CBC's Carol Off Each weeknight at 6:30pm, on radio sets across the country, the triumphant opening bars to a classic - albeit recently updated – jazz tune, signals to close to a million Canadians the end of the work day, and the start of one of the truly iconic radio programs of this country - a program that using just a telephone and a microphone, takes listeners around the world and into the stories, politics, news items, and issues of the day.
That program is, of course As It Happens – and it is one of the longest running and most successful programs in the history of CBC radio.
Remarkable in its simplicity, but ambitious in its scope and range, As It Happens is like no other program on the radio. It is at once irreverent, serious, moving, tongue-in check, journalistic, probing, and playful – a unique mixture of qualities that has made it a hallmark of Canadian society and must-listen radio for Canadians who are concerned with the evolving events, debates, and matters of this country.
Each 90 minute episode of AIH (as it is colloquially known to listeners) is made up of a series of interviews with people from around the world - people who either have insight into, influence over, or have been touched by, the issues and items of the day. From dictators, and cabinet ministers, to people affected by disasters, or caught in the middle of conflict zones, to quirky and eccentric characters who have done things that baffle credulity - the range of people As It Happens speaks to is truly remarkable. And through its conversations, and perhaps in part by virtue of the medium of radio it employees, As It Happens manages to do something that very few other current affairs programs ever do - make the news of the day feel relevant, close to home, and in its best moments, even intimate, while upholding the best in public-interest journalism.
That program is, of course As It Happens – and it is one of the longest running and most successful programs in the history of CBC radio.
Remarkable in its simplicity, but ambitious in its scope and range, As It Happens is like no other program on the radio. It is at once irreverent, serious, moving, tongue-in check, journalistic, probing, and playful – a unique mixture of qualities that has made it a hallmark of Canadian society and must-listen radio for Canadians who are concerned with the evolving events, debates, and matters of this country.
Each 90 minute episode of AIH (as it is colloquially known to listeners) is made up of a series of interviews with people from around the world - people who either have insight into, influence over, or have been touched by, the issues and items of the day. From dictators, and cabinet ministers, to people affected by disasters, or caught in the middle of conflict zones, to quirky and eccentric characters who have done things that baffle credulity - the range of people As It Happens speaks to is truly remarkable. And through its conversations, and perhaps in part by virtue of the medium of radio it employees, As It Happens manages to do something that very few other current affairs programs ever do - make the news of the day feel relevant, close to home, and in its best moments, even intimate, while upholding the best in public-interest journalism.
"If they weren't going after us [the CBC] it would be because we're irrelevant" - Carol Off
Given how immensely important the program is for Canadian society, it's perhaps no surprise that AIH has been hosted by some of this country's most distinguished broadcasters over the years - From Michael Enright to Barbara Frum - and since 2006 another of this country’s truly great interviewers and broadcasters, Carol Off.
As a long-time listener of As It Happens myself, I’ve always been incredibly impressed with Carol Off’s rare and deft combination of insightfulness, gentleness and toughness that she brings to the role. Her dexterity and flexibility as an interviewer is truly remarkable: one minute she’s skilfully holding a powerful figure to account, asking insightful and pointed questions and drawing attention to the responsibility they bare, and moments later, expressing remarkable sensitivity and empathy in a different interview to someone caught - through no fault of their own - in a difficult or tragic situation.
But what I most admire most about Carol Off, and why I think she is so well-suited for the role with AIH, is that few journalists in this country are as skilled at holding the proverbial feet to the fire when it comes to the powerful as she is. For whenever figures in positions of authority, be them a cabinet minister or a CEO- skirts a pointed but fair question she's posed, or answers it in a way that strains credibility in the face of known facts, Carol Off never fails to express the incredulity shared by many a listener, and come at them once again, facts and skepticism in tow.
Before coming to As It Happens in 2006, Carol Off had already distinguished herself as a skilled reporter, and had spent years as a foreign correspondent for the CBC, covering conflicts all over the world – including from the Middle East, Haiti, and the Balkans.
As a long-time listener of As It Happens myself, I’ve always been incredibly impressed with Carol Off’s rare and deft combination of insightfulness, gentleness and toughness that she brings to the role. Her dexterity and flexibility as an interviewer is truly remarkable: one minute she’s skilfully holding a powerful figure to account, asking insightful and pointed questions and drawing attention to the responsibility they bare, and moments later, expressing remarkable sensitivity and empathy in a different interview to someone caught - through no fault of their own - in a difficult or tragic situation.
But what I most admire most about Carol Off, and why I think she is so well-suited for the role with AIH, is that few journalists in this country are as skilled at holding the proverbial feet to the fire when it comes to the powerful as she is. For whenever figures in positions of authority, be them a cabinet minister or a CEO- skirts a pointed but fair question she's posed, or answers it in a way that strains credibility in the face of known facts, Carol Off never fails to express the incredulity shared by many a listener, and come at them once again, facts and skepticism in tow.
Before coming to As It Happens in 2006, Carol Off had already distinguished herself as a skilled reporter, and had spent years as a foreign correspondent for the CBC, covering conflicts all over the world – including from the Middle East, Haiti, and the Balkans.
In our interview with Carol she reveals the story behind her remarkably audacious beginnings in journalism (when as a still relatively unseasoned reporter she sold all of her possessions in order to fly to Pakistan in hopes of landing an interview with Benazir Bhutto) takes us behind the scenes into the making of As It Happens each day, and perhaps most importantly, makes a spirited and impassioned defence of the role that public broadcasting and the CBC play in the fabric of Canadian life.
What I most enjoy about As It Happens, is that to me it's an example of the best possible sort of what public broadcasting is all about – a forum for the airwaves for us to come together as citizens to learn about the issues, stories, and questions affecting us - A public sphere that can, and is, operated with the public interest in mind rather than the dictates of profit or shareholder value.
For if one listens regularly to As It Happens, you get a sense, I think, not just of Canada, but of the larger world we live in. It makes one – or it least it has made me – feel like a citizen in the best and richest sense of the word - an individual who lives within the context of a society, who is informed, connected, engaged, and to a degree responsible for decisions we collectively make - whether the issue happens to be from just down the street or indeed, ‘from around the world.’
But let's get to it! You can listen to our interview with Carol Off at the player below, and remember for other exclusive interviews with iconic CBC personalities (and to make sure you never miss an episode) be sure to subscribe to our podcast in iTunes.
What I most enjoy about As It Happens, is that to me it's an example of the best possible sort of what public broadcasting is all about – a forum for the airwaves for us to come together as citizens to learn about the issues, stories, and questions affecting us - A public sphere that can, and is, operated with the public interest in mind rather than the dictates of profit or shareholder value.
For if one listens regularly to As It Happens, you get a sense, I think, not just of Canada, but of the larger world we live in. It makes one – or it least it has made me – feel like a citizen in the best and richest sense of the word - an individual who lives within the context of a society, who is informed, connected, engaged, and to a degree responsible for decisions we collectively make - whether the issue happens to be from just down the street or indeed, ‘from around the world.’
But let's get to it! You can listen to our interview with Carol Off at the player below, and remember for other exclusive interviews with iconic CBC personalities (and to make sure you never miss an episode) be sure to subscribe to our podcast in iTunes.
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