Spark (radio show)

Spark
GenreTalk show
Running time54 minutes
Country of originCanada
Language(s)English
Home stationCBC Radio One
Hosted byNora Young
Created byNora Young
Produced byMichelle Parise, Adam Killick, Kent Hoffman and Nora Young[1]
Original releaseSeptember 5, 2007 (2007-09-05) –
TBD (June 2024)
No. of episodes501 (as of
February 26, 2021)[2]
Websitecbc.ca/spark
Podcastcbc.ca/podcasting
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Spark is a Canadian radio talk show about "technology and culture."[1] Hosted by Nora Young, the program made its CBC Radio One début on September 5, 2007.[3] The show is also broadcast on Sirius Satellite Radio 159 and, since January 9, 2010, on Vermont Public Radio's network of stations in the United States.[4] It is also broadcast in Australia on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Radio National network.[5] Spark is produced in Toronto by Young and a team that currently consists of Michelle Parise, Adam Killick, and Kent Hoffman.[1] The show is scheduled to end in June 2024 as the CBC elected to not continue it into an 18th season.

The program is made collaboratively with its audience. Nora Young often encourages listeners to become "Spark Contributors" by participating in the active conversations on the Spark Blog, notifying the Spark Team of interesting ideas to investigate, or even recording interviews and letting Spark use them on the show.[6] The show often plays phone messages left by Spark listeners and features comments left on the Spark Blog. Its episodes made use of Creative Commons music until October 2010, when CBC management realized that Spark was available on some platforms considered to be commercial, violating use restrictions of most of the music available under the Creative Commons licenses. This prompted Spark to limit its use to the APM Music library.[7]

Spark sometimes comments on proposed legislation that affects widely used technology. An example was the Copyright Modernization Act and the bills leading up to it.[8]

  1. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference about was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "325: Connected bikes, playground design and more". Spark. CBC. 26 June 2016. Retrieved 2016-08-28.
  3. ^ "Yippee Kye Ay!". Spark blog. CBC Radio One. August 22, 2007. Retrieved 2010-10-09.
  4. ^ "VPR Adds Spark and To The Best Of Our Knowledge to Saturday Afternoons". Press release. Vermont Public Radio. January 4, 2010. Retrieved 2010-10-09.
  5. ^ "Spark - ABC Radio National (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)". ABC Radio National. Retrieved 2016-08-28.
  6. ^ Burke, Jasmyn Lighting a Spark Ryerson Review of Journalism. March 17, 2008.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference dirt was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Willis, Jesse (2010-06-08). "CBC Spark: Bill C-32, Canada's awful new copyright legislation". SFF Audio. Retrieved 2015-12-23.