This week’s hiatus of Rob Ford Radio was timely. The mayor’s regular Sunday gabfest with his councillor brother Doug on Newstalk 1010 was pre-empted by the Canada Day long weekend. Rob reportedly likes to spend time with the family at the cottage.
But we could all use a break from the static.
The City is supposed to be a call-in, but the brothers Ford rarely field more than a half-dozen calls during the two-hour show. And they’re usually from sympathizers lobbing softballs. If it’s diversity of opinion you’re looking for, you won’t find it on the Rob And Doug Show.
For the mayor, it’s been an invaluable political advertising vehicle, one big stick to knock opponents over the head with.
But for how much longer?
With election season looming (Ford’s arguably already in election mode), the mayor will be required to give up that gig.
CRTC rules dictate that, although they’re subject to some interpretation when it comes to municipal politicians. It’s clear for those vying for provincial and federal seats: once the writ drops, they must be off the air.
Municipally, it’s a little trickier. The campaign period for the 2014 election officially starts January 4. That’s the first day people can register to run.
But candidates can conceivably register as late as 45 days before the October election. Of course, Ford won’t wait that long, since he needs to raise money and you can’t do that till you register.
But he might consider waiting a while in order to keep his show and the unfettered access it gives to his base – and whoever else might be listening in. There’s no rush for Ford – he’s the incumbent. He can afford to bide his time.
For John Tory, the other guy with a show at CFRB, who made it known last week that he may be interested in running for mayor, too, the situation is more delicate. He can’t afford to vacillate like he did last time, waiting to commit until it was too late.
He’s been beating the bushes for support and asking others who are considering running, like Karen Stintz, if they’ll step aside for him.
But publicly he’s keeping mum on his intentions. He understands the power of talk radio as well as Ford. It can’t be overestimated. Indeed, Tory’s taking over the Live Drive in 2009 was viewed as a prelude to a mayoral run.
CFRB brand manager Mike Bendixen seems to be leaving it up to Tory and Ford to decide when they pull the plug. Things could change, he says, and the station’s brass may intervene if it appears that either one is using his show to push his election chances.
He poses a question. What’s the station to do with Councillors Shelley Carroll and Adam Vaughan, who don’t have their own shows but appear as regulars Thursdays and Mondays respectively on John Moore’s show? Both have expressed an interest in the mayoralty both are at least expected to seek re-election as councillors.
There are campaign finance rules to consider, too.
According to municipal lawyer John Mascarin of Aird & Berlis, free air time can be deemed a political contribution under the Municipal Elections Act.
The Fords aren’t paid to do their show. Little else is known about their agreement with CFRB, including what hand they have in who advertises during their two-hour slot.
Advertisers reportedly don’t buy directly into the show CFRB decides where and when to run ads. That’s not standard practice, according to one industry source I talked to. Those who pay usually decide where their ads go.
But if it’s true, the Porter ads heard during the Fords’ show are curious. Is it a coincidence that they appeared after the airline announced plans to fly jets out of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport – a plan the mayor strongly supports?
Just how much power the Fords wield at the station is unclear. They seem to think they have influence.
When Sarah Thomson made her ass-grabbing allegations against the mayor a few months back, for example, intense pressure was put on CFRB hosts by the mayor’s people to take his side. Some were urged not to have Thomson on at all. Tory did anyway, though, partly because she’s a personal friend and partly because the story became too big to ignore.
Pundits are tying themselves in knots trying to decipher the meaning of a recent Forum poll showing an upswing in Ford’s support. But clearly, the brothers’ radio show is a primary reason for their political staying power. Every time controversy darkens his door, the mayor knows he’ll have those two hours at the end of the week to talk directly to the masses to reset the record.
And Ford-friendly papers are always there to pick up the narrative.
On Tuesday, July 2, the Sun proclaimed Ford clear of the smoke on that crack video rap, dubbing him Teflon Rob and pumping the “New Look Ford” on its front page. Earlier in the week, the paper plastered all over its front page a story about Stintz getting pinched for (allegedly) running a stop sign on her bike. The headline described her as a “cyclepath.”
Can’t wait to see what the Fords do with that this Sunday. Stintz has been a target in the past, and it’s safe to say the Fords are more than a little worried about what a Stintz mayoral run would do to Rob’s re-election chances.
Tory’s likely entrance in the race puts pressure on Ford.
It’s not just the conservative establishment that’s eager to find a replacement for Ford. It’s Ford loyalists, too.
The mayor’s very public break with former executive committee member Jaye Robinson is noteworthy because she represents one of the city’s most affluent, small-c conservative wards.
Is it too crazy to wonder if Ford will even be on the ballot?
On July 2, a judge ordered that the information used to obtain a search warrant executed by police in that mass arrest of Dixon City Bloods a few weeks back must be made available to media lawyers. Those documents are expected to reveal whether that video allegedly showing the mayor smoking crack was a target of the raid.
September 12 is the last date on which the Crown can argue in court that some sections of the documents should not be released to the public – a date uncomfortably close to the unofficial start of the 2014 municipal election.
enzom@nowtoronto.com | @enzodimatteo
