Welcome to the new home of Behind The Story. We’ve decided that it’s time to revive our old TV show as a podcast and online show for your entertainment and education.
A bit about our origins.
It was 2002, and we had an extra hour that we needed to fill in the TV schedule at CTS TV in Canada.
As Executive Producer, I decided to make a program based on examining what’s in the news and what should be in the news. It was informative, fun, fast-paced, intelligent – and irreverent without being rude. Each week I would have two or three guests – typically journalists (but sometimes professors and lawyers and others).
My colleagues in management urged me to host the program. And so it began.
Each week we examined the big stories, and some that we felt deserved more coverage. We debunked the news coverage. At the end of each program we had a segment called “The Floor Is Yours” during which each guest had about 90 seconds to rave or rant freestyle about anything.
It was a weekly class in media literacy. Our guests received a package of up to 40 (yes 40!) pages of show prep information. Crazy. It was the first TV program I produced that was supplemented by online assets.
Behind the Story ran until 2012. It had a loyal audience of up to 80,000 viewers per week. After it was unceremoniously cancelled, we received many emails and phone calls requesting its return.
The regular guests have frequently asked me if and when we would re-start. I would have. But I was busy earning a living as a screenplay writer, communications consultant, college professor, and official with Elections Canada.
Then Came 2020. The year of the pandemic, and a worldwide re-examination of race relations. The “fake news” drum beat drags on. Some of my other work came to an end. Same for my colleague director Gord McLennan. And so the program is being re-booted as an online podcast available through YouTube, Facebook, a proprietary website www.behindthestorymedia.com and others.
Welcome to Behind the Story media. We’re back. Subscribe…and let us know what you think.