Re: [Swprograms] CBC Overnight changes

["Rob de Santos" <rdesantos@xxxxxxxxx>]

As someone who publishes TV schedules on a web site, I long ago adopted the
practice of using one standard time zone (in my case US EST/EDT) and using
Midnight at the divider between days.  Using any time except Midnight just
confuses people.  Even those prone to vernacular use that calls 2 AM Tuesday as
"Monday night" do understand it's Tuesday.  So using Midnight makes sense.  

Further, one standard time zone allows anyone who visits my site to convert the
times to their locale as almost all TV viewers (who have lived any significant
length of time anywhere) in North America know how many hours their time zone
differs from New York City, Washington, and Toronto, or can easily determine it.


While using UTC would make for clarity internationally, at least if they used
one consistent time system you could figure out what time it is in your locale.
As it is, even the CBC doesn't seem to know internally and can't get it right in
the information they release.  

(Side note:  many TV stations got into the habit of using 5 or 6 AM as the start
of a new day back when most of them signed off for a few hours during every
overnight period and thus started a "broadcast day" in the early AM hours.  The
practice, in a 24 hour world, is anachronistic now.  And don't get me started
about the inappropriate use of AM and PM with 12:00:00.)

--
-Rob de Santos 
-----Original Message-----
From: Richard Cuff [mailto:rdcuff@xxxxxxxxx] 
Sent: Thursday, September 13, 2007 8:01 AM
To: Shortwave programming discussion
Subject: Re: [Swprograms] CBC Overnight changes

This is an issue for a broadcaster targeting a local audience that also finds
itself with a global audience.

After all, some folks consider 2 AM Tuesday morning (local time, wherever they
are) to be "Monday night" in the vernacular.

Those who wrestle with US public radio schedules always have to be on the
lookout for this.  In many instances, days start at 5 AM local time with
"Morning Edition".  Yet another reason I am always impressed by Kevin Kelly's
endeavors with the Public Radio Fan database.

Even international broadcasters aren't immune -- Radio Netherlands and HCJB used
to show local days (not UTC days) in their schedules even though the schedules
themselves showed UTC.

It is particularly vexing when a broadcaster isn't consisent with this concept,
as appears to be the case with the CBC.

Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA

On 9/12/07, Glenn Hauser <wghauser@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> ** CANADA. Anomalies keep showing up in the CBC radio schedule. From 
> the Hotsheet for Wednesday Sept 12, the final entry concerns the start 
> of the new local day, Thursday:
>
<snippage>

> NOTE: the above days of week are the night before! Not the new day, 
> even tho displayed grids start at midnight, rather than end at some 
> inappropriate hour past midnight. Other versions of the online 
> schedules attach midnight listings to the previous day. Make up your 
> mind! Note that many of these shows are obviously from BBCWS, tho not
identified as such here.

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