insider an internal CBC document "Facts to Counter False Claims around Radio2 Changes" to respond to complaints about the changes to CBC Radio 2 Programming. See below

Facts to Counter False Claims around Radio2 Changes

Claim: - Classical music gutted by cancellation of Studio Sparks and Disc Drive
Fact: - In September Radio2 is introducing a new weekday, five hour classical program that will run from 10am to 3pm
-Classical Music will continue to be the single, most played genre on CBC Radio 2

Claim: - Live performance broadcasts of classical music have been significantly cut back.
Fact: - Last fall Radio 2 introduced a new, weekly four-hour classica performance show called Sunday Afternoon in Concert
- New nightly program The Signal (10pm - 1pm) regularly airs contemporary classical performances from across the country.

Claim: - Two national competitions at the heart of musical development in Canada have been cancelled or cut back
Fact: - CBC's national choral competition is scheduled for April-May 08
- Currently working on an alternative, higher impact approach to showcasing emerging classical performers.
- Expanding opportunities for youth development to include singer/songwriters, folk and roots music

Claim: -R2 doesn't care about listeners.
Fact: - R2 cares about Canadians from all regions, from all cultures, from all socio economic backgrounds

Claim: - Changes will be devastating to classical music fans and musicians in rural and less-dense areas of the country
Fact: - Continuing to spend the same amount on classical music overall and spending more (not less) in the regions of the country: Aired first opera in the Cree language; Tomson Highway's "The Journey (Pimooteewin)", a music drama he collaborated on with composer Melissa Hui.
- CBC's classical commissions expanding to include previously ignored segments of the country and society: Kiran Ahluwalia collaboration with the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra and contemporary composer Glenn Buhr, in two CBC commissioned works, called "Chant of Wind and Thunder" and "Chant of Water and Sky"
- Continuing to bring classical special events to rural Canada: Gould 75th annniversary; Upcoming Beethoven Festival featuring his Nine Symphonies.

Claim: - Degradation of Good Music
Fact: - Let's not confuse quality of music with style of music: CBC is committed to introducing Canadians to quality Canadian Music. it's a key value that drives all decision-making; We're broadening the genres we play in order to better meet our mandate of representing all regions and the broad range of music performed by Canadians.

Claim: - Focus on commercially lucrative music
Fact: - In fact, we're doing the exact opposite: Commercial radio only plays .8% of the Canadian music produced in any given year; We're going to go deeper exposing a lot more recorded Canadian talent that deserves to be heard; As a public broadcaster Radio2 doesn't, has never and has no plans to run advertising on air.

Claim: - CBC's abandoning mandate by moving away from Classical Music.
Fact: - Untrue. CBC's mandate is to reflect the regions, thepeople and the music of this country: By broadening the range of music we play we will do a much better job of meeting our mandate.

Claim: - No classical options left.
Fact: - Radio2 is featuring whole classical programs, jazz and other types of music in newly launched digital environment. Thsi means you now control what you listen to: Classical concerts on demand; Dedicated classical web radio stream

Claim: Competing with private radio for pop music crowd
Fact: - Not true: Private radio plays select few, in focused genre, in regular rotation; Radio 2 morning and drive programs wil play more emerging Candian talent in genres ranging fro blues to jazz to folk to roots and more; in between, five hours per day, we will continue to feature classical music

Claim: - Radio 2 still maintains a huge audience in Canada.
Fact: - Radio 2 does not have a a huge audience in Canada: According to latest BBM, of Canadians who listen to radio, only 3.1% listen to Radio 2; Research (Arts and Culture Study /06) tells us the reason many Canadians don't listen is because CBC doesn't represent them, their taste in music, their cultural roots or the region of the country where they live.
-Goal of redevelopment is to make the network more relevant to more Canadians while maintaining our strong commitment to classical music.