The Great Eastern: Newfoundland's Cultural Magazine

This Week

The Vault mines the colonial past of Newfoundland with some clips from out adventure in Ougoubamba, plus Paul gets ready for his epic voyage "Up The Bamba..." All this and more on Newfoundland's Cultural Magazine, The Great Eastern, Saturday morning at 11:31 a.m. (12:01 NT) on CBC Radio One.

This is a rebroadcast of a GE favourite from November 15, 1997. There's audio clips in our archive.

From the webmaster:

As you may gather from the graphic, this could be the end of The Great Eastern broadcasts to Canada. April 24 was the last new show of the season. Rebroadcasts of some favourite Great Eastern episodes will continue until June 19th. We'll keep you up-to-date on the situation here on the web page, but it is precarious, depending not only on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, but also on the Governments of Canada, Newfoundland and possibly Panama.

Past Community Announcements and Programming Highlights

CONTACT How to reach The Great Eastern

THINGS TO WEAR ...a collector's item...

AUDIO Selected audio clips from the show...plus Real Audio!

BACKGROUND The origins of the BCN

BIOGRAPHIES Your favourite BCN personalities...

WHAT'S THAT NOISE? The most popular game on the planet...

BCN SCHEDULE The complete broadcast week on BCN...

WEB INDEX Favourites from the Great Eastern Web...

PLAYLIST By popular demand...all the music from the show...

“Actually, I'm wearing something of yours now...”

Paul ruminates on the possible demise of the Great Eastern on the Canadian Broadcast Service...plus a wheel of cheese and an axel jack...the Vault and more in the last audio section of this season.

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We've got a winner for the April 10 Noise From Newfoundland contest, who correctly guessed the sound of seals underwater. But the new noise is under embargo. See What's That Noise from Newfoundland.

“Sometimes it seems that I only wanna be going out with myself...”

The perils of long-distance love-affairs, falling victim to distraction, and Canada's Greateast Abuses of Police Power. All this and more, in the audio section, from The Great Eastern, April 17th.

“Just for my own purposes Ariel, could I refer to you as the Queen of Denmark?”

And what better way to celebrate the return of the Great Eastern to the Canadian airwaves than with a rousing political panel. The gang's all here and J. Richard's plans for the local CBC all come out in the open. All this, plus the talking soda bubbles of Silver Shill winner Kirby Garland, and Paul's monologue in the audio section.

“What a jam!”

The BCN studios rocked Feb. 20 when Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam made a special appearance on the Great Eastern. After the interview, Paul sat in on drums for a rendition of "Baba O'Riley". Unfortunately, the CBC strike prevented Canadian listeners from hearing this show, and contractual arrangements make it impossible to distribute audio electronically. Suffice it to say: What a Great Show. Pictured: The band with Paul Moth in the BCN control room. The gentleman at the right is Morris Jesso. R E C E N T L Y

“...I'm very reluctant to part with a sample.” On February 20, Canadian listeners heard a rebroadcast of a February, 1997 GE made during the coalstokers union dispute. On "In the Vault", Ish Lundrigan played classic reportage of the 1959 coal stoker's strike by Carl Pilgrim. Carl's principled anti-union stand cost him his life--electrocted by his own microphone in 1962. In the audio section.

“...Everybody was kung-fu dining—Hoooo!” Meet Roger Greeley, Gander's Man of Song. He sang a duet with Mel Tormé. Frank Sinatra called him "The recording secretary to the board." And he'll sing for you at the Jetstram Hotel, Gander. Roger Greeley, At the Crossroads. A special Great Eastern Special.

“...But where does it lead exactly?” Traffic Czar Carl Piercey explains the new Millenium On-ramp, and discusses Arterialism versus Expressism, in a GE feature from Saturday, January 16.

“...I read Modern Philologist for my thrills...” A juicy Political Panel in which Paul reveals his write-in candidate of choice: Prince Brisco of Zorbon. In the audio section. Also: investigating clinical stupidity--a full-length interview.

“...Are you aware that the French majority in lower Canada are threatening to separate?” In which Paul discusses the overwhelming Newfoundland bias in the national media. PLUS: a pre-Confederation report from In the Vault, Show Trial and Paul's defense of student radio...all in the audio section.

“...I'm afraid I'm not up on your Cambridge traditions sir...” Audio from Elmer Collins, Ham Operator in "Fudge on the Fritz", a full-length classic radio drama from the BCN.

“...That's me on spoons in the left channel...” Paul encounters John and Yoko in Montreal, Shirley Jones in Acapulco, and Brother Martin at St. Matthews. Four stories from Paul Moth, from GE Jan. 2

“...those with whom I spend most of my waking life are morons...”. Four complete Christmas tales from Paul Moth.

“...You have hairy palms...”. Paul get a hair assessment and a lateral part in the back: the complete Mr. Hair segment in the audio section.

“...What about your dirty book, Pierre?” Paul's armed standoff and arrest in L.A. are detailed in excerpts from his appearance on Front Page Challenge. ALSO: Avril Benoit, BCN coal, and that thing about women's shoes...all from the Listener's Letters show.

“...We're really having a good time up in the woods now, aren't we...” Paul goes up-country with Da B'yes, and a Freedom Arms .454 with a 10-inch barrel and night sights. What could possibly go wrong?

“...It's OK. You're just having a nervous breakdown...” Paul travels to the forbidding Funk Islands, home of the BCN Repeater Station, to find our just what's wrong with Erling Biggs.

...Think What? Paul Moth explains why Steve Jobs has the perpetual rights to his image....

...The BCN: Public Radio's Missing Link Excerpts from Public Radio USA's award-winning documentary about the Broadcasting Corporation of Newfoundland. Giant vacuum tubes, cannibals and the 1939 surrender of St. John's to the Germans...

“...A Curse Upon You, Moth of Ucker” Paul explores his rich geneological past. Hear the complete tale of how Jan Peter Moth of Ucker put down the Crofter's Rebellion of 1742, and find out the meaning of the Moth Coat of Arms.

. . . “L. Ron Hubbard was not the originator of the slogan, 'Classics and Beyond.'” And what would a new season be with some Apologies and Clarifications? The full text is here.

. . .PLUS: visit the Great Eastern web index page. Now it's easier than ever to find your old favourites.

The Great Eastern can be heard Saturdays at 11:31 a.m. on CBC Radio 1, (12:01 p.m. in Newfoundland), and 6:30 p.m. on CBC Radio 2 (7:30 p.m. in the Maritimes and 8:00 p.m. in Newfoundland.

The Great Eastern can also be heard on English Service of Radio Canada International. RCI maintains a program schedule by region on the web.

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Comments on the web can be directed to the person responsible. You can also email Paul Moth directly or contact the show by other means. The Great Eastern at Sea