Cross Country Checkup
| Genre | Call-in |
|---|---|
| Country |
 Canada |
| Language(s) | English |
| Syndicates | CBC Radio |
| Host(s) | Rex Murphy |
| Air dates | since May 16, 1965 |
| Website | Cross Country Checkup |
Cross Country Checkup is a Canada-wide open-line radio show that airs Sunday afternoons on CBC Radio One. Its current host is Rex Murphy.[1]
Every week, the show features a lively discussion on an issue of national interest or importance and invites listeners to call in with their opinions and thoughts. The topics are usually related to Canadian politics. In addition to Murphy, the show has commentators who are experts or involved in the issue. They are interviewed by Murphy and answer questions from callers.
The program is broadcast Sundays live at 4 p.m. Eastern Time Zone across the country, unlike most other Radio One programs, which air at the same local time in each time zone. The recording of the live show is rerun in a condensed format on Monday afternoons at 3 p.m. EST as Cross Country in an Hour.
Close to half-a-million listeners tune in every Sunday afternoon to hear a lively exchange of ideas between callers and invited guests, and a broad cross-section of opinion on the topic of the day. On average, 5,000 to 10,000 people attempt to call the program during the broadcast to join the discussion.
In September 2015, Murphy announced that he will retire from the program as of September 20.[2] A new permanent host has not yet been announced; immediately following his retirement, the program will be hosted by a series of guest hosts.
History
The show was first broadcast on May 16, 1965,[3] when it was started to provide a nationwide forum to discuss the then-proposed national health insurance system now in place in Canada. The first host was CBC Montreal announcer Bob Cadman, and its first guest was Dr Victor Goldbloom, then president of the Canadian Medical Association. When Checkup started broadcasting as a weekly series on November 24, 1965, Jim Schrumm was the first regular host.[4] Subsequent hosts have included Brad Crandall, Moses Znaimer, Percy Saltzman, Betty Shapiro, John Dafoe, Pierre Pascau, Harry Elton, Elizabeth Gray, Wayne Grigsby, Dennis Trudeau, Augusta La Paix, Dale Goldhawk, Peter Downie, Royal Orr and Rex Murphy.
On occasions in the past, the program has gone to air as Cross-Continent Checkup by involving a radio network in at least one other foreign country, such as National Public Radio in the United States, London Broadcasting Company (as it was then known) in Britain or the CBC's own Radio Canada International, and taking calls from English-speaking callers in all involved countries. In each case, callers generally call a toll-free number in their own country. Checkup, nevertheless, often receives calls from callers outside Canada.
References
- ↑ "About the Host". CBC Radio.
- ↑ "Rex Murphy leaving CBC’s Cross Country Checkup". Toronto Star, September 13, 2015.
- ↑ "About the Show". CBC Radio.
- ↑ Andrew Simon. "History: The Birth of Cross Country Checkup". CBC Radio.