You're Not Sirius...
In "The Toronto Sun" today, it was mentioned that we won't be "allowed" to pay to listen to Howard Stern on Sirius Canada. Beatdogg thought we should protest, but I think it would be pointless.
I wonder how many people will be buying satellite radios only to realize that they won't be able to get Stern...I also wonder if anyone even cares...Maybe people are too busy watching "Corner Gas" or "Trailer Park Boys" or speaking with fake Scottish accents (for some reason)... to care.
If you've never seen this asshole, I envy you...
I may have to make a run for the border to try to figure a way around this...This news ruined my day... but if there's a way, I'll find it...or cry trying...
Below is the Sun article (outdated references and all) in case the link above doesn't work...(Sidney Crosby is a young hockey phenom )...
Stern can't beam here on radio
By JIM SLOTEK, TORONTO SUN
Space may be the final frontier for Howard Stern in the U.S., but Canada remains a no-fly zone.
The superstar American shock-jock becomes the king of satellite radio in the U.S. in January, courtesy of a $500-million deal with Sirius Satellite Radio.
But Sirius Canada, which plans to start beaming to your car and home before the end of this year, has no plans to include Stern and his no-holds-barred morning show that includes the likes of Stuttering John, Baba Booey and butt-bongo stunts.
Stern's show might be Sirius' biggest attraction in the U.S. His hardcore fan base is buying the service just to keep on hearing him.
So, Sirius Canada, isn't this like acquiring the Pittsburgh Penguins and deciding you don't need Sidney Crosby?
"Well, what if Sidney Crosby was going to be arrested and put in jail within two weeks?" said Gary Slaight, the CEO of Standard Broadcasting, which co-owns Sirius Canada along with the CBC.
"The CRTC, who we are licensed to, would eventually force us to take Stern down, because we have standards we have to abide by in this country when you own a broadcasting licence."
Conversely, satellite radio providers in the U.S. are not licensed by the American equivalent of the CRTC, the Federal Communications Commission, Slaight said, "so they can do whatever they want.
"When we applied for a licence, the CRTC pushed us about this," he said. "(Stern) was definitely a topic of conversation. We (Standard) are a big broadcaster and have to deal with the CRTC on other issues. And the CBC obviously has a cultural mandate to be concerned with."
The New York-based Stern debuted in Canada on Sept. 2, 1997 on Toronto's Q-107 and Montreal's CHOM-FM, and started things off by blasting the French (calling them "peckerheads" and saying, "the French should bend over for me the way they did for Hitler"). That first broadcast alone inspired more than 1,000 complaints to the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council. Stern lasted on CHOM until August 1998. Q-107 took flak from the regulators and stuck with the experiment through November 2001.
*****
The bright side of this shitty day for me was that I received my copy of Green Day's "Bullet In a Bible"...
Pre-ordering on amazon means you get it the day after it's released...but you don't have to go to the store and deal with Christmas shoppers...
Last week, I also received that Apes book that I had mentioned before...(pretty good so far)...
and a book that my friend wrote about a branch of martial arts...
That's all I have to say at the moment...16 more days of Stern...We're "free" to pay to watch porn on TV, but not "allowed" to pay to listen to Stern on satellite radio. Thanks, Canada.
And if you're thinking that if I don't like it, why don't I move...All I can say is Fuck that. I shouldn't have to move. I should be "allowed" to pay for it if I want it. What the hell is going on here? A kid can get on a computer and see all sorts of vile shit...(Warning: the previous link leads to some pretty vile shit...it's just a few clicks away...Porn is even easier to find)... yet they shouldn't be allowed to listen to people exchanging ideas, joking and interviewing celebrities in a very real way? Sure, some of Stern's humour is immature, but I hear far worse stuff from supposedly classy people every day. Swearing, racial slurs, sexually explicit stuff, uninformed blathering, etc...I know that things could be worse, but censorship really makes me angry. Zambo Smash!...Many sit-coms on TV are far more insulting to one's intelligence than Howard Stern is. He is the self-proclaimed "King of all Media", but if you examine his track record...it's true. He's been around for over 20 years...DJs (and Leno) rip him off consistently. He's had best selling books, a hit movie and a successful radio show for so long...When he goes to commercial, I usually flip around, hoping to find something to listen to...I usually end up either going to the classical station or just listening to Stern's commercials...The problem with a lot of radio personalities is that they really have no personalities...Or they're really annoying or trying too hard...Stern is a true original. Sure he bitches a lot, but he still has a passion for what he does...That's very rare today.
I guess I had more to say...Sorry for the rant...I think I'm OK now...
Here we are now. Entertain us...
Your Pal,
Zambo.
posted by Zambo at 10:41 PM
12 Comments:
I just remembered something that Beatdogg had told me about...This guy bought a music CD because he wanted to support the band he liked...But it turns out that there was some sort of encryption in the CD, preventing him from being able to download the music that he had paid for onto his iPod...So he had no recourse but to illegally download the songs (that were on the CD that he had just purchased) in order to put them on his iPod...I feel like I'm in a similar position, where now I will have to find a way to listen to Howard Stern by whatever means necessary...I want to pay for it here in Canada, legitimately, but bullshit is getting in the way. So if you hear that I got knifed in a dark alley in Buffalo...You'll know why...maybe......(Nothing against Buffalo ~ it's just the closest border crossing area).
Why is it that nothing is ever easy?
If anyone's wondering what the big deal is...Stern helps me get through the day...The show usually sets the mood for my entire day...I know that I'll be able to listen from about 6 'til about 9 every weekday morning...When it's a repeat, I usually have a bad start to the day, but it's still pretty funny. Plus, there are other issues about freedom of speech...but I'm mostly into it for the entertainment value...Others can support the free speech angle if they wish...That's why he went to satellite in the first place...He has apologized that he hasn't done the show that he's wanted to do for the last 10 years due to FCC regulations, fines, etc...
That's it for now...Gotta get up at 6...It's actually almost 1 am right now...Ugggh!
Good Night Kids.
Your Pal,
Zambo.
I heard about this...there have been quite a few callers calling in a complaining. I for one want to follow him to Sirius, but not sure if the finances are up for it! I can't start my day without tuning into him...and have done so for the past TEN years. My I'm getting old.
Lasagna?
That's her stage name.
Mine's Meatball.
(Not really).
Take it easy.
Your Pal,
Zambo.
I care,and I watch Corner Gas AND Trailer Park Boys,lol
That does it for my hubby,he won't subscibe in Canada then..thanks for posting this Zambo:)
We were wondering and trying to figure out which way we were going to go...trust the CRTC to screw things up!
That pisses me off,what are we,two years old??GRRRR
Hi Gang.
Stern addressed it briefly today...He read a bit of the article on the air...I guess if you register your satellite radio with a U.S. address, you can still receive the signal here...It's just a pain in the nuts...I'll have to call my cousin, who I hardly ever talk to, and be the guy who only calls when he wants something...It puts everyone in an awkward position...It would be nice if Stern offered a dummy address that we could use to register the account...In the meantime, I'll just bite the bullet and look for my cousin's number or e-mail address...I hate imposing on others...
Also, Stern's on Letterman tonight...
If you're interested, check it out!
Your Pal,
Zambo.
P.S.
Today was a bit better...I watched "Bullet In A Bible" on my laptop while I worked...It's pretty awesome! Billie Joe getting himself psyched up for the show to the theme from "Rocky cracked me up! I nearly soiled myself! If you're a fan, it's a must own DVD/CD combo...But it does CONTAIN LANGUAGE WHICH MAY BE UNSUITABLE FOR SOME LISTENERS. If you're not a fan, too bad for you.
Enjoying your snow?
Did you get a little or a lot?
Our's is melting...
You may not have to use your cousin.If you hurry in before the Canadian version is up and running,you may be able to go into a truck shop,like Freightliner and get a radio in the US.They set it all up for you..
If you want more info,feel free to email me,my addy is on my blog:)
Lael
Hey Zambo, I was reading your blog today and it was reminiscent of an argument I had with some Americans while living in the states. The Right to Free Speech that Stern talks about, doesn't exist in Canada. Instead of the Bill of Rights we have a Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Absent from this charter are hot topics like the "right to bear arms" our southern neighbours are killing themselves to defend, and the right to orate "hate speech". Unfortunately there is a "grey" area that no one up here has the nuts to explore when it come to ridiculing hate speech. Thus, all of Daniel Carver's rants are flagged and were generally cut from the broadcast when Stern was on Q107, even though the context was set up to make him look ridiculous. It has some good points as we don’t have the Klan legally sponsoring high school events up here, but I doubt anyone is going to try to set a precedent with Stern (unless you and beatdogg take up the torch).
I'm sorry if you knew all this already, I was used to explaining it to people who thought Canada was "a beautiful state".
PS I’m certain if Howard Stern spoke French there would be no issue.
Long time listener, first time caller…
PPS for more boring info try:
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/legislation/canadian_law/federal/charter_of_rights/chart_right_free_ov.cfm
Thanks buddy.
Yeah I remember learning about the Charter a long time ago in school...
I guess it's good that we don't have NAMBLA or the Klan openly sharing their beliefs...They just meet underground, I suppose...or go to conventions or rallies in the U.S. It's a shame about all those "grey areas" and matters of context and semantics...
We'll just have to adapt and overcome...I was thinking this morning about when I go over the border to buy a Sirius radio...Should I claim it, or would that be violating some law? So now I'm wondering the best way to circumvent the rules without having to lie at the border...which causes me even more stress...Maybe I'll just have to go to a Sabres or Bills game and not mention the radio...I'd like to be able to go to Best Buy or Radio Shack and just get it over with, but now it's become a whole ordeal...
The Stern appearance on Letterman was pretty good...I thought it was funny how he emphasized that he'd be willing to look a fan in the eyes and tell them that it would be worth it to spend the $12/month...(He remembered to take off his dark glasses just prior to saying that)...Way to sell it, big boy...
Anyway, I guess I should do some work...I wonder what the lottery jackpot is this week...I know it's pathetic, but if you wanna win, you gotta play...
As for Beatdoggie and me championing a cause? You should know us well enough by now to know that that's not going to happen...
Thanks for the comment.
Enjoy the game tomorrow.
Your Pal,
Zambo.
Zambo,
I feel your pain, man. I know how much Stern means to you. (That sounds ridiculous, but seriously, when I have to drive anywhere between the hours of 6am and 10am, it makes a *huge* difference to know that I'm gonna get to listen to Stern).
Canada is pretty silly in a lot of ways... Objectively speaking it probably is the best country in the world to live in, but that "fact" makes a lot of people really complacent.
Anyhow, as you know, I now live in a country with some pretty bizarre rules about what you are and aren't allowed to show... (shudder) ... I just saw something on stile that I may never be able to forget... damnit...
By the way, I'm at Tada's place now, and just hung out with Mori for the last couple days. They both say Hello.
Hey Gobbles.
Thanks for the commiserations.
I'm glad to hear that those rumours about Tada being lost to the sex trade to pay off his dad's gambling debts aren't true...
Say "Hi".
Take care over there.
Your Pal,
Zambo.
Beloved Z:
Soory to hear about your lack of "Howie" up there. Perhaps we can organize an underground mission to smuggle tapes across the border (smile). Your blog continues to be the high spot in my week!
Hi Keeks!
Thanks, Ra!
Talk to you soon.
Your Drowsy Pal,
Zambo.
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