[Johnny Au]

Liz West pretty much epitomizes why I stopped watching City/Citypulse/CP24 years ago. The complete dumbing-down of broadcast news, as in newsreaders who literally do not understand what they are reading aloud, to the point of actually getting words wrong.

It is unfortunate that there is no alternative for Toronto-based 24-hour local news channels on television.

 

[ShonTron]

It is unfortunate that there is no alternative for Toronto-based 24-hour local news channels on television.

Thankfully, there's the internet - there's over a dozen news outlets here in Toronto with continually updated news websites.

CP24 is quite profitable as it's relatively cheap to operate (piggybacking off local and national CTV news, repeating the same stories over and over, lots of filler), it has captive audiences (ie doctors' offices), offers a platform for captive ad services (such as subway platforms) but it is a natural monopoly once all those markets are locked up.

 

[Johnny Au]

Thankfully, there's the internet - there's over a dozen news outlets here in Toronto with continually updated news websites.

CP24 is quite profitable as it's relatively cheap to operate (piggybacking off local and national CTV news, repeating the same stories over and over, lots of filler), it has captive audiences (ie doctors' offices), offers a platform for captive ad services (such as subway platforms) but it is a natural monopoly once all those markets are locked up.

...and advertisements pop every minute or so.

 

[PinkLucy]

I thought I read that Mike Yen wasn't running in Ward 20 this go-around? Because he is: http://app.toronto.ca/vote/candidatesByWard.do?officeType=2&ward=20

You can find who is running in each ward here: http://app.toronto.ca/vote/wardList.do (updated regularly)

 

[StatGeek]

It is unfortunate that there is no alternative for Toronto-based 24-hour local news channels on television.

There was that awful attempt by Rogers Citynews. You knew they were in trouble when they put a failed blowhard sports radio host as their city hall reporter.

 

[JKDM]

I preferred City News Channel to CP24.

 

[JKDM]

Even though I am a believer that turn-over in politics is a good thing, I was never fully impressed with Fletcher and she has been around since 2003. But Hollywood Liz West is not the answer. She would be a disaster.

Why would she be a "disaster"?

I know someone from CHCH who knows Liz West pretty well ... she's no intellectual lightweight.

I think a change in Ward 30 (whether a win for Farrow or West) would be a good thing for politics down at City Hall.

 

[StatGeek]

I always found Liz West to be pretty vacant, not just reporting but when I hear her talking politics. Plus she embraced Ford's gravy train BS in full force last election which makes her have really bad judgment or another pandering "outrage" BS politician.

Mamoo skewing elections rule. I.... am...... shocked. Watch out the integrity commissioner will wag her finger and have no actual power.

 

[salsa]

Speaking of Mammoliti, check out his latest stunt:

Toronto city councillor Giorgio Mammoliti believes a light-rail line down the middle of Finch Avenue will routinely back up traffic and destroy businesses. But he felt the need to “do something a little drastic” to bring the point home.

That’s why he arranged for a transport truck to pull a u-turn through the closed-off intersection of Finch Avenue West and Weston Road on Thursday morning. Blocking the intersection at 10:30 a.m., for approximately 15 minutes, led to long lineups of cars in all directions, with drivers honking throughout.

By building an LRT line above ground, trucks and other large vehicles would be forced to frequently make similar wide turns that block traffic, the councillor argued. Burying the line would avoid increasing traffic along Finch, he said.

http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/0...-and-weston-road-closed-for-anti-lrt-protest/

 

[toraerach]

I had a chance to talk to Ward 18 candidate Alex Mazer this afternoon at the Dundas West Fest. I'm impressed with what I've seen from him so far. Hopefully he can get enough of the progressive vote behind him to give Ana Bailão a run for her money.

 

[W. K. Lis]

How did your incumbent candidate vote during council meetings?

Good place to start is at this link for the [h=1]City Council Scorecard[/h]

 

[SunriseChampion]

I had a chance to talk to Ward 18 candidate Alex Mazer this afternoon at the Dundas West Fest. I'm impressed with what I've seen from him so far. Hopefully he can get enough of the progressive vote behind him to give Ana Bailão a run for her money.

I'll be voting for him. Ana Bailão's kinda legit but her help in trying to pressure a local business to sell to another local business has made her unacceptable to me.

 

[Cooper]

I always found Liz West to be pretty vacant, not just reporting but when I hear her talking politics. Plus she embraced Ford's gravy train BS in full force last election which makes her have really bad judgment or another pandering "outrage" BS politician.

Mamoo skewing elections rule. I.... am...... shocked. Watch out the integrity commissioner will wag her finger and have no actual power.

I agree. I live in the ward, and found Liz West's last campaign to be disingenuous. She copped RoFo's slogans, but wouldn't say whether or not she endorsed Rob as a candidate. Her campaign was very well organized, I'll give her that. But she struck me as all strategy and little substance. I was also bothered her claims that she was a "journalist," when she was mostly on fashion and celebrity beats. Nothing wrong with her work in it's own right, but I didn't like how she exaggerated her experience.

 

[JKDM]

I agree. I live in the ward, and found Liz West's last campaign to be disingenuous. She copped RoFo's slogans, but wouldn't say whether or not she endorsed Rob as a candidate. Her campaign was very well organized, I'll give her that. But she struck me as all strategy and little substance. I was also bothered her claims that she was a "journalist," when she was mostly on fashion and celebrity beats. Nothing wrong with her work in it's own right, but I didn't like how she exaggerated her experience.

Ah, c'mon, were you really? No, you weren't.

As someone who is a broadcast journalist, she IS a broadcast journalist.

It's just ... she isn't the kind of broadcast journalist YOU like (for whatever reason).

It's obvious you've already made your mind up that you don't like Liz West, and you won't vote for her, so you don't have to pretend that you're being a picky, ultra-informed voter.

 

[Cooper]

Ah, c'mon, were you really? No, you weren't.

As someone who is a broadcast journalist, she IS a broadcast journalist.

It's just ... she isn't the kind of broadcast journalist YOU like (for whatever reason).

I should clarify. (My use of quotation marks probably wasn't a good idea.) I'm not criticizing Liz's journalism. I'm in the business, too, and I recognize what her work in fashion and entertainment is a legit part of the editorial mix. What bugged me was that, in 2010, she said her experience equipped her for City Hall. I disagree, just like I don't think my 20 years editing newspapers and magazines qualifies me to do anything related to broadcast, especially on the entertainment and life beats. For what it's worth, I think she has better grounds for that claim in 2014, based on the current affairs work she's been doing at CHCH.

It's obvious you've already made your mind up that you don't like Liz West, and you won't vote for her, so you don't have to pretend that you're being a picky, ultra-informed voter.

Well, now you're just being rude. Have fun!