An interesting thought...

William:

I know you're not Canadian because I have two trackball assemblies on their way to New York.

I was thinking about CanWest Global. It's a Canadian media empire that is not particularly good. Who am I kidding? Global downright sucks the big one. They're the only broadcaster in this country to claim the country for themselves. Whether it's the Aspers telling their newspaper editors what they can say in their columns, to censorship of employee's and private citizens, to naming their commercial website Canada, CanWest Global is a media empire that believes they control and own the nation.

I don't know what kind of ratings Globals television stations get, but if their firing of their program director is any indication, they don't get many viewers. I can honestly say that I watch very little CanWest Global television programming, I do not listen to any of their radio stations, and it will be a cold day in Hell before I'll ever buy one of their newspapers.

I'm sure many people will be familiar with the scandal that is currently plagueing Conrad Black and his Hollinger publishing empire, but for all his faults,he was never an Izzy or Leonard Asper. I cannot recall ever hearing of Conrad Black dictating to his editors what perspectives they could report from. Perhaps the single largest crime that Conrad Black ever committed against the people of Canada was allowing CanWest to gain control of the National Post and other Canadian daily newspapers.

I don't imagine that the people at CanWest Global care too much for me nor can I say that I particularly care about what the people of CanWest think about me. Obviously, they're not people that I hold in high regard and I really feel that Canada would not suffer any tremendous loss were they to lose such an abomination of journalism.

Boycott CanWest Global and the companies that advertise with them. Keep the spirit of freedom alive and turn away from Canwest!

I plan to move to Canada as soon as possible. Most likely British Columbia (Vancouver), but Toronto is an option as well.

Why? You're an American right? Why would you want to leave a country that guarantees your civil rights with a Constitution? In my opinion, Canada sucks.

I'd give my left hand to get out of this God forsaken country! As a matter of fact, I'm watching the Canadian Shopping Channel as I type this and wondering, "What did I do to deserve this?" Not surprisingly, I wondered the same thing when I used to listen to our local Canadian radio stations, "What did I do to deserve this?"

You may read this and laugh, but it's far too pathetic to be funny. I live in a town where the police threaten to arrest you if you exercise your right to free speech. I live in a country where gay men are targeted by femme-nazis as being anti-woman. I live in a province where regulatory bodies reject complaints of abuse on the grounds that the guilty may be subject to prosecution.

I live in a city where one company controls all of the radio stations. I live in a town where creativity, talent, and intelligence are looked upon with utter disgust. I live in a town where the mayor has no work experience and lands in the poorhouse if he ever loses an election. I live in a town where the police chief forgets that he is a civil servant and that he is employed by the people. I live in a town where detectives can't detect their own rectums from a hole in the ground. I live in town where the Astronaut Chris hadfield hails from. Curiously, I heard that Chris Hadfield became an astronaut because he wanted to get to space, where most of the losers in Sarnia spend all of their time.

Yeah, I've lost all respect for this country. Canada is a huge joke. To my fellow Canadians, I make no apologies other than to say: If the shoe fits...

I live in a town where a lot of changes are about to take place. I live in a town where the local radio stations are going to be shut down and the corrupt police service cleaned up. I live in a town where local government is going to get a hard lesson in accountability and the citizens are going to be doling out tax dollars for many years to come in order to satisfy the cities legal losses.

That good enough for ya sarg?

PS. Sarg is the hillbilly cop that came to my house to remind me that free speech will not be tolerated. Wak up, sarge. What won't be tolerated is fascist pigs!

Uhhh, clearly you have an ax to grind.

You seem to be bringing Canada, the nation, into your issues with your local government. I know many Canadians who do not live in Sarnia, who seem to be plenty happy, or as happy as they might be anywhere else.

And we've got plenty of shopping networks down here in the states, and I'm sure they suck as much as yours. Yes, we deserve them.

Yes, you're right. I do have an axe to grind and it is unfair of me to lump the entirety of Canada into my battle with local officials. However, I'm inclined to believe that officials throughout Canada are not entirely dissimilar.

I don't quite understand the gist of your last sentence, "Yes, we deserve them." Are you suggesting that you deserve crappy shopping channels because you don't do anything about them?

Cuz if you are, let me offer you some friendly advice: It's not worth the headache of trying to do something about them.

I criticized a local radio station because I thought it sucked. I wasn't the only person that criticized this particular radio station, there were many people being critical of it. Somehow I was the only person that managed to get singled out and I therefore bear the brunt of the retaliation.

Anyway, I naively believed that the Charter of Rights & Freedoms (Canada's pseudo-equivalent of the U.S. Constitution), gave me the right to voice my opinion. I figured if the government body that regulates the Canadian broadcast industry, the CRTC, gives me the right to be critical of the station, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters gives me the foundation on which to build my criticism, and the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council gives me the backing in support of my criticism, then I would have nothing to fear. Unfortunately, I overlooked one minor detail: Corruption!

I learned quickly that what these organizations say and what they do are two completely different things. I realize that the easy thing to do at this stage in the game is to just walk away and pretend like it never happened, but that's also the dumbest move that I could possibly make.

I was warned that I would get into trouble for pursuing this, but I can't help believe that I'm going to get into trouble regardless. It's sort of like England in 1939; they gave Germany the benefit of the doubt in an attempt to avoid trouble, but Germany had other ideas. I'm not going to make the same mistake that Chamberlain made. On the contrary, I'm gonna Churchill their arse!

Take my advice though: If you ever get the notion to criticize a broadcaster, don't; it's just not worth it.

If you want the details, I will give you the details.

Firstly, I want to point out that I have a complaint registered with the Sarnia Police Service currently. I'm undecided on whether I should comment on that.

Secondly, a complaint that I had previously filed against the Sarnia Police Service has just completed review by the Ontario Civilian Commission on Police Services. I have written to the Solicitor General of the Province of Ontario, Monte Kwinter, asking that he direct the Ontario Commission on Police Services to provide an explanation of their decision and to provide me with copies of the submissions made by the Sarnia Police Service. I will post his response just as soon as I receive it. I've also written to the chair of the Ontario Civilian Commission on Police Services asking the same: That he provide an explanation for the decision made by the review panel and to provide copies of the submissions made by the Sarnia Police Service for review.

I live in a medium sized town in the southwest region of Ontario called Sarnia. It is a town that was built on the petrochemical industry and if I'm not mistaken, the petrochemical industry is still Sarnia's largest employer.

Sarnia has a population of approximately 73,000 people and is apparently recovering from more than a decade of population decline. This is according to material published by city hall. Statistics Canada census information does not show a rebound but shows that Sarnia's population is declining.

Keep in mind that Sarnia is an industrial town with several major petrochemical companies operating refineries here. Anybody that is familiar with the petrochemical industry is probably familiar with various emergency procedures that are put in place in the event of toxic releases, explosions, etc. Indeed, the petrochemical companies put tremendous resources into training, preparation, and emergency response should anything go wrong. The people locally have historically done a really good job in their efforts to keep area residents safe in the event of an emergency.

The local police service and other emergency responders such as fire and amabulance are all trained and practiced in emergency and preparation and response. Together with industry, they form such emergency response teams as CVECO (Chemical Valley Emergency... I forget the rest at the moment) and CAER which I believe is an acronym for Community Awareness and Emergency Response.

Sarnia has two local newspapers: The Observer and Sarnia This Week. The Observer is our only daily newspaper and it is owned and operated by Osprey Media. Osprey Media purchased the Sarnia Observer from Hollinger Inc. The other paper, Sarnia This Week, is owned and operated by Sun Media Corporation. Sarnia This Week was once owned by London, Ontario based Blackburn Group. (Remember this name. Blackburn Group or Blackburn Radio Inc., which is a wholly owned subsidiary of a numbered company, is the focus of this story.)

Sarnia has three radio stations, two FM stations and one AM station. All three of Sarnia's local radio stations are owned and operated by Blackburn Radio Inc. and all three radio stations are operated out of the same building on London Road in Sarnia.

Being that Sarnia is an industrial town, and that the possibility of disaster in the chemical valley is real, albeit remote, Sarnia's three radio stations play an important role in emergency response. If or when there is a release in the petrochemical plants here in Sarnia or if there is any other emergency, local residents are advised to tune to one of the three local radio stations for informationtion and updates. It is through this important role, that Sarnia's radio stations work closely with local authorities and industry. Radio has an essential role in a community such as Sarnia and local residents and authorities are very much aware of this.

Sarnia has had one mayor, Mike Bradley, for many years now. Mike Bradley is, I believe, Sarnia's longest serving mayor. He has been elected Sarnia's mayor for at least five or six terms and is a man that is either loved or hated in the community. There does not appear to be much middle ground when it comes to Sarnian's opinions of Mayor Mike Bradley. I do not know what, if any, other work experience or skills Mayor Bradley has and I'm not particularly interested in finding out. I do know that he has made an unsuccessful attempt at being elected to the Ontario Legislature in the past as a Liberal but I do not believe that he has made any other attempt since.

In June of 1999, the local country music station (1110 CKTY AM) was shut down and replaced with an FM station, CHKS. The switch was from a country music format on AM radio to a rock format on FM radio. Blackburn Radio Inc. had owned two AM stations in Sarnia and one FM station in Sarnia for a total of three radio stations. The switch from the country AM station to the Rock FM station gives Blackburn their current local trifecta: two FM stations and one AM station.

In 2000, I created something called Radio Watch Sarnia. At first, it was more of a joke than anything else. Actually, it wasn't called Radio Watch Sarnia at first; it didn't become Radio Watch Sarnia until I realized what a bunch of A-Holes these people were. Once I began to figure them out, I formed Radio Watch Sarnia which actually was formed in the first month of 2001.

A lot of local residents were excited about the prospect of a rock station coming to Sarnia and I would have to say that many people had rather high expectations of this new radio station, myself included. Having grown up listening to Detroit radio stations, myself and others in the community had a fairly good idea of what rock radio was all about. To cut a long story short, it is no no understatement to say that I was most disappointed with K106.3 when it went on the air. I'd say it's fair to assume that I am not the only person that was disappointed with K106.3.

Indeed, if you had ever read the feedback section on their website when they first setup shop, you'd soon wonder if anybody liked the station at all. The promotions director at the time was very defensive and took criticism of K106.3 very personally. I'm sure that a lot of Radio Sarnia Lambton's employees that were around in the beginning will remember that there was a great deal of people comparing K106.3 to the much better and more professional Detroit stations. Well, it goes without saying, that the employees of Radio Sarnia Lambton were very thin skinned.

They had walked away from their country music AM station and stepped into the world rock FM radio and they were getting a really rough time from a lot of people. If you talk to any of the radio stations management or longtime employees, they'll probably tell you different but anyone that was around at the time will tell you the truth: K106.3 was bombarded with criticism!

..................

I'll continue this later... I gotta get some sleep.

At this point in the story, I'm going to offer a historical perspective on Blackburn Group from a third party. This excerpt is taken from an article written by Geoff Heinricks titled, Whining Journalists Dish it Out But Sure Can't Take It. The full article can be found here: http://www.eye.net/eye/issue/issue_05.14.92/news/med0514.htm

I have also held no admiration for the The Blackburn Grupen media empire in London, Ontario. In fact I've long marvelled at how one family could be allowed to control almost all the media in London and Wingham with no outcry. (Martha Blackburn, the young but dim inheritor of her father's company, owns the Free Press, London's only daily, CFPL Radio (AM98 and FM 96), CFPL TV, London Guide, The Pennysaver, CKNX TV in Wingham, and radio stations in the same town.) No group or agency seemed upset by the Blackburn grasp.

The article goes on to mention an employee slaughter that Blackburn conducted as part of their sale of CKNX TV by saying,

But Tony Van Alphen did put the devastation of the sackings in perspective, pointing out that Blackburn eliminated 46 of 53 jobs at the station.

I mention this article only to give some weight to my "monopoly" arguments, to give me a foundation to elaborate on why Blackburn does not receive any outcry in light of their actions, and to demonstrate the total disconcern that Blackburn demonstrates not only to the fans of the media it owns, but also to the employees.

It is curious to note that a person like Geoff Heinricks would speak so negatively of the Blackburn media empire. Although, reading the entire article would probably indicate that Mr. Heinricks is critical of Canadian media as a whole. Nevertheless, it is very much a point of fact that Blackburn does monopolize markets, Blackburn does maintain a tight grasp on the towns that it conducts business in, outcry against the conduct and actions of Blackburn appears to be virtually nill, and any outcry that does attempt to manifest itself is quickly quashed.

Blackburn Radio Inc. conducts their business in a dictatorial fashion. They have no regard for the people that listen to their radio stations, they have previously had no regard for the people that watched their television stations or read their newspapers.

I cannot begin to imagine what being employed by Blackburn could be like. I will note that John Derringer of Q107 in Toronto, Ontario once quipped that the worst job he ever had was at a radio station in Sarnia. Although to the credit of historical accuracy, Blackburn did not own the Sarnia radio stations at the time. I can't imagine that being employed by Sarnia's radio stations today could possibly be any worse than back when Mr. Derringer was a local.

This brings me to a curious point in Radio Watch Sarnia's history. It was in the early part of 2001 and Blackburn had fired one of the most popular personalities on the local AM radio station. The anger and resentment that was levelled at Blackburn for firing Gary Connors was incredible and justifiably so. The man had done nothing to warrant termination; his ratings were apparently steady and he was well liked and respected in the community and by those who listened to his program almost religiously. The radio station did attempt to offer a public explanation of the firing, saying that Mr. Connors ratings had dipped slightly and that they were looking to take the station in a new direction. I don't know how many local residents were fooled by that explanation, but people I have spoken to indicate that the format remained virtually unchanged save the addition of a much less popular personality.

Perhaps the first real effort of Radio Watch Sarnia was a petition to have Gary Connors reinstated at CHOK. Radio Watch Sarnia, as an entity, had not done much more than simple communications with Radio Sarnia Lambton prior to this point.

Gary Connors mentioned in an article that appeared in the Sarnia Observer that the petition would not achieve anything as it was Blackburn Group that held the ultimate decision. Blackburn Group, as I have long asserted, just doesn't give a crap about people or the towns that they do business in. Blackburn Group cares only about Blackburn Group and they will go to great lengths to let you know that you're nothing in comparison to the almighty Blackburn.

This is a really interesting story... I'll continue later.

In the coming weeks, I will be circulating an international petition demanding that the Federal Government of Canada issue an immediate order demanding the revocation of the broadcast licenses issued to London, Ontario based Blackburn Radio Inc.

I am asking that these revocations be effective pending the outcome of a federal public inquiry into the conduct of Blackburn Radio Incorporated and the coverup conducted by the Sarnia Police Service.

I am asking that the unlawful surveillance of my premisis be immediately halted and that a full investigation be conducted.

In addition, this inquiry should include possible corruption that is occuring at the Law Society of Upper Canada and the Ontario Civilian Commision on Police Services.

I have absolutely nothing to hide and am confident that I will be cleared of all wrong doing at the end of such an investigation.

I ask for your support in signing the petition that will be released shortly and ask that you do your part to ensure that justice is served!

Thank you,

William Duke

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EDIT: It is important to note some very important details. Blackburn Radio Inc., Radio Sarnia Lambton, and the Sarnia Police Service will suggest that I am guilty of many things and slander me in any manner possible. It is important to remember at all times, that it is me that is demanding an investigation. Again, for the record, they are making the allegations and *I* am demanding the investigation.

It is typical for corrupt organizations to make allegations in the process of their coverup. They do this to divert attention away from the crimes being committed by the corrupt organizations!

this info would be great on wikipedia.

I was thinking more along the lines of flyers, pamphlets, and posters. You know, the kind of stuff that you can hand out or just leave laying around.

Public transit, waiting rooms of public buildings, and places where people just sit around looking for something to pass the time.

I have this theory that it's much easier to pique the curiousity of the "bored" person that is forced to wait.

...I'm trying to catch up through all this - and there's a lot of material to read through.

I had also asked in the past for more info on why you've got such a hate-on for Blackburn (and CanWest, and Sarnia), and I'm going to try to summarize just the facts that I'm able to pull from your posts, and please correct and clarify - I'm looking to understand all this.

I'm trying to understand what it was that has formed these opinions, so the opinions themselves aren't my focus here.

1) Your Sarnia media outlets are not currently a monopoly, and are divided between Blackburn, Osprey, Sun Media. Your three local radio stations are all Blackburn-owned.

2) Blackburn shut off an AM Country station and started an FM rock station.

3) Blackburn fired a popular radio host.

4) You 'criticized' a local radio station in such a manner as to incur police attention and constant police surveilance.

5) You have made an official complaint regarding the above police actions.

6) You believe Sarnia police were involved in some 'cover-up' for Blackburn, and I assume that has something to do with the police action you were personally involved with.

I think this raises more questions for me than it answers.

Musta been an interesting 'complaint!'

Do you want the details of the complaint?

Do you want the details of the complaint?

The complaint I referred to was the original complaint you made against the radio station, not the police complaint.
I've got a vivid imagination, so I envision all sorts of creative civil disobedience for which you may have earned such attention:

Mrs.B: Homer, would you like to present your rebuttal?
Homer: With pleasure. (turns around and moons the class)
-- Homer joins the debate team, ``The Way We Was''

I mean, it's not just a letter to the editor or a witty slogan on a banner that earns someone police surveillance.

Civil disobedience? Nah, it was nothing like that. If expressing an opinion, based on the codes established by CAB, is being a renegade, then imagine what I could do with Tort law?