The weekend promos had heightened the anticipation; what I thought would be the Davis Cup of Politics … BC’s top-rated talk show host Bill Good vs. the province’s top ranked politician, Christy Clark …. would take to the air in Vancouver Monday; maybe not the match of the year, but hopefully some hard-hitting serves and returns, drawing “oohs” and “aahs” from listeners province-wide.
But soon after two big name seeds took to the court … CKNW’s radio studio …. I felt like I was listening to an ‘NW Orphan’s Club charity event.
This match-up began with a 10-minute speech by the visiting opponent.
Huh?
Ten minutes of ”How good (pun intended) I am” by Clark … displaying her terrific skills: self-aggrandisement, selective memory, tried and tested cliches (“There is only one taxpayer!” and “We’re getting government out of the way of job creation”.)
And once more, the oft-repeated past promises: jobs, helping families, seniors, reduce court backlogs, and …wait for it …. The Evergreen Line!
The opening ceremony over, Good then took to the court … and served up a good question about Clark’s promise of speedy action to bring the Stanley Cup rioters to justice. But Clark sliced the question, changed her initial vow of speed to now just prosecuting “to the full extent of the law”.
And Good pretty well let her get away with that … moving on to the issue of televising the court proceedings etc. … instead of nailing her over and over again about her own FAILED “accountability” factor of FAST ACTION.
And so it went … lobbed questions and skillfully returned serves on a whole variety of issues … and then I understood WHY Clark had chosen the Good show for such a rare question-and-answer media appearance: Good is NOT a political reporter.
He does his best; he asked topical questions; he tried to deliver serve up the odd backhand or forehand. But Good is no Michael Smyth …or Harvey Oberfeld ….and Clark was able to easily put her own spin on everything without having to counter many hard volleys.
For example, when Clark said the government couldn’t afford ANY pay increases for teachers or public servants, I would have asked how she then expects them (and the rest of us) …. without any pay increases … to pay for all the HIGHER FEES, LICENCES, MSP RATES, TRANSIT FARES, FUEL TAXES, ICBC HIKES, HYDRO COSTS ETC. ETC. the government and its agencies are constantly and increasingly downloading on us????
And when Clark said REPEATEDLY, in response to a question about her low poll ratings, that we’re still a year and a half away from an election…. I would have JUMPED on that! WHY? WHY? WHY?
After all, this is a party leader in power without ANY public mandate as premier or for her government (Remember she herself has said HER government is totally NOT Campbell’s government … so how can it govern without a mandate of its own?) and she herself had vowed to seek a mandate within six months of taking office …so I would have delivered an ace on this one …. demanding to know WHY she has broken her own vow, WHY she disrespects the public’s right to vote for their government, and how dare she insist she can hold on for another year and a half without seeking a mandate???
And then there were Clark’s repeated assertions the government can’t do more for many or address issues it wanted to because it’s so difficult to balance the budget …. I would have asked her: “You sure you’re not just building up revenues so you can deliver the usual the pre-election news of good government leading to more revenues than expected …. and then do the usual pre-vote give-aways?”
It’s called going for the gusto … tough questioning and even tougher follow-ups … and that was clearly missing from the NW match.
It was an easy match for Clark. She barely had to break a sweat. Nor show any real respect for the voters.
In fact, where was the respect for Good and ‘NW? She wouldn’t even serve up the imminent announcement regarding two coming by-election dates, in return for 90 minutes of free almost charitable airtime?
We should all get tax-deductions …just for listening.
Harv Oberfeld
28 responses so far ↓
1 Richard V // Feb 14, 2012 at 5:54 am
No surprises here. CKNW allowed one caller to talk for some time about how wonderful the Liberals are and how bad the NDP were during the 90′s. A speech right from the Liberal’s play book. The rest of the questions, although relevant, were mostly softball to one degree or another. Not one question about the sad state of health care. Makes one think that this was just a well orchestrated public relations stunt.
2 frosty // Feb 14, 2012 at 5:57 am
Bill HAS to be nice….they’ll be side by side in the lunch room again, before you can say…”Simi later”.
3 13 // Feb 14, 2012 at 6:21 am
Good is sadly the best of whats left at NW. McComb would do a much better job in Goods time slot. Frosty nailed it.
David Hahn was always a great guest for Bill Good. Hahn who should have been an easy target for any talk show host was give so many free rides by Bill Good you have to wonder how many free rides Good got from Hahn.
(Response: NONE. Bill Good is ethical enough and smart enough to be well above that. He may be too soft…even too friendly with politicans/others in power…but don’t confuse that with anything more sinister. h.o)
4 Rocker Rich // Feb 14, 2012 at 7:05 am
Interesting to hear Bill Good on Friday gamely trying to distance himself and NW from the government press release hyping the upcoming appearance.
Indeed, Bill waxed indignantly that the press release’s author, deputy press secretary Rebecca Scott (Good’s former producer), had done “no favours” for NW with the clumsily written release.
There had never been any anticipation of a Throne Speech since the Liberals were simply resuming a session begun in October.
Listeners, he advised, should regard the Clark appearance as just one of many made by B.C. premiers over the years on the Bill Good Show.
Pundits such as political scientist Norman Ruff remain unswayed. Clark, they note, is disrespecting the Legislature by not presenting her agenda under the dome.
At the very least, Rebecca Scott should get some remedial instruction in parliamentary protocols. And the Premier’s office might also want to ensure that the Public Affairs Bureau loan some fact checkers to avoid clangers like the erroneous Throne Speech reference getting into the final version.
(Response: Well I sure don’t recall “other premiers” being able to lead off their appearances with a 10-minute speech. That was awful and denigrated both NW and Good. If Clark wanted 10 minutes uninterupted, they should have sold her time in advance of her appearance on the talk show. As for the legislature, I have blogged before she has NO LEGITIMATE MANDATE in my view to stand there as premier or head of a government …so I’m glad she didn’t pretend to validate her tenure. What I can’t understand is the feebleness of the NDP on this issue: they should have boycotted her first Throne Speech …and now for them to complain she should deliver another one in the legislature makes them look even worse, and unprincipled. h.o)
5 Crankypants // Feb 14, 2012 at 9:51 am
This whole excercise was doomed from the start.
You have a host that is much more comfortable discussing sports than issues that impact peoples’ everyday lives. His tenure with CKNW has much more to do with the changed landscape of the radio industry in Vancouver over the last couple of decades by concentrated ownership. Both he and CKNW are still living off the reputations earned by the likes of Gary Bannerman, Jack Webster, Rafe Mair etc. The quality that these people brought forth during their heyday kept enough listeners tuning in to the Top Dog to outlast their competition in the talk radio category. I suspect that CKNW has also been helped by the fact that people now live longer and as people age, they become creatures of habit.
Then we have a person that is pretending to a duly elected Premier of BC. Other than a penchant for photo-ops and slogans that are vague at best, offers nothing visionary.
This was an excercise that was doomed for failure from the get-go, and it delivered in spades.
On a subject that is not really related to Monday’s farce, what will the future hold for CKNW in a generation or two? When those of us that have been conditioned die off, will they become nothing more than a station of infommercials? They have surely been laying the groundwork for such a future.
6 mariner // Feb 14, 2012 at 2:15 pm
I didn’t even bother listening to the broadcast – I cannot stand Bill Good and Clark is totally out of her depth and unable to give specific answers to specific problems. But we all know that the BC Liberal government is exceedingly dishonest and just cannot be trusted to do anything right.
From what little I have gleaned from different blogs – even allowing for personal dislikes of posters, it certainly seems like the Clark/Good performance was a real flop – and no real surprise there.
Nothing will happen in BC politics until the “sheeple” get off their collectives asses and go out and vote !!! I think the Australian way is probably the best there is. You want a democratic society, then you contribute and vote. No attendance at the polling stations gets a hefty fine to those that don’t vote. It works and the results are quite remarkable – the people are forced to vote and nothing decides like a wallet getting emptied for non compliance.
Instead, we get to listen and be entertained by a couple of “idiots” – sorry, but that is what they both are – for different reasons.
(Response: Being a news junkie, I listen to Bill good …and enjoy most of it. And he’s still fairer than a lot of the other right-wing one-siders i hear on the radio, not only here but in the U.S. especially. But he’s no political reporter and I felt he let Clark get away a lot more lightly than he should have. h.o)
7 D. M. Johnston // Feb 14, 2012 at 2:29 pm
No surprise here as the once mighty CKNW is now a simpering infomercial for the BC Liberal Party. How sad.
There is no more news on ‘NW, just rehashed headlines that were scooped from other NEWS radio stations.
As for Mr. Good, he is well past his “best buy date” and as such, has become a “dollar a (well against the NDP) holler” radio talk show host.
I seldom listen to the “top dog” anymore (advertisers take note) and peruse the blog-o-sphere for news and opinion as it is far more cutting than the “cutting edge”.
On another note, I listened, by chance to the CBC news yesterday and how embarrassing was it for them to have Stephen Smart report on “NW’s sham infomercial. I am afraid no one in the official media is to be believed!
8 Diverdarren // Feb 14, 2012 at 4:31 pm
Harvey, I think you are being to harsh on Good and CKNW. Real journalism is great, but it’s also hard and costly. Asking tough questions makes enemies, opens you up threats of libel and research is time consuming. Media has learned that real journalism may make money, but so does opinion/commentary. ie: FOX, MSNBC, Sun News
CKNW/ Good takes a pro-liberal/ anti-NDP slant and look at the rewards for doing so. Access to inside the government. 90min interviews with the Premier and policy makers. Lots of listeners wanting to hear their opinions reiterated back to them. When was the last time Georgia Strait got an exclusive with the Premier?
There was a time when media made money from people buying their product (journalism) because they saw media as trying to find truth in events. Then media learned that people will also by their product if they produce opinion.
People like listening to media saying things that the listener already agrees with. The listener likes to hear their views expressed in eloquent ways; where contrary opinions the listener doesn’t like are constantly attacked.
Media is a company, and bottom line is what matters. If CKNW is giving the people what they want, by selling out their journalistic integrity, who deserves more criticism ?
The people who buy yellow journalism, or the producer.
(Response: You’re absolutely right. Why can’t I learn! Asking tough questions IS hard, costly, and makes enemies ..or at least “unfriends”. I was thinkuing that this past weekend: I was at The Vancouver Sun for 8 years, covered Burnaby council, then vancouver City Hall for years (along with veteran reporterHall Leiren), then became The Sun’s FIRST EVER Regional Affairs Reporter, breaking new ground in covering the GVRD, and then they thought enough of me to move me to Victoria where I covered the legislature for them for four years…and think I ddi some pretty good and fun stuff ..before moving to BCTV (they made me an offer I couldn’t refuse, based I guess on my Sun work) …yet not a mention in the Sun’s “review” of former Sun staffers. Do you think that had ANYTHING to do with the criticism on this blog of their current product??? Surely any good paper wouldn’t allow personal biases to cloud their stories or coverage! LOL! h.o)
9 TT // Feb 14, 2012 at 6:04 pm
Hey Christy. Quit the fake smiling and call an election already!
10 morry // Feb 14, 2012 at 7:17 pm
“Good is sadly the best of whats left at NW”
Not Good enough! CKNW is warmed over gruel.
Don’t know who would bother to tune in to that station.
Christy Clark is event worse than I had first thought. Can’t wait for the two by-elections to be called, which by the way are way over due. Then the BCLIBS will get the message loud and clear.
11 John's Aghast // Feb 14, 2012 at 9:40 pm
she complains of having to balance HER (okay, the provincial budget)! She should have to balance mine. Yeh, I have no teachers or healthworker salaries to pay. But I do have MP, MLA,Teachers,Doctors,Firemen,Judges,Policeman pensions, MSA premiums, BC Hydro premiums – you get the picture – to pay, and no increase in income. For the rest of my life!
Sheese! I think I’ll trade her problems.
12 kwm // Feb 14, 2012 at 11:07 pm
I agree that the corporate media is a business and may, in fact, be quite entitled to sell any product (opinion) that the public will consume and advertisers will fund, but the idea that the tax-payer supported is indistinguishable from the others in its ‘tight-knit’ allegiance to the enmeshed political-media spin community is what has saddened me to no end. I agree with Harper for the very first time ever. The CBC, in it’s silence and complicity, is no better than its right-wing profit-driven colleagues. Not that I have listened to what I disrespectfully dubbed ‘red neck radio’ a decade ago.
13 Maharg // Feb 14, 2012 at 11:33 pm
The objective of Queen of Photo-ops was to not only control the message, but to control the messenger.
At one time, I supported Bill Good because we went to the same high school. Although nepotism enabled Bill to advance in media, I generally viewed his biases nonchalantly. That changed when he had Bill The Inside Trader Bennett as a guest a few years ago. As Bill spent entire air time drooling over this dishonest ex-premier, I became nauseous. Bill continues to suck-up to those in power because that is where his bread is buttered.
14 Keith // Feb 15, 2012 at 3:03 am
Hi Harvey,
Looking at the Feb. 14 Times Colonist not following up seemed to be a common theme. The cartoon was right on the money and Les Leyne started out with “what a waste of time”, but then it went downhill into space filler but saying nothing.
This was as good as it gets for any political commentater to have pulled cristy and the liberals over the coals. Record debt and deficits, Hydro, ICBC, just 2 examples of executive snouts in the troughs, dodgy accounting practices that allow the liberals to pull out massive sums in vain to help their appaling fiscal track record look better than it is and cranking up rates to pay for same.
Jobs. What jobs.? Would these be something other than those supposed to be created by the olympics, or the “hundreds of thousands” promised by Hansen with the implementation of the h.s.t.?
Based on what the MSM didn’t have to say after this waste of time and space once again it is left to the blogosphere to ask the questions they won’t.
Shouldn’t be too long before the NDP leader gets a sit down with bill for an equal amount of time to state their response to cristy’s throne speech in the finest integrity of parliamentary traditions.
(Response: If ‘NW was willing to give Clark 10 minutes to make an uninterupted speech in the guise of a throne-type presentation, they MUST also give the Opposition equal time, if they want it, just as with a throne speech … or the NDP should complain to the CRTC. h.o)
15 PAUL B // Feb 15, 2012 at 6:41 pm
MR. OBERFELD, Great blog. I listen to the interview also, I think it was a staged interview, like a WWE wrestling match. Alex Tskumis claims callers were screen, do you know anything about this? Bill Good is a joke, out of touch with what people are really concern about. he only allows callers who are pro Libreal. I believe if you were interviewing Christy, she would be exposed the fraud she is ! Doesn’t Bill not know how poorly he thought of? And cknw should be ashamed of how how this show have become, no pride in there product!
(Response: It is totally unfair to suggest Good ONLY lets on pro-Liberal callers. Simply not true. I have been critical of him on other issues but you are wrong on that one. As for screening calls, that is quite normal: the call screener tries to make sure whoever gets on is not drunk or crazy or someone who calls in every day etc. If you’re looking for bias in any radio host, listen to what THEY say and pay attention to how many guests they have on agreeing with their point of view and how many they have on who disagree …that’s much more important, in my view. h.o)
16 SunWuKong // Feb 16, 2012 at 1:22 am
I listened to the early portion of the show before business called, and didn’t think she did well at all.
She sounded evasive, vague and too light on the topics.
Add to that calls that weren’t highly critical and it didn’t impress me at all.
Finally, I don’t expect hard hitting, incisive journalism from NW — regardless of regular or guest host.
17 Ian Fromme-Nelson // Feb 16, 2012 at 5:38 am
How could there be a tennis match?
No balls…
18 Henri // Feb 16, 2012 at 10:24 pm
h.o, response to Paul B comment #15 It is totally unfair to suggest Good ONLY lets on pro-Liberal callers. Simply not true.
—————-
Really now h.o , how do you know that for a fact? Do have some type of evidence that us mere mortals are not privy to?
(Response: Because I have heard MANY callers lambasting the Liberals on the show. h.o)
19 R // Feb 16, 2012 at 10:52 pm
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/02/16/bc-forests-audit.html
20 larben // Feb 16, 2012 at 11:09 pm
Regarding the court backlogs, and the censure of the Premier by a judge in New Westminster that various miscreants (unproven) have had charges dropped because of court backlogs. Christy Clark may be guilty of many things, but it seems a bit rich for a judge to be blaming her for backlogs, especially considering that a big reason for same, is the fact that the judges are letting multiple offenders back into society even when they are found guilty. The greed of defense lawyers, and the power of judges are the main reason for these backlogs. They have now started trying to throw out the recently legislated tough sentencing conditions brought in by the Conservatives. I do not wish to live in a society where unelected judges decide the laws that are to guide us, and attempt, often successfully, to impose their mostly liberal views on the rest of us.
21 PAUL B // Feb 17, 2012 at 2:00 am
Harv. I think you are wrong about Bill Good and cknw. Fridays when Palmer & Baldry are on they give lots of air time to a regular caller name Sam, who was pro HST, yet others who disagreed with the HST were cut off ! Also if you listen to his tone when he ( Bill ) interviews anyone who doesn’t support the Liberals his more forceful in his questions, yet when Christy on no follow up questions , no hard questions re BC rail ect. I know you would do a much better job. Bill should really retire, and I have started to listen less and less to cknw.
(Response: That’s a different question: readers of this blog (check the archives on HST or media) will know I have been VERY CRITICAL of Good and NW on several issues where I feel there has NOT been even handedness in presentation of the issues etc. And don’t even get me started on Michael Campbell! But the uissue that started this discussion string was a comment from Paul who said Good “only allows callers who are pro-Liberal”. That is simply NOT true…and I think there’s enough legitimate reasons to criticize Good, NW or the media without just inventing falsehoods to add to their failings. h.o)
22 cherylb // Feb 17, 2012 at 3:09 am
http://www.news1130.com/news/local/article/331688–chris-olsen-no-longer-on-christy-clark-s-side
Why is that, do you suppose? Could this bright idea have been Chris’s?
(Response: I’ve heard some reporters found him difficult to deal with … not good for a premier who is already doing poorly. Or could be just because, as they said, they decided they don’t need a press person in Vancouver anymore. Personally the way things are going for them, I think they could use three or four. h.o)
23 BG // Feb 17, 2012 at 7:02 am
Bill Good Jr. was a good journalist at one time. Not sure what happened. Sad that Bill has tarnished his reputation with interviews like this and an obvious pro-Liberal bias for the last five years.
Probably his employer pressures him to cave in but you’d think someone like Bill would have more integrity.
(Response: Readers of my blog will know I think it’s good policy to replace “beat” reporters after seven or eight years, because it’s easy to get complacent or too comfortable with those you cover, and even just plain lazy. I wonder if the same might be true with talk show hosts? h.o)
24 e.a.f. // Feb 17, 2012 at 8:06 am
Chrusty gave the same answers she always does. Its like she is a wind up toy and off she goes. As to Bill Good, he had ample time to prepare for the interview and he ought to have been aware of what her answers were going to be and have been prepared for follow up questions.
Palmer & baldry wouldn’t have done much better, they would all have given Chrustie a pass. It might have been more fun to bring in a few jouralism students and let them handle the interviewing.
25 kootcoot // Feb 17, 2012 at 6:46 pm
“maybe not the match of the year, but hopefully some hard-hitting serves and returns, drawing “oohs” and “aahs” from listeners province-wide.”
Slow down there big fella, what’s with this “province wide” stuff? CKNW is (thankfully) un-available in MOST of the province, thus the prom gurl’s choice of that platform just reinforces the ongoing lack of respect, indeed dis-respect shown by this government to those unfortunate (not really) enough to live beyond Hope ( or maybe Abbotsford).
I know CKNW can be accessed online, but even there many not fortunate enough to be lower mainlanders have no access to affordable broadband, and of course as Cranky suggested much of CKNW’s (and the BC liaRs’) base is long in the tooth and IT challenged.
The only radio station that is available almost anywhere in the province is the CBC (I remember listening to the Canadians playing the Broad Street Bullies in my kayak off South Moresby years ago on CBC Radio – they have repeaters almost everywhere) and if our Premier Snooki wants to communicate with her vassals maybe she should have considered that and then subjected herself to questioning by her press flack’s significant other…….jeeeez that’s not so good either.
No matter which direction you look it’s sleaze and slime as far as the eye can see and then some!
(Response: Thanks. I thought the show was carried for gthe first 90 minutes or so on other stations around the province. If it isn’t, that makes it even weirder why Clark chose NW to make her un-throne speech … thereby ignoring (and insulting?) people in rest of the province. h.)
26 Judi Sommer // Feb 18, 2012 at 1:23 am
Hi Harvey, This story certainly has “legs’ as today she fired her press secretary and has quickly hired one of the top federal Tory guns as part of “restructuring”. I believe the hapless former advisor had the temerity to try to deflect a question from the press.
Any odds on how long this new advisor will last given her tendecy to” shoot first, then aim.”?
She has time and time again lamented about the HST, how it hurts families. how it was not conceived on her watch, and now we have Falcon’s announcement about the demise of the HST. April 1 2013.
I guess he’s cracked that troublesome code to dismantle it, but the only ones who get an early and immediate break are the building trade (as I recall staunch Liberal supporters) and people who can afford vacation properties and new homes up to $850,000.
Guess the rest of us are chopped liver! Looking forward to the MSM to tackle why ‘some animals are more equal than others”.
The fact is that the date for the dismantling means they will have only a month for any political capital before the legislated may election.
Have they conceded defeat? Are they leaving the cupboard bare for the NDP? If they are serious about a fresh start, wouldn’t make sense to honour the outcome of the referendum sooner?
27 Shyamjith // Feb 28, 2012 at 1:35 am
, Christy made a total fool of hlersef , when she met with Harper regarding the ship building contract. That she had not a clue what she was talking about, and had all the facts wrong.So no, of course Christy can’t have a debate with Dix. She knows she would get slaughtered. On her radio show all her calls were screened, or callers with questions she couldn’t answer, would be cut off for a commercial break. She didn’t have to answer difficult questions then. She can’t afford to answer any difficult questions now either. However, Campbell left the country when the Legislature was in, and left all his dirty work to Hansen to answer. How did Hansen cope? He didn’t, he couldn’t answer one straight question. All he could do, was play silly little juvenile games. De Jong was just as bad. The BC Legislature is useless, the building should be sold.
28 Mathabza // Mar 1, 2012 at 4:12 am
I have never lsietned to the Bill Good show, but in this case I would an exception. However, I read again that Christy won’t do public debates the same Christy that refused to public forums during the by-election. I’m not sure what station it was but yesterday I caught Christy answering a question on the riot review .and her answers repeatedly included I , We , I’m and of course once her brain kicked in those we & I were replaced with ummmm hahhh .. two of her favourite words if you can call them that. In short I was embarrassed to realize that she is leading our Province. And while she preaches things like Town Hall meetings & wanting to engage the public (with the help of Pam & her $130,000 no job description Director of Outreach) ..it appears to me that it’s all about Christy . she comes first, her friends second, business third and Families LAST.
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