The Broadcasting Corporation of Newfoundland
and the People's Broadcasting Corporation of Canada
are pleased to make the joint announcement that once
again this year, The Great Eastern will be carried live
to the homes of the Canadian populace.
Contract re-negotiations were long and difficult,
but both sides agree that an acceptable resolution has
been reached. In a joint communique, both radio giants
made the following statements:
The Great Eastern returns to CBC Radio in a new
time slot on September 6th. The programme, hosted
by Paul Moth, will be broadcast on Radio One
half an hour later than last year, at 11:30 a.m.
(12:00 noon in Newfoundland).
"We first thought the move an effort to straighten up
the Newfoundland time zone conundrum," said Moth.
"But it still seems this thing is all bunged up."
The Great Eastern, Newfoundland's cultural magazine,
was first carried on CBC Radio in the summers of
1994 and 1995. In fall 1996 it was picked up for the
regular schedule, where it proved a ratings success.
"The numbers are fabulous, " says host Moth.
"We're now reaching over 400,000 Canadians every
Saturday. I'm happily rid of the tag "cult hit" and all
it connotes -- Moonies, Scientology, Social Credit, you
know, that type of thing."
Popular with the public and professional peers alike,
the show picked up a Writers Guild of Canada
"Top Ten" award in April and was a finalist at
The New York Festivals in June.
The Great Eastern is the flagship show of
The Broadcasting Corporation of Newfoundland, and has
sailed the island's airwaves every Saturday
since the BCN first threw the switch on its coal-fired
transmitter in 1935. According to Ish Lundrigan,
Director of Radio at the BCN, the renewal of the joint
venture with the CBC was "touch and go". Lundrigan
attributes the cagey negotiations to "confusion on their
part more than anything, what with all the blood-letting
and the defections and so on, but it was inevitable
they'd be scrambling around at the last minute for
something to fill the gaps."
Along with its regular, spirited coverage of all
matters cultural, The Great Eastern will take the show
on the road to the former Newfoundland colony of
Oougubomba in West Africa, and to the Caribbean vacation
paradise of Isles Das Berhamas.
The Great Eastern will also be carried on CBC ]
People's Radio Two Saturday's at 6:30 p.m. (7:30 p.m.
in the Maritimes and 8:00 in Newfoundland).
--
Keep on listening !
Yours in the warmth of coal-fired radio,
Paul Moth
HOME