Definitely Not the Opera

''Definitely Not the Opera'' (or simply ''DNTO'') was a magazine-style radio program focusing on aspects of pop culture and storytelling, that aired on CBC Radio One on Saturday afternoons from 1994 until 2016. The show's running time varied over the years, though it ran for a full hour in its final year. An abridged version of each program is available for download as a weekly podcast, with an abbreviated sister edition called ''Your DNTO'', airing on Tuesday afternoons and featuring listener-submitted content.

''DNTO'' is also syndicated to some public radio stations in the United States.

History

In 1993, the CBC launched ''Brand X'' as a Saturday afternoon replacement for '' Canada Live'',"Brand X targets youth". ''The Globe and Mail'', June 26, 1993. which itself was a short-lived successor to Jack Farr's '' The Radio Show''. ''Brand X'' also took over the youth and pop culture mandate from the network's recently cancelled '' Prime Time''."Prime cut". ''The Globe and Mail'', June 16, 1993. Initially airing with a stable of regular contributors but no single host, ''Brand X'' premiered on June 26, 1993 and was co-created by André LaRivière and Bill Smith.

After a year under the ''Brand X'' title and format, the show was revamped by Bill Smith and became ''Definitely Not the Opera'' in September 1994. The new name was chosen because the program aired opposite ''Saturday Afternoon at the Opera'' on CBC Stereo. Nora Young, one of ''Brand X'''s contributors, was named as the new show's host,"Media Stars: Avi Lewis, Nora Young and Ruby Bhatia". ''U of T Magazine'', Summer 2001. and held the position until September 2002, when musician and former MuchMusic VJ Sook-Yin Lee took over.

''DNTO'' varied in length over the course of its run. Initially running four hours, it was reduced to two hours by the late 2000s, then one hour for its final season (2015-2016).

On May 2, 2016, CBC announced that ''DNTO'' would be discontinued after 22 seasons."DNTO, long-running CBC Radio show, ending in May"
CBC News, May 2, 2016. The final episode, recorded before a live audience at CBC Radio's Winnipeg studios and aired on May 14, 2016, included special guests and highlights from the show's 22-year run. Lee continued with the CBC as host of the summer series ''Sleepover''.

Features

When Young was its host, ''DNTO'' was a magazine-style show focusing on popular entertainment, containing features on pop-culture phenomena, movie, video and music reviews, as well as music and concert segments, comedy sketches by Elyse Friedman, and biographical features on entertainment and pop culture figures. Contributors during this era included Ross Porter (who sometimes filled in as host), Rex Murphy, Mary Walsh, Laurie Brown and Guy Maddin.

With Lee in the host chair, ''DNTO'' would gradually evolve in scope, transitioning by the second half of the 2000s from its former pop culture and entertainment focus to one that emphasized light documentary and storytelling. Each episode's wide-ranging focus would also evolve so that the segments would pertain to a specific aspect of modern life. For example, an episode might have a thematic focus on etiquette, fear, listening, interpersonal conflict, food or small talk. On-location profiles would also be among the episode themes, including a post- Hurricane Katrina visit to New Orleans in 2006 and a 2015 visit to the northern Manitoba community of Pukatawagan.''DNTO'' Pukatawagan episode
from CBC.ca Celebrity and expert interviews would remain, as would the music segments, but they would also focus on the episode's theme rather than being strictly promotional in nature. Remote segments and on-the-street interviews tying to the episode theme would also be included, along with first-person audio essays. A rotating stable of regular contributors – including comedian Candy Palmater, journalist Kaj Hasselriis and CBC Radio personalities Acey Rowe, Jane Farrow and Grant Lawrence – would also contribute their own themed segments.

In part to allow listeners to share their own related stories, a weekday offshoot of ''DNTO'' was established. Titled ''Your DNTO'', the show aired on Tuesday afternoons. While the weekday show would sometimes include content repeated from the weekend show, the weekday show's primary emphasis was dedicated to airing stories submitted by listeners, who could record and upload their own contributions for possible broadcast to the ''DNTO'' website.

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Definitely Not The Opera
CBC Radio One programs
1994 radio programme debuts
Audio podcasts
Canadian talk radio programs
1994 establishments in Canada
2016 radio programme endings
Canadian podcasts
2016 disestablishments in Canada
2013 podcast debuts
2014 podcast endings