Board of Variance Fate To Be Decided Tuesday morning, July 25

BC Politics, Vancouver, VanRamblings

CITY OF VANCOUVER FIRES BOARD OF VARIANCE

After three long, miserable weeks of psychic, emotional and other pain for the author of this blog, notice was given Friday afternoon that Justice Robert Bauman, of the BC Supreme Court, will hand down his decision this coming Tuesday morning, at 9 a.m., July 25th, as to whether Vancouver will maintain an independent Board of Variance, or have its members replaced with individuals friendlier to development interests, and the interests of the NPA, the municipal political party currently governing Vancouver City Hall.
For those of you who have not been following the torrid and often heartrending saga of the sacking of Vancouver’s Board of Variance (of which VanRamblings is one of the deposed members), there’s been a great deal reported in the press on the issue, as there might well have been given the import of the issue for the average Vancouver citizen, and for all of us.
Allen Garr, of the Vancouver Courier, has proved particularly dogged in his coverage of what he has suggested “may be the biggest story of the year,” beginning with his July 7th column, Board firing bad for citizenry, continuing on to July 12th with Board firing stretches credulity, July 15th’s PR plan followed board firing, and yet another column published this past Wednesday, which (inexplicably) The Courier has yet to post to the ‘Net.
The Vancouver Sun’s Barbara Yaffe, who in appealing on behalf of her neighbourhood to the Board of Variance in the autumn of 2005, lost in her bid to have overturned what she and her neighbours felt was a “wholly unsuitable” duplex development, has taken a surprising, yet ethical and principled stand in support of an independent Board of Variance.
On July 5th, Ms. Yaffe, in a column titled Citizens need a Board to stand between them and city hall (pdf), and again on July 12th in a column titled, Variance board our last hope to rein in a city hall run amok provided insight and much needed coverage of an issue which should have grabbed the attention of all Vancouver citizens.
So, this coming Tuesday morning, stay tuned to your local radio station for news from the BC Supreme Court.
Justice Robert Bauman has a very difficult ruling to make, given the able presentations of both legal counsels, Derek Creighton for the Petitioner (the fired Board of Variance members), and George Macintosh for the Respondent, the City of Vancouver / Province of British Columbia.

Vancouver Spring 2006 Radio Ratings

Radio, VanRamblings

VANCOUVER SPRING 2006 RADIO RATINGS

Well, folks, the Spring 2006 radio ratings are in, and perennial favourite CKNW took the biggest hit. Although the chart to the left shows a precipitous drop for ‘NW in this latest radio ratings book, if you take a look at the audience ratings in the advertiser friendly 18 – 49 demographic, CKNW was devastated this latest book, this year over last.
From the latest ratings book, what pundits have said for some time now would appear to be true: the majority ‘NW audience is 55+, and the new powerhouses in the Vancouver radio market are JACK-FM (otherwise known as CKLG-FM), Corus-owned Rock 101 CFMI, pop-rocker Z95 (CKZZ), QM/FM and the younger skewing, The Beat.
Oh for the halcyon days when you could actually listen to CKNW. With ‘NW now in freefall (as VanRamblings predicted last fall), there’s some speculation that CBC could catapult into the number one position in the not-too-distant future. Whatever the case, with CKNW having lost the Canucks and the Lions to the Team 1040 (CKST, which took quite a hit, as well), look for ‘NW to plummet even more by this time next year.
The Spring ratings chart above is divided into S1 and S2. Survey 1 was taken January 9 to March 5, 2006 while Survey 2 was conducted April 17 to June 11. Survey 3 was completed July 3-16 but won’t be out til Oct. 2nd.
JACK’S ratings have fallen by 50% this year over their best days, while Z95 (CKZZ) seems to be on its way back, and The Beat (CKBT) gained audience share. Overall, this ratings book portends a shakeup in our radio market.

VanRamblings Makes Its Triumphant Return … well, kind of

VanRamblings

RADIOWEST A VANCOUVER RADIO FORUM

With all the foofaraw surrounding the sacking of the Board of Variance 11 days ago, VanRamblings ain’t exactly been in a mood to post to our little site — not that we have for some months, mind you.
And, too, we’re just a bit worried about our penchant for foot-in-mouth disease; so we’ll leave an analysis of exactly what’s been going on at Vancouver City Hall to other, more learned folks.
Here’s hoping cooler heads prevail and the Board of Variance can get back to the work we were appointed to perform. Sheesh, this has been a stressful couple of weeks. Thank God I wasn’t sacked while I was away on vacation; at least there was an opportunity for some rest before the world started to cave in around me.
Tonight, in the interests of being non-political (although I suspect there’s a great deal in the way of politics surrounding the creation of the website VanRamblings will turn you onto in this posting), we’ll leave you with a new radio website / forum, radiowest.ca, cuz we love radio (although we’re tending to listen more to XM Radio, of late, than we are to terrestrial radio).
And, heck, who doesn’t like inside gossip about the media, or any other kind of gossip for that matter?
Tomorrow, it’s back to saving the world; and truth, justice and the Canadian way. Tonight, it’s welcome to radiowest.ca.

A Docile American Press Corps Embarrasses Itself

Politics, Pop Culture

STEPHEN COLBERT AT THE WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS' DINNER

Just click on the picture above to see the video

The most popular video in the blogosphere — so popular in fact that Google Video and YouTube.com were forced to take it down despite millions of visitors logging onto their sites — comedian Stephen Colbert’s evisceration of the President of the United at the recent Washington Press Corps dinner constitutes an act of bravery rivalled only by the actions of Cindy Sheehan this past year, as she has traveled the globe.
If you haven’t had a chance to watch Stephen Colbert’s video, it’s available by clicking on the picture above (or by clicking on the Google Video link, which actually provides a better video, even if Google’s lawyers have the folks at Google pull the video from time to time).