Electronic Media in Victoria

On most days I feel like I am in a black hole when it comes to electronic media in this city. We have a few TV stations and a few more radio stations, but not really a lot of either.

TV

None of the local stations broadcast with a strong enough signal that I can actually pick them on my TV. I have given up cable because it is an old and inflexible technology.

CHEK TV - all they offer for local programming seems to be the news and it based on the classic bland and pointless coverage that focuses on fires and crashes. Not a single local program about the place we live in. No local drama or comedy - and given the huge market out there for content, there is clearly a market for something produced here that is local.

A Channel - repeat the above. Frankly the local stations are completely interchangeable.

Shaw Cable - The produce local programs, I am even on some of them commenting on politics, but since I do not have cable, I do not see the programs. I would like to see some of them as I understand that they do have local content.

RADIO

We have the following:

• CKMO AM 900 - the Village - lots of good world music and some interesting other stuff.

• CFAX AM 1070 - Our only talk radio station. Sort of OK, the hosts are old, the station is underfunded and it ticks along.....
  

• CBC Radio One - 90.5 FM We get a local morning program for the island and host the afternoon non-Metro Vancouver drive time show. This is less than 30 hours a week of programming produced locally.
• The Zone - 91.3 bland, bland, bland corporate rock music - zero local feel
• The Ocean - 98.5 bland, bland, bland corporate bland music - zero local feel
• The Q - 100.3 more bland without local feel
• CFUV - 101.9 Campus radio - the community aspect seems to be gone. The best going locally, but it suffers from hit and miss with respect to quality.
• Jack FM - 103.1 another bland corporate formula - I have it one because it is easier than changing the CDs in the car
• Kool FM - 107.3 blah, blah, blah, blah
• CILS - 107.9 Victoria's newest station and only French station, I have never listened to this community radio station.

Not that Vancouver is doing any better.

The presence of Victoria in the electronic media is effectively non existent. I have no idea what the answer is. I doubt there are many people with much interest in fixing the problem