WEDNESDAY COMMENTARY – SWEEP THE LEG

(Listen daily for the Rod Pedersen Commentary at 9:50 am and 5:20 pm on Cat Country 98 FM)

NOT SURE IF ANYONE ELSE IS, BUT I’M CALLING IT BLACK TUESDAY IN SPORTS RADIO ACROSS CANADA.

IN A PRETTY HEARTLESS AND CRUEL MOVE, BELL MEDIA PUT THE BULLET IN ALL-SPORTS RADIO STATIONS IN HAMILTON, WINNIPEG AND VANCOUVER. THE BOSSES SEIZED CONTROL OF ALL THE SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS, KILLED ALL THE MICROPHONES, AND REPORTEDLY GAVE EMPLOYEES 30 MINUTES TO GET THEIR BELONGINGS AND GET OUT.

IT WAS AN INSURRECTION ON SPORTS MEDIA, FROM THE TOP DOWN.

IT TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY OVERSHADOWED DAY 1 OF CFL FREE AGENCY. IN FACT THE “SWEEP THE LEG” TACTIC COINCIDED EXACTLY WHEN THE CFL FREE AGENT MARKET OPENED; NOON EASTERN ON FEBRUARY 9.

WHAT A GREAT PARTNER OF THE CFL THAT BELL MEDIA IS!

IT SPARKED OUTRAGE ACROSS THE NATION BECAUSE IF SPORTS RADIO LISTENERS ARE ANYTHING, THEY’RE LOYAL.

MANY ARE TRYING TO GET A “BOYCOTT BELL” HASHTAG GOING FROM COAST TO COAST BUT IT WON’T DO MUCH GOOD. ROGERS HAS DONE THE SAME THING OVER THE YEARS, SUFFERED THE SAME BACKLASH, AND HAS GROWN EVEN LARGER.

IT REMINDS ME OF THOSE GASOLINE BOYCOTTS WE WERE SUPPOSED TO STAGE YEARS AGO OVER ESCALATING PRICES AT THE FUEL PUMPS. THEY DIDN’T WORK EITHER. AND I’D RATHER GO WITHOUT GAS OR OXYGEN THAN WITHOUT TSN.

IT’S A SIGN OF THE TIMES, AND IT CAME AS NO SURPRISE TO ME BECAUSE I KNEW THOSE STATIONS WERE BLEEDING RED INK EVEN PRIOR TO COVID.

YOUNG BROADCASTERS SAID TUESDAY THAT THIS IS A SCARY SIGN AND NOW THEY’RE RE-THINKING THEIR CAREER CHOICE. WHEN I SPOKE RECENTLY TO A BROADCAST JOURNALISM CLASS IN BC I FELT LIKE SAYING INTO MY COMPUTER SCREEN, “DON’T DO IT!”

BUT THAT WOULDN’T BE FAIR. I WAS WARNED BY THE VETS THE SAME WAY IN THE LATE 80’S AND EARLY 90’S BUT WAS UNDETERRED. I KEPT GOING AND GOT REAL LUCKY.

IT’S JUST GONNA BE A LOT HARDER FOR YOUNG PEOPLE NOW.

THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY ON CAT COUNTRY 98.