On July 1st, CEO of Rogers, Tony Staffieri shared the following social media post highlighting the “spirit of building” and the importance of “investing in this country”.
Within the week, Waterloo Region residents heard the shocking news that Rogers would be shuttering several radio stations, including CityNews 570.
The Rogers-owned station, likely most notable for The Mike Farwell Show, has hosted talk radio programming since the 1990s. On July 7th, everything seemed as usual, until listeners heard, “Today is the last day 570 NewsRadio will be on the air. We are proud to have served Kitchener and the surrounding area. Thank you to everyone who contributed to the station over the years.”
The announcement left many shocked and confused. From what I can tell, radio station employees were not alerted to the closure ahead of time. My thoughts go out to all of those employees and their families as they deal with this upsetting news.
In a statement, Rogers said that they shut down 570 due to declining audience numbers and revenue trends. “After a thorough review of our radio stations across the country, we have made the difficult but necessary decision to close 570 NewsRadio in Kitchener. We are grateful to our listeners and to our team for their contributions to the local community,” the statement said. (Apparently, that earlier commitment to “investing in this country” has its limits.)
Residents react
The news has hit many in our community hard, with plenty of people sharing their reactions and their memories of the radio station. “It was part of the heart and soul of our community,” said Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic. “Your trusted journalists and team members deserved better, the Kitchener community deserved better and our country that you have made billions in profits from deserved better,” he said of Rogers.
“It was the place to go to find out what was going on in your community. Now we don’t have that voice anymore. So where do people go? There’s going to be a big void” said Rob Wreford, who worked at 570 CHYM from 1981 until 1987.
“570 NewsRadio, with its all-day presence, its news, weather, sports and traffic reports, and Farwell’s play-by-play of Kitchener Rangers games, was a towering part of the Waterloo Region media landscape,” wrote Luisa D’Amato. With local talk radio, “the shared life of the community would get airtime: an organizer sharing news of a fundraising event, a story of an ordinary person doing something extraordinary, a caller with strong opinions about snow shoveling, a question-and-answer session with the chief of police.” I know I had the opportunity to be on the show multiple times to discuss local events and issues; no doubt some of you have as well.
And, what about hockey? “The station has been the local broadcaster of Kitchener Rangers hockey games for about three decades.” With a huge win this year for the Memorial Cup champions, the Kitchener Rangers, many are wondering where Rangers games will now be broadcast. A statement from the team says, “We are actively exploring alternative options to ensure our passionate fans can continue to follow the team, and we look forward to sharing more information as plans come together." As reported by The Record, Mike Farwell is interested in remaining the voice of the Rangers, if possible.
Nearly a century of broadcasting
Learn more about the history of how CityNews 570 came to be, with a move from Brantford almost 100 years ago.
It’s not just news, it’s local democracy
The issue is pressing given that since 2008 we have seen more than 600 local news outlets close in almost 400 communities across the country. That “creates more space for mis- and dis-information, so there’s just more stuff out there that you don’t know if you can believe or not,” argues April Lindgren, co-director of the Local News Research Project out of Toronto Metropolitan University.
It’s also a local democracy issue. “The more pesky reporters you have around, the more pesky questions get asked, and it holds elected officials more to account,” said Lindgren.
“Journalism is a public service,” said Mirko Petricevic, founder of Ink-stained Wretches, a group dedicated to promoting local journalism. “We as residents in a democratic society have a right to know what’s going on and we have a right to verified information. And the fewer sources of news journalism that follows standards of verification and traditional journalistic standards, the more rumour and misinformation can circulate in the community. I don’t think that’s healthy.”
“There are all kinds of people who look to the radio for forms of democratic engagement, especially on talk radio, to receive hyperlocal forms of information without going on the internet and wading through the soup of what is out there media-wise,” said Marcel O’Gorman, University of Waterloo English professor and director of the Critical Media Lab.
“Today is a reminder that local journalism is not something we should take for granted,” said Region of Waterloo Councillor Colleen James in a Facebook post. “When local news disappears, our communities lose an important connection to one another and to the democratic process,” she wrote in the post.
Mayor Vrbanovic seems to agree. “Local media is a key part in terms of building community identity, community spirit, but most importantly, in terms of being a vital check on local democracy,” he said.
Take action
There are some very practical things we can do to protect our local journalism landscape, says Mirko Petricevic, starting with urging municipal councils “to keep our tax dollars in the community by redirecting their advertising budgets from Silicon Valley giants to local news media outlets.” Petricevic notes that the Province of Ontario has directed its agencies to dedicate a minimum 25 per cent of their marketing budgets to Ontario-based publishers. Municipalities should follow their lead and maybe go even further. “But why stop at 25 per cent? Now more than ever, we see that local journalism is not just a commodity to buy — it’s a community resource worth supporting,” says Petricevic.
One final word from me: Citified wouldn’t exist without the strength of local journalism in Waterloo Region. I watch more council meetings than anyone really should, but I still rely on reporters to provide the depth and context that make this newsletter possible. That ecosystem is under real strain, and it needs protecting. If you value the work local journalists do, please consider supporting them in any way you can: through paid subscriptions, sharing their reporting and programming, and speaking up for the essential role they play in our community. Here’s a list to get started:
What else would you add to this list? Share in the comments!
“I call on all of the communications companies, and I call on people in this community and Canadians in general to really think about the important role that trusted local media plays. Not social media, but trusted local media with good information and good facts plays for a healthy democracy where accountability is a key part of the process,” said Mayor Vrbanovic.
Additional reading
If reading this Citified piece is causing déjà vu, it’s not you. I have written a lot about local journalism over the years, as I believe it’s fundamental to local democracy. For a broader understanding of the issue at hand, consider reading previous posts:
We are fortunate to have a strong ecosystem of community-run and local radio in Waterloo Region.
Check out the various local and semi-local options we have for news.
Learn more about Ink-stained Wretches.
Upcoming events
Kitchener has opened up a second round for applications to their Kitchener Nature Stewards program. Kitchener residents aged 14+ can gain hands-on field experience with ecological stewardship and restoration while helping care for Monarch Woods.
The Public Health neighbourhood bus, which offers easy access to vaccines and other healthcare assistance, is making stops throughout Cambridge this summer. The next stop will be on Wednesday, July 29 at Greenway Chaplin Community Centre (116 Rouse Ave.) from 1 to 4 p.m. and 5 to 7 p.m.
King Street Unplugged: From Sunday, July 26 to Friday, July 31, King Street from Young Street to College Street will transform into a vibrant pedestrian-only destination filled with free activities, live entertainment, games, markets, music, dancing and more.
This weekend is the Uptown Waterloo Jazz Festival and there’s also Ribfest in Kitchener. Next weekend you can check out the Wayback Festival.
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.