Popular
radio show delving into paranormal canceled after 4 ½ years
By
Don Fraser Standard Staff
THE
ST. CATHARINES STANDARD
Tuesday,
February 20, 2001. Front Page
Rob McConnell
wonders why the psychics didn't see it coming.
The seers
appeared on recent episodes of the X-Zone but apparently failed
to foresee the demise of the cult hit paranormal radio show on
St. Catharine's' CKTB AM.
But on Monday,
McConnell was told his show was being canceled and he was out
the door.
"It has me
totally shocked and caught off guard," he said. "You work so damned
hard for this station and this happens to you."
"It's especially
tough with all the publicity that the X-Zone was generating."
The show
- with its discussions of UFOs, aliens and other weird phenomena
- had attracted listeners throughout the Golden Horseshoe as well
as in northern New York State, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Ohio.
The X-Zone,
broadcast live Saturday and Sunday nights, was canceled to clear
the way for all-sports evening broadcasts, said McConnell.
He said he
was told Monday, "the X-Zone didn't fit into the present plans
of CKTB and (owner) Telemedia."
"The format
was basically going talk all day, the (satellite-broadcast) sports
all night, I believe 6 p.m. and on. They asked me for my station
pass and canceled my e-mail account."
McConnell,
a St. Catharines resident, said there had been no indication from
management that his show was in peril. He said ratings had nearly
doubled since it debuted in Niagara 2 ½ years ago.
The cancellation
also sidelined next week's scheduled filming for a Fox TV episode.
A crew was coming to St. Catharines to shoot footage for the forthcoming
TV series World's Scariest Places. It was to report on CKTB as
"Canada's most haunted radio station" and highlighted McConnell's
show.
McConnell
isn't the only one losing his job in a shakeup at CKTB.
On Friday,
open-line host john Hardy was released from his duties fronting
the station's 3 to 6 p.m. show. Programming in that time slot
was changed to resemble the station's magazine-style, information-based
morning program.
Program director
Madelyn Hamilton was unavailable for comment on the changes Monday.
Changes and
layoffs have been a continuing story for CKTB as well as CHTZ-FM
(HTZ-FM 97.7) and CHRE FM (Light 105.7), which are all housed
at 12 Yates St. in downtown St. Catharines.
Telemedia
Radio Inc. of Montreal bought the stations from Hamilton based
Affinity Radio Group in 2000. Affinity acquired CHRE in 1999 and
the other two stations in 1998.
In May 2000,
17 people, including on-air hosts Doug Hobbs and Randy Taylor,
were laid off at the three stations. Hobbs, a sports journalist
and former CKTB broadcaster, said he couldn't understand the direction
the station was going.
"It seems
funny there are now all these Niagara people with a radio background
who aren't working," said Hobbs. "And here's a Niagara station
with a bunch of people who are not, nor have ever been part of
the scene here."
Meanwhile,
McConnell has considered reviving his newsletter version of the
X-Zone called the X-Chronicles and planned to shop the shop around
elsewhere. There's a chance he still may do fill-in work for Niagara's
Telemedia stations.
"Who knows,
this could be a blessing in disguise," said McConnell. "But right
now, I feel so empty inside."
It was also
announced last week that CKTB, CHRE and CHTZ news director Karen
Moncur would take over CHRE morning co-hosting responsibilities
from Alex Cunnington, who was reassigned as a reporter.
