Archives for Nash Holos and Chetverta Khvylia June 25 broadcasts are now uploaded!
On NH (in English), all about radishes and some uniquely Ukrainian ways to prepare them. On Travel Tips, find out about ancient battle sites in Ukraine and how you can visit them. And of course, there's plenty of Great Ukrainian music!
On 4W (Chetverta Khvylia, meaning"4th wave") there's a half-hour of music and news from Ukraine (exclusively in Ukrainian).
Enjoy!
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
wheeling and dealing in the media industry south of the line
In today's media news ...
1. Spanish language network acquired by financial consortium ...
Univision Communications Inc. and a group including Madison Dearborn Partners, Providence Equity Partners, Texas Pacific Group, Thomas H. Lee Partners and Saban Capital Group, today announced they have signed a definitive agreement under which the group will acquire Univision ... This transaction presents a unique opportunity to contribute to and participate in the continuing growth of the clear leader in Spanish-language media and to further the company’s commitment to serving the Hispanic community. ...”
2. Convergence in satellite ahead?
Sirius Satellite Radio CEO Mel Karmazin said yesterday that Sirius would be interested in buying XM Satellite Radio at the right price, though regulatory issues "would be a question mark" ... [and] he also would consider it if it were in the shareholders' best interest. ... Karmazin was speaking at a conference on media convergence at the Museum of Television & Radio.
3. Fox guarding the hen-house?
The Federal Communications Commission voted Wednesday [Jun 21, 2006] to begin a review of its rules on media ownership... The [appeal] court said the commission used an improper procedure for changing the rules [in 2003], and ordered the commission to revisit the matter. ... In April, [FCC chairman Kevin] Martin had sought support from newspaper publishers to help the agency lift the ban on single ownership of a newspaper and broadcasting outlet in the same city. Previous heads of the FCC have sought to get the cross-ownership ban lifted. ... [In 2004] the federal appellate court ... acknowledg[ed] that the agency was right to remove the blanket prohibition on newspapers owning broadcast outlets ... Media companies that own both newspapers and broadcasting outlets have long pressed for a removal of the ban... Consumer groups have opposed relaxing the ownership rules.
4. Some celebrities get the shaft (so to speak) ...
Rush Limbaugh was detained for more than three hours yesterday at Palm Beach International Airport after authorities said they found a bottle of Viagra in his possession without a prescription. ... Investigators confiscated the Viagra and Limbaugh was released without being charged.
5. Others get money for nothing ...
Barbara Walters has signed a deal with Sirius Satellite Radio for Sirius to air a weekly two-hour series, starting next year, that will replay many of the interviews Walters has conducted since joining ABC in 1976.
1. Spanish language network acquired by financial consortium ...
Univision Communications Inc. and a group including Madison Dearborn Partners, Providence Equity Partners, Texas Pacific Group, Thomas H. Lee Partners and Saban Capital Group, today announced they have signed a definitive agreement under which the group will acquire Univision ... This transaction presents a unique opportunity to contribute to and participate in the continuing growth of the clear leader in Spanish-language media and to further the company’s commitment to serving the Hispanic community. ...”
2. Convergence in satellite ahead?
Sirius Satellite Radio CEO Mel Karmazin said yesterday that Sirius would be interested in buying XM Satellite Radio at the right price, though regulatory issues "would be a question mark" ... [and] he also would consider it if it were in the shareholders' best interest. ... Karmazin was speaking at a conference on media convergence at the Museum of Television & Radio.
3. Fox guarding the hen-house?
The Federal Communications Commission voted Wednesday [Jun 21, 2006] to begin a review of its rules on media ownership... The [appeal] court said the commission used an improper procedure for changing the rules [in 2003], and ordered the commission to revisit the matter. ... In April, [FCC chairman Kevin] Martin had sought support from newspaper publishers to help the agency lift the ban on single ownership of a newspaper and broadcasting outlet in the same city. Previous heads of the FCC have sought to get the cross-ownership ban lifted. ... [In 2004] the federal appellate court ... acknowledg[ed] that the agency was right to remove the blanket prohibition on newspapers owning broadcast outlets ... Media companies that own both newspapers and broadcasting outlets have long pressed for a removal of the ban... Consumer groups have opposed relaxing the ownership rules.
4. Some celebrities get the shaft (so to speak) ...
Rush Limbaugh was detained for more than three hours yesterday at Palm Beach International Airport after authorities said they found a bottle of Viagra in his possession without a prescription. ... Investigators confiscated the Viagra and Limbaugh was released without being charged.
5. Others get money for nothing ...
Barbara Walters has signed a deal with Sirius Satellite Radio for Sirius to air a weekly two-hour series, starting next year, that will replay many of the interviews Walters has conducted since joining ABC in 1976.
Monday, June 26, 2006
Forgotten in media's culture gap
Interesting article in the Toronto Star on ethnic media ...
Like most MSM (mainstream media) journalists, the writer has no clue about ethnic audiences. And the study cited ignored the Ukrainian community (as usual). But there's a nice tribute to Johnny Lombardi, the "godfather" of ethnic broadcasting in Canada.
... In 1966, Lombardi, an Italian immigrant, started CHIN radio, and by 1968, was broadcasting in 32 languages. Next week, CHIN will celebrate 40 years in business at its annual picnic, a cross-cultural extravaganza at the CNE grounds. ...
Lombardi's vision predated any official recognition of what a strong multicultural media could do for nation building. In 1985, the CRTC drafted its first ethnic broadcasting policy, drawn from the template Lombardi had been practising for almost 20 years.
"My dad's goal was always to help people integrate. He would encourage people to stay, to become Canadian, to make it their home," Lombardi says. "He knew that if people could flip on the radio and hear local programming in their own language from the local community, they would feel a much greater sense of belonging, and that's extremely important."
The communities have changed — largely integrated second- and third-generation Italians no longer need Italian-language programming — but burgeoning immigrant communities from China and South Asia have increased demand.
Now therein lies the "misunderstanding." The ethnic media is generally regarded primarily as a temporary linguistic aid to total cultural assimilation, even (in my experience) by ethnic broadcasters themselves.
CHIN has adjusted, boosting Chinese-language programming from two hours a week 10 years ago to 60 hours now. At the same time, Italian has dropped from 60 to 11. The languages may have changed, but the mandate has not. "We've never seen a waning of that need, for multicultural broadcasting," Lombardi says.
But here's one who seems to understand the diversity of ethnic audiences in Canada...
Thomas Saras, president of the Ethnic Media Association of Canada, says ... By the second or third generation, the native language was all but gone, replaced by English. The press of a particular culture then shifts from providing necessary information to being the glue for a cultural group spread out across the country.
From my experience producing Nash Holos beginning in 1990, both mainstream and ethnic media completely (still) completely overlook a huge market ... the second, third, fourth (and beyond) generations of Canadians of which Saras speaks. Many assimilated, unilingual, English-speaking Canadians want to stay in touch with their ethnic roots, although not necessarily be submerged in that culture... and similarly experience other cultures.
That market is sneered at by MSM types and the run-of-the-mill bigots that have always existed in Canadian society, while advertisers and ad agencies don't even know it's there.
Silly them.
Like most MSM (mainstream media) journalists, the writer has no clue about ethnic audiences. And the study cited ignored the Ukrainian community (as usual). But there's a nice tribute to Johnny Lombardi, the "godfather" of ethnic broadcasting in Canada.
... In 1966, Lombardi, an Italian immigrant, started CHIN radio, and by 1968, was broadcasting in 32 languages. Next week, CHIN will celebrate 40 years in business at its annual picnic, a cross-cultural extravaganza at the CNE grounds. ...
Lombardi's vision predated any official recognition of what a strong multicultural media could do for nation building. In 1985, the CRTC drafted its first ethnic broadcasting policy, drawn from the template Lombardi had been practising for almost 20 years.
"My dad's goal was always to help people integrate. He would encourage people to stay, to become Canadian, to make it their home," Lombardi says. "He knew that if people could flip on the radio and hear local programming in their own language from the local community, they would feel a much greater sense of belonging, and that's extremely important."
The communities have changed — largely integrated second- and third-generation Italians no longer need Italian-language programming — but burgeoning immigrant communities from China and South Asia have increased demand.
Now therein lies the "misunderstanding." The ethnic media is generally regarded primarily as a temporary linguistic aid to total cultural assimilation, even (in my experience) by ethnic broadcasters themselves.
CHIN has adjusted, boosting Chinese-language programming from two hours a week 10 years ago to 60 hours now. At the same time, Italian has dropped from 60 to 11. The languages may have changed, but the mandate has not. "We've never seen a waning of that need, for multicultural broadcasting," Lombardi says.
But here's one who seems to understand the diversity of ethnic audiences in Canada...
Thomas Saras, president of the Ethnic Media Association of Canada, says ... By the second or third generation, the native language was all but gone, replaced by English. The press of a particular culture then shifts from providing necessary information to being the glue for a cultural group spread out across the country.
From my experience producing Nash Holos beginning in 1990, both mainstream and ethnic media completely (still) completely overlook a huge market ... the second, third, fourth (and beyond) generations of Canadians of which Saras speaks. Many assimilated, unilingual, English-speaking Canadians want to stay in touch with their ethnic roots, although not necessarily be submerged in that culture... and similarly experience other cultures.
That market is sneered at by MSM types and the run-of-the-mill bigots that have always existed in Canadian society, while advertisers and ad agencies don't even know it's there.
Silly them.
Friday, June 23, 2006
Poltava Book Drive
The Panas Myrnyi Children’s Library in Poltava, Ukraine, fell victim to an apparent act of arson in the early morning of October 11, 2005. Vandals threw explosive materials into the building. As a result nearly 10,000 books were destroyed.
A wonderful lady from Langley, Judy Hrynenko, is trying to help the people of Poltava rebuild their library by sending them books and money from Canada. She is looking for donatations of books, new or used (in good condition), and/or cash to help purchase books and cover shipping costs. Preferred books: Children’s and Young Adult, Ukrainian-language books of any kind, or English-language books on Ukrainian topics. (A copy of the new release, Kobzar's Children, would be ideal.)
You can drop off books and/or cash donations at Baba’s Treasures, 10598 King George Hwy, Surrey, BC V3T 2X3. Hours: 10:00 am till 4 pm. Tue – Sat. Closed Sunday and Monday. Tel: (604) 582-3944. If you have no means of transportation to drop off books, please arrange for pick up. Call or email Judy at (604) 530-9947 or contact Baba's Treasures or me. Judy is absorbing all the related expenses to collect and ship the books, so any help to defray costs would be much appreciated.
Deadline for donations is July 15, 2006. Please support this project. The Children of Ukraine need your help.
A wonderful lady from Langley, Judy Hrynenko, is trying to help the people of Poltava rebuild their library by sending them books and money from Canada. She is looking for donatations of books, new or used (in good condition), and/or cash to help purchase books and cover shipping costs. Preferred books: Children’s and Young Adult, Ukrainian-language books of any kind, or English-language books on Ukrainian topics. (A copy of the new release, Kobzar's Children, would be ideal.)
You can drop off books and/or cash donations at Baba’s Treasures, 10598 King George Hwy, Surrey, BC V3T 2X3. Hours: 10:00 am till 4 pm. Tue – Sat. Closed Sunday and Monday. Tel: (604) 582-3944. If you have no means of transportation to drop off books, please arrange for pick up. Call or email Judy at (604) 530-9947 or contact Baba's Treasures or me. Judy is absorbing all the related expenses to collect and ship the books, so any help to defray costs would be much appreciated.
Deadline for donations is July 15, 2006. Please support this project. The Children of Ukraine need your help.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Report calls for broadcasting changes in Canada
This National Post article outlines some of the recommendations of a Senate committee report on broadcasting in Canada.
First off, it says the CBC needs to get back to the basics:
First off, it says the CBC needs to get back to the basics:
The CBC should stop broadcasting professional sports and eventually cut all advertising so it no longer competes with private networks...
"CBC-TV should be a public broadcaster that fills niches that no one else can or will fill," [Senator Joan] Fraser said after tabling the report...
I'm not sure I agree with cutting out sports entirely ... Hockey Night in Canada is a Canadian tradition! But "filling niches no one else will" is an idea long overdue. It's how new trends are born ... altho it's absolute anathema to the risk-averse who dominate the CBC. Just ask Stompin' Tom fans.
The report also deals with the contentious issue of media consolidation:
The report examined trends such as centralized news gathering and media concentration in particular cities and regions, and proposed that the federal Competition Act be amended to trigger an automatic review of proposed media mergers if certain audience thresholds are reached. ...
Hear, hear! Of course, the moguls probably won't be too keen on that, if it means limiting concentration of media ownership:
In a speech last week, CanWest chief executive Leonard Asper said merger reviews should be overhauled to allow more consolidation because competition for readers and advertisers is coming from new sources such as web giants Yahoo and Google.
Interestingly, Asper initially welcomed news of a Broadcast Act review, but he and other media moguls are mum on the findings of this Senate report. Hmmm....
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
new blog for Kobzar's Children
On June 30, the anthology Kobzar's Children: A Century of Untold Ukrainian Stories will be available in bookstores.
Marsha said it generated quite a buzz at the recent Book Expo in Toronto ... and even though it's not even in the stores yet, it's already been selling well through the contributing authors.
So, we decided to give it a blog of its own!
If you've read (or are reading) the book and have a comment to make or a question to ask, and/or are just curious about it, please come and visit!
Marsha said it generated quite a buzz at the recent Book Expo in Toronto ... and even though it's not even in the stores yet, it's already been selling well through the contributing authors.
So, we decided to give it a blog of its own!
If you've read (or are reading) the book and have a comment to make or a question to ask, and/or are just curious about it, please come and visit!
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Vancouver audio archives updated for 061806
Archives for Nash Holos and Chetverta Khvylia June 18 broadcasts are now uploaded!
On NH (in English), a great recipe and as usual interesting info, this time about dill, a herb that is absolutely essential in Ukrainian cookery. On Travel Tips, you'll learn about a wonderful spot to visit next time you're in Kyiv. And of course, there's plenty of Great Ukrainian music!
On 4W (Chetverta Khvylia, meaning"4th wave") there's a half-hour of music and news from Ukraine (exclusively in Ukrainian).
Check out both programs for lively, foot-stomping stuff (mostly on NH) as well as contemporary stuff (4W).
Enjoy!
On NH (in English), a great recipe and as usual interesting info, this time about dill, a herb that is absolutely essential in Ukrainian cookery. On Travel Tips, you'll learn about a wonderful spot to visit next time you're in Kyiv. And of course, there's plenty of Great Ukrainian music!
On 4W (Chetverta Khvylia, meaning"4th wave") there's a half-hour of music and news from Ukraine (exclusively in Ukrainian).
Check out both programs for lively, foot-stomping stuff (mostly on NH) as well as contemporary stuff (4W).
Enjoy!
another testimonial for Kobzar's Children...
This is from a radio colleague, Anke Dekker, who hosts the Dutch radio program here in Vancouver.
I've known Anke since the first incarnation of Nash Holos back in the 1990s ... so of course, hers is another totally unbiased and objective testimonial:
... I'm really enjoying the book. I read your story first and I really liked it, you are a great writer and I had a little tear going down my cheek at the end of the story! Now I've started the beginning of the book and I enjoy the way the stories are written. It's very informative and interesting. Of course, I have always been interested in history of any kind and I must admit that I don't know much about Ukrainian history, so this is a good book to start with.
Anke's program Holland Calling airs in Vancouver (Mon. & Tue. at 8-9 p.m on AM1470 and Wed. at 6 a.m. on FM96.1), in Calgary (Tue at 4-5 p.m. on FM 94.7) and in Toronto (Sat 7-8 a.m. on AM1430).
I've known Anke since the first incarnation of Nash Holos back in the 1990s ... so of course, hers is another totally unbiased and objective testimonial:
... I'm really enjoying the book. I read your story first and I really liked it, you are a great writer and I had a little tear going down my cheek at the end of the story! Now I've started the beginning of the book and I enjoy the way the stories are written. It's very informative and interesting. Of course, I have always been interested in history of any kind and I must admit that I don't know much about Ukrainian history, so this is a good book to start with.
Anke's program Holland Calling airs in Vancouver (Mon. & Tue. at 8-9 p.m on AM1470 and Wed. at 6 a.m. on FM96.1), in Calgary (Tue at 4-5 p.m. on FM 94.7) and in Toronto (Sat 7-8 a.m. on AM1430).
They should know better
As a writer, I really take exception to the sloppiness recently displayed by Naxos Audio Books.
Sure, a portrait of Taras Shevchenko fits Dostoyevky's story The Brothers Karamazov well... but Shevchenko is Ukraine's national bard, not Russia's. It's akin to putting a picture of Robbie Burns on an audio book of Hamlet.
Are the folks at Naxos Audio Books so devoid of imagination (or knowledge) that they can't find a suitable Russian photo for Dostoyevsky's story? Or are they just too lazy?
Whatever the reason, such unprofessionalism is unforgivable, and a disgrace to the publishing industry.
Sure, a portrait of Taras Shevchenko fits Dostoyevky's story The Brothers Karamazov well... but Shevchenko is Ukraine's national bard, not Russia's. It's akin to putting a picture of Robbie Burns on an audio book of Hamlet.
Are the folks at Naxos Audio Books so devoid of imagination (or knowledge) that they can't find a suitable Russian photo for Dostoyevsky's story? Or are they just too lazy?
Whatever the reason, such unprofessionalism is unforgivable, and a disgrace to the publishing industry.
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Podcasting development - a sign of the times
You gotta know something's afoot when this sort of thing happens...
Robert Scoble... [t]he 'Microsoft Geek Blogger' is leaving Microsoft to join the podcasting startup PodTech.
Scoble's site, which focuses on tech issues relating to Microsoft, has been one of the most popular blogs for several years. Of over 3,000 bloggers active at Microsoft, Scoble has been the most influential...
According to Scoble, he was happy and supported at Microsoft, but he's leaving for new opportunities. ...
'When life hands you a metaphorical equivilent of a gold coin you better do something with it,' he adds. '... you should reinvest your talents and your luck to make the world a better place.'
Robert Scoble... [t]he 'Microsoft Geek Blogger' is leaving Microsoft to join the podcasting startup PodTech.
Scoble's site, which focuses on tech issues relating to Microsoft, has been one of the most popular blogs for several years. Of over 3,000 bloggers active at Microsoft, Scoble has been the most influential...
According to Scoble, he was happy and supported at Microsoft, but he's leaving for new opportunities. ...
'When life hands you a metaphorical equivilent of a gold coin you better do something with it,' he adds. '... you should reinvest your talents and your luck to make the world a better place.'
more musings on "cultural fallacy"
I know I posted on this a few days ago but it still just keeps nagging at me ....
[from] Michael Alexander’s “Competing Against America” (Wiley, 2005): “…multiculturalism does not achieve what should be its most important goal: to demystify the other. The views of cultural life presented by multiculturalism are uninspiring and uninteresting (…) because they present culture in the form of mind-numbing displays of folklore. (…) Canada is sorely in need of cohesion, but we are unlikely to achieve it because multiculturalism discourages individuals from different backgrounds from truly engaging with each other on the street, in neighbourhoods and in the workplace.”
What I find so offensive is the claim that the "views of cultural life presented by multiculturalism are uninspiring and uninteresting (…) because they present culture in the form of mind-numbing displays of folklore."
Uninspiring and uninteresting to whom? As I pointed out in my previous post, many people disagree enough with the author of that piece of drek to spend their hard-earned money on those "mind-numbing" folkloric festivals.
But what really irks me is the hasty generalization (there's that fallacy again) that "multiculturalism discourages individuals from different backgrounds from truly engaging with each other on the street, in neighbourhoods and in the workplace.”
Give your head a shake, bub. It's not "multiculturalism" that discourages that kind of social interaction. Rather, it's the mindset responsible for the birth of the concept of multiculturalism in the first place, a concept which was not and is (obviously) still not welcome by the ruling elite. It's the mindset that produces the kind of nativism that sneers at the folkloric cultural expressions of others ... and attempts to discourage such wholesome and innocuous entertainment, not least of all by promoting cultural uniformity as some sort of patriotic sacred cow.
Ever notice that it's not the people attending folk festivals raising a stink about the supposed evils of multiculturalism?
Such common folk are too busy "engaging with each other on the street, in neighbourhoods and in the workplace" (after having enjoyed a plate of perogies or potstickers together while at some multicultural festival) to notice whether or not multiculturalism policy is achieving "its most important goal" to the satisfaction of its critics.
Meanwhile, those self-appointed champions of cultural diversity are just itching to dismantle and further hobble an approach that, much to their chagrin, has been achieving that very goal... albeit on streets, neighbourhoods and workplaces that they probably don't frequent.
[from] Michael Alexander’s “Competing Against America” (Wiley, 2005): “…multiculturalism does not achieve what should be its most important goal: to demystify the other. The views of cultural life presented by multiculturalism are uninspiring and uninteresting (…) because they present culture in the form of mind-numbing displays of folklore. (…) Canada is sorely in need of cohesion, but we are unlikely to achieve it because multiculturalism discourages individuals from different backgrounds from truly engaging with each other on the street, in neighbourhoods and in the workplace.”
What I find so offensive is the claim that the "views of cultural life presented by multiculturalism are uninspiring and uninteresting (…) because they present culture in the form of mind-numbing displays of folklore."
Uninspiring and uninteresting to whom? As I pointed out in my previous post, many people disagree enough with the author of that piece of drek to spend their hard-earned money on those "mind-numbing" folkloric festivals.
But what really irks me is the hasty generalization (there's that fallacy again) that "multiculturalism discourages individuals from different backgrounds from truly engaging with each other on the street, in neighbourhoods and in the workplace.”
Give your head a shake, bub. It's not "multiculturalism" that discourages that kind of social interaction. Rather, it's the mindset responsible for the birth of the concept of multiculturalism in the first place, a concept which was not and is (obviously) still not welcome by the ruling elite. It's the mindset that produces the kind of nativism that sneers at the folkloric cultural expressions of others ... and attempts to discourage such wholesome and innocuous entertainment, not least of all by promoting cultural uniformity as some sort of patriotic sacred cow.
Ever notice that it's not the people attending folk festivals raising a stink about the supposed evils of multiculturalism?
Such common folk are too busy "engaging with each other on the street, in neighbourhoods and in the workplace" (after having enjoyed a plate of perogies or potstickers together while at some multicultural festival) to notice whether or not multiculturalism policy is achieving "its most important goal" to the satisfaction of its critics.
Meanwhile, those self-appointed champions of cultural diversity are just itching to dismantle and further hobble an approach that, much to their chagrin, has been achieving that very goal... albeit on streets, neighbourhoods and workplaces that they probably don't frequent.
A website called "Ukienet"
Just came across this neat website called Ukienet that is
...intended for the interchange of information, ideas, opinions, and communication in the Ukrainian-American community.
There is some partisan US politics on the home page, but regardless of your political persuasion or interests (if any), there is lots of great stuff elsewhere on the site for Ukiephiles ... and I would imagine Canadians and others are welcome, too! ;-)
Definitely worth a visit.
...intended for the interchange of information, ideas, opinions, and communication in the Ukrainian-American community.
There is some partisan US politics on the home page, but regardless of your political persuasion or interests (if any), there is lots of great stuff elsewhere on the site for Ukiephiles ... and I would imagine Canadians and others are welcome, too! ;-)
Definitely worth a visit.
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Ukrainian Food Flair became a best seller today!
So thrilled to see this today! Thank you to my dear friend and writing mentor, Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch , and best-selling children's a...
