|
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.
[End] 
| 