The ’80s and ’90s were the golden age of the music video. MTV was a powerful musical, cultural, and even political force that extended beyond the United States. MuchMusic had the Canadian market all to itself and was minting new domestic stars by the dozen every single year. The same thing happened with video channels in the U.K., France, Germany, and Australia.

If you wanted to be a star, you had to have a video to go with every single you released. And because everyone was making videos, competition for attention was fierce.

Budgets got bigger as production values increased, with artsy themes, special effects, expensive sets, new video technology, and on-location shoots. Big-name directors were brought in. Some video directors were so good that they were able to make the jump to TV and movies. They became stars themselves: David Fincher, Spike Jonze, and Mark Romanek.

Releases of videos by big stars were cultural events and sometimes talked about more than the song itself. And that’s because videos were supposed to say something. A basic performance clip just didn’t cut it anymore.

Artists looking at their royalty statements got a shock. After being convinced to make a video for a million dollars—something that happened even with mid-level bands—they found that money being clawed back from their earnings. A video was promotion, and all promotion was a recoupable expense.

But that could be okay if the video helped the song and the album catch fire. If it resulted in more radio play and more CDs sold, then the cost was worth it.

There was some pushback from artists, but they were largely drowned out by the music video–making machine. There was just so much money at stake.

The music video had grown into a global industry. And then technology intervened, and the whole system seemed destined for extinction.

This is part two of the rise, fall, and future of the music video.

Songs heard on this show:

• Beastie Boys, Sabotage
• REM, Everybody Hurts
• Pearl Jam, Jeremy
• Smashing Pumpkins, Tonight Tonight
• Queens of the Stone Age, No One Knows
• Weezer, Pork and Beans
• OK Go, Here It Goes Again
• Linkin Park, In the End

Eric Wilhite has a playlist.
The Ongoing History of New Music can be heard on these stations.

• 102.1 The Edge/Toronto – Sunday night at 7pm
• Q107/Toronto – Sunday night at 9pm
• Live 88-5/Ottawa – Saturdays at 9am and Sundays at 6pm.
• 107.5 Dave-FM/Kitchener – Sunday nights at 11pm
• FM96/London – Sunday nights at 8pm
• Power 97/Winnipeg – Sunday nights at 10am and 10pm
• 107-3 The Edge/Calgary – Sundays at 10am and 10pm
• Sonic 102.9/Edmonton – Sunday at 8am and 8pm
• The Zone/Victoria – Sunday at 9am and 9pm
• The Fox/Vancouver – Sundays at 10anm and 10pm
• The Goat Network/Interior BC
• Surge 105/Halifax – Sunday at 7pm
• WAPS/WKTL The Summit/Arkon, Canton, Cleveland, Youngstown – Mon-Fri at 9pm

Don’t forget there’s a  podcast version (along with hundreds of others) available, in case you miss an episode. Get them for free wherever you get your podcasts.

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Here’s a little-known fact about Dexter Holland, singer for the Offspring. This dude is a serious pilot. Ever since he was a kid, he wanted to fly planes. But if you’ve ever had that dream, you’ll know that it’s a pretty expensive pursuit–unless you want to join the Air Force, but that’s not an option for most people. But thanks to the fact that the Offspring has sold tens of millions of albums, Dexter can now indulge in this dream.

Not only does he have his pilot’s license, he also owns a fleet of planes.  There’s a single-engine prop, a twin-engine prop and his newest baby, an executive jet: a Cessna Citation with an anarchy symbol on the tail fin.  And yes, Dexter is certified to fly all of them.  In fact, when the Offspring is on tour, Dexter sometimes flies himself from gig to gig.

Ain’t it cool to be a rich rock star?

© 2026 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

In their early days, The Beastie Boys were a trio of snotty ex-punk rockers who translated their attitude to the world of hip-hop. One of the big singles from their debut album, Licensed to Ill, was “No Sleep ‘Til Brooklyn,” which was written as a shot at heavy metal.

The title is a poke at No Sleep Til Hammersmith, a 1981 live album from Motorhead. All the lyrics were compiled by throwing up lines that made everyone in the band laugh. And for maximum effect, producer Rick Rubin knew the song needed a metal guitar riff. At the time, Rubin was also working with Slayer in the same studio complex. He had guitarist Kerry King drop in to play a guitar part—which, by the way, is intentionally out of tune in some places. King is also seen in the video pushing a gorilla offstage.

King wasn’t thrilled with the song because the Beasties weren’t his thing. According to lore, the Beasties weren’t crazy about him, either. Still, it worked.

© 2026 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

The singles chart means a lot to the music industry. For decades, it was the measure of success. But when the internet took off around 2000 and sales of singles nosedived due to music piracy, the metrics used to compile this chart became increasingly useless. Here’s a UK example of how much things changed.

In 1997, following the death of Princess Diana, Elton John’s “Candle in the Wind” sold 1.55 million copies in a week, an easy number one. Nine years later, an American indie band called Orson made it to number one in the UK by selling just 17,694 copies of a track called “No Tomorrow.” And that was enough to make it the 12^th best-selling song in the UK in 2006.

It wasn’t until 2008 that streaming was incorporated into singles chart tabulation.

© 2026 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

U.S. President Donald Trump stood before Congress Tuesday and declared “our nation is back” as he delivered the annual state of the union address.

“We have achieved a transformation like no one has ever seen before,” Trump said.

Trump is making the speech at a critical moment as his trade and immigration agendas have stumbled lately in the face of legal setbacks and grim polling.

Trump’s approval rating is being dragged down by his controversial immigration crackdown — and on Friday the U.S. Supreme Court took away his favourite tariff tool.

It marks Trump’s sixth speech before Congress since he was first elected president.

Aaron Kall, director of debate for the University of Michigan, said Trump’s speeches have offered “a mixed bag in terms of the tone” — sombre and unifying at one moment, aggressive and insulting the next.

Kall pointed out that this year’s state of the union speech lands when the Republican party is on shaky ground with voters — and with midterm elections less than nine months away.

Recent polling has shown Trump’s approval rating plummeting among the independent voters who played a key role in handing him the White House in 2024. The president is underwater on domestic issues like immigration, the economy and jobs — previously areas of strength for Trump, Kall said.

Some Congressional Republicans have suggested the president has not been able to communicate effectively with Americans on the key issue of affordability. Trump has repeatedly called the issue a Democrat “hoax” and has insisted that prices are coming down — whether or not voters themselves feel it.

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, who won election last year on an affordability platform, will deliver the official Democratic response to Trump’s speech.

Trump’s inaugural speech as president in 2017, which painted a bleak picture of what he called “American carnage,” was immediately overshadowed in the news cycle by his unsupported claims about the size of the crowd that turned out to hear him speak.

In his 2025 inaugural address, Trump vowed that the United States would “flourish and be respected again all over the world.”

In the whirlwind year that followed, Trump’s aggressive and rapidly changing agenda shattered alliances, upended global trade patterns and challenged America’s foundational system of checks and balances.

The president’s tariffs and repeated threats of annexation have damaged the long-standing relationship between Canada and the United States. Canada could come up during Tuesday’s speech — Trump invited the United States Olympic men’s hockey team to watch the address following their Sunday win over the Canadian team.

The latest focus of Trump’s rage — the Supreme Court justices who took away his preferred tariff tool — were in the House chamber for Tuesday’s address.

In a 6-3 decision Friday, America’s top court concluded it was not legal for Trump to use the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, better known as IEEPA, for his “Liberation Day” tariffs and fentanyl-related duties on Canada, Mexico and China.

Trump signed an executive order hours later to enact a 10 per cent worldwide tariff using Section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act. The next day, Trump said he would be increasing the duty to 15 per cent — although no amendment to the executive order has been signed to put that into force.

Under Section 122, the tariff cannot go higher than 15 per cent and it will expire after 150 days unless Congress votes to extend it.

It’s not unheard of for Supreme Court justices to clash with presidents during state of the union speeches. Justice Samuel Alito famously frowned and shook his head as then-president Barack Obama criticized the court during an address to Congress in 2010.

Trump might put himself in a difficult position if he goes after the justices during his speech because his tariff policies are also very unpopular with voters, Kall said.

Attempting to justify the tariffs “will make a really tough speech even that more difficult,” he said.

Also hanging over the Congressional address is the U.S. military buildup near Iran. While Trump ran on a promise to end U.S. military interventions abroad, his second term has seen an expansion of such operations with attacks on Iran, Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Nigeria, Somalia and Venezuela, along with the controversial campaign of bombing alleged drug boats in the Caribbean.

Trump is likely to boast about what he sees as his foreign policy accomplishments — but that also might be a difficult topic to navigate. The president has received pushback from all sides — including Republican supporters — over his interventionism and focus on foreign policy over domestic issues like the cost of living.

While a State of the Union address is supposed to lay out a president’s vision, Kall said he thinks this one will be like a typical Trump rally speech that lacks a unifying thread.

Kall said he also expects it to be long.

“Millions of people will watch,” he said. “You basically get one shot a year. This will be the final shot before the midterm elections. No other kind of speech or event’s going to get this kind of attention. So the stakes are really high.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 24, 2026.

— With files from The Associated Press

© 2026 The Canadian Press

Ten months after the horrific mass killing at the Lapu Lapu Day Block Party in Vancouver, there is a clearer picture of how the donation money was spent, while also raising concerns.

“Breaks my heart, makes me feel angry, all the emotions, because that money was intended to help us victims,” said Alejandro Samper.

His father, Daniel, mother, Glitza, and sister, Glitza, were among the 11 people killed when an SUV plowed through the festival near the food trucks.

In Filipino B.C.’s Crisis Response Impact report, it shows United Way BC raised over $2 million following the tragedy.

A large majority of it, $1.57 million, was designated to the Kapwa Strong Fund, which distributed 45 grants to 36 agencies.

Nearly a quarter of the total funds, $451,470, was earmarked to support the work of Filipino BC. United Way said some donors had specified that’s where they wanted their money to be directed.

Samper is calling on Filipino BC to be more open with how it is spending the donation money, saying that, as the festival organizer, it is partially to blame for the tragedy that happened.

“They’re not being transparent,” he said. “They’re hiding stuff that we don’t they don’t want us to know, like their endowment funds,” Samper said.

Of the 36 agencies that received grants through United Way’s Kapwa Strong Fund, the United Filipino Canadian Association of BC received the highest amount, totalling $165,000.

United Way’s report shows many of the agencies used the grants to offer mental health supports and host healing circles. UFCABC is the only non-profit that provides financial aid.

Clifford Belgica, program director of UFCABC, said some examples of how the money has been used are paying for accommodation close to the hospital or rent relief.

“Get some funds in their hands as a respite,” he said, adding that so far, the group has helped 77 victims, but there are still many more waiting for aid.

“We have 88 more victims, we were told, ‘Oh, there’s no more funding because it’s been uploaded to Filipino BC for an endowment fund.’ And I said, ‘What’s an endowment fund?’”

RJ Aquino, chair of Filipino BC, said the endowment fund is money from people who donate directly to Filipino BC, not through United Way’s Kapwa Strong Fund.

Aquino said his organization still hasn’t received the full amount from the Kapwa fund.

“Filipino BC has not received the full disbursement of it, because we still need to apply for those disbursements in order to receive them, and that’s where we outline how that’s going to be distributed to the people under our care,” he explained.

A media manager with the group later clarified that of the $451,570, Filipino BC has only received $190,000 so far.

Aquino said he understands people’s frustrations and calls for transparency, highlighting how it illustrates the larger systemic issues that are allowing people to fall through the cracks.

“They didn’t get the help that they needed right away, and they’re still not getting the help that they need. So we’re calling on, again, all levels of government to do that,” Aquino said.

“We were festival organizers one day and a crisis response team the next, and that’s not something that we were originally built for.”

At a press conference earlier this month, when Aquino revealed the location of its future community centre, he explained how the community centre would be funded.

“Filipino BC has done a lot of work to also establish an endowment fund to help with funding this centre,” Aquino said at the time.

The interim PR manager later told Global News the endowment fund is currently at $38,479.

This caught Samper’s attention, as he grew concerned about how the donation money meant for victims was being used.

“It’s very sad and heartbreaking to see they’re taking advantage of this money from United Way that belongs to the victims and their families to just fuel their own agendas, their own community center,” he said.

Aquino is adamant that none of the money intended for victims is being used for any other purpose.

“None of the funds that are being directed to victims are going towards the center. None of the funds that are being directed to victims are going towards paying Filipino BC staff,” he said.

Samper is calling for an audit of how the funds are being used.

Aquino said an auditor was recently hired from one of the big four accounting firms.

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

TORONTO – Cason Wallace led all scorers with 27 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder withstood a late charge to beat the Toronto Raptors 116-107 on Tuesday.

Wallace also had eight rebounds and six assists as Oklahoma City (45-14) won its third straight. Isaiah Joe added 22 points.

Reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Hamilton didn’t play for the Thunder as he recovers from an abdominal strain.

RJ Barrett of Mississauga, Ont., led Toronto (34-24) with 21 points, pulling down eight rebounds and adding four assists.

Immanuel Quickley had 17 points and Ja’Kobe Walter came off the bench for 17.

All-stars Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes were held to 15 points apiece.

TAKEAWAYS

Thunder: Even without Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning NBA champions dominated defensively. Oklahoma City’s smothering defence was particularly effective against Ingram through the second and third quarters and helped the visitors lead by as many as 25 points.

Raptors: After an impressive start where Toronto outscored the Thunder 32-25 in the first quarter the wheels came off. The Raptors struggled with possession and had no answers for OKC’s defence for long stretches of the game. Only a late fourth quarter push made the game close.

KEY MOMENT

Raptors backup guard Jamal Shead drilled a three-pointer with 4:06 left to play to tie the game 101-101. OKC responded with a 9-0 run.

KEY STAT

Toronto had just two turnovers in the first quarter while OKC had seven. That tilted in the other direction for the rest of the game as the Raptors coughed up the ball 14 more times while the Thunder only had nine more turnovers in the remaining three quarters.

UP NEXT

Thunder: Visit the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday.

Raptors: Host the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 24, 2026.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

Calgary Transit’s downtown free fare zone will be the subject of an in-depth review, months after city council narrowly voted against its elimination.

Late Tuesday, Calgary city council voted unanimously in favour of a motion from councillors John Pantazopoulos and Andrew Yule, which asked for “a comprehensive review” of the downtown free fare zone, including the implications of eliminating it.

“There’s no predetermined conclusion on this report, we just need the data,” Yule told reporters. “This could make the free fare zone longer, it could be shorter, it’s hard to say unless we have the data to make those decisions.”

According to the motion, administration’s review will include analysis on the “operational, financial, ridership, and safety impacts” of reforming the downtown free fare zone, including the implications of establishing the area as a “fare paid zone.”

It comes just months after city council narrowly voted 8-7 against eliminating the free fare zone during budget deliberations, which was prompted by TD announcing it was pulling out of its sponsorship of the zone in late November.

“During last year’s budget, Coun. Yule and I voted differently on whether we need to eliminate the downtown free fare zone,” Pantazopoulos said to council. “But instead of staying in our corners and sulking, we sat down and asked ourselves a very simple question: what are we both trying to achieve?”

The councillors argued changes in downtown activity, transit usage, safety concerns, and fare compliance warrant a review.

The review is expected to include analysis on fare revenue changes, enforcement and fare compliance, the potential for a tiered or alternative fare structure as well as cost implications for Calgary Transit.

According to David Cooper, principal at Leading Mobility, free fare zones are “becoming more unique,” with many being eliminated in recent years across North America.

“There’s not many examples anymore of free transit,” Cooper told Global News. “I think one of the challenges we have when it comes to transit is there’s still always a cost even if it’s provided for free within the downtown.”

Cooper said there’s “a lot of emotional attachment” to the free fare zone, which has been around in Calgary since 1979, when it was a pilot project on a bus route along 7 Avenue.

“We’re going to have a lot of opinions and insights on this and who it impacts differs depending on who you ask it,” he said.

“I think it will be one of the biggest conversations council will have this year when it comes to Calgary Transit.”

The motion calls for administration to gather feedback from transit users, including downtown employees, residents, students and visitors, as well as city partners, like the Calgary Downtown Association, the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, Tourism Calgary and Vibrant Communities Calgary.

An amendment from Ward 4 Coun. DJ Kelly added the Alpha House to the lengthy list of stakeholders, while an amendment from Ward 10 Coun. Andre Chabot saw the inclusion of transit peace officers, bylaw officers and the Calgary Police Service in the upcoming engagement.

“We need to involve the enforcement folks as well… to find out whether or not they think there would be an advantage to the elimination of the free fare zone,” Chabot told reporters.

However, Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas said he isn’t in favour of eliminating the free fare zone, and has no concerns in doing due diligence with a review.

“Our free fare zone, if anything, I think it should be expanded,” Farkas told reporters. “We should be looking at ways, maybe even on game day, extending service to our new event centre, or even during (The Calgary Stampede) or cultural festivals and events.”

City administration’s review comes at the same time Calgary Transit is undertaking its own customer feedback survey on the free fare zone until March 8.

“We weren’t planning on coming up with alternatives to the free fare zone yet, but we wanted to have a sense of how it’s being used and why,” Calgary Transit director Sharon Fleming told city council.

The downtown free fare zone runs along the CTrain line along 7 Avenue between Downtown West/Kerby and City Hall/Bow Valley College stations.

City administration is expected to come back to council ahead of the summer with recommendations and “potential implementation pathways” for council to consider.

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Ukrainians living in Saskatchewan are paying their respects to those killed and displaced by the war in Ukraine, as Tuesday marks the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion.

Many have settled in Saskatchewan, but still struggle with their new lives and the ones they left back home.

”On the first day I couldn’t even imagine that it would take four years, and we still don’t know how long it will take,” said Solomia Kulyk.

Kulyk came to Saskatoon from Ukraine a year and a half ago, so she has experienced first-hand both the bombing and the mental turmoil of watching the war from afar.

“When you’re far from home, it’s really hard to process all that. To read the news. It’s easier when you’re home and when you know that all people surrounded by you are in the same situation,” says Kulyk.

The Ukrainian diaspora in Saskatoon has been watching and waiting for the violence to end and getting regular updates from families still in the country.

“It’s sad that it’s becoming just a common occurrence every year, attending this vigil. Obviously, we look forward to the end of this war, but it’s great that we still keep those that fought for freedom in our memory, especially on a day like today,” said second-generation Ukrainian Canadian Petro Zerko.

As the war continues, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says he will continue to support those displaced through partnership with the Ukrainian Canadian Congress of Saskatchewan.

“Saskatchewan people stand with the Ukrainian community each and every day over the course of the last four years, and as long as it takes,” said Moe.

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Tori Redman found a cockroach in her grilled cheese at Pink Cadillacs on 8th Street in Saskatoon.

She took it to social media and her post spread quickly, getting lots of attention.

Owner of Pink Cadillacs, Jon Tyson, apologized in response, saying staff had started a deep clean of the restaurant.

Pink Cadillacs isn’t the only restaurant in Saskatoon dealing with pest issues. Saskatchewan Health Authority inspection reports within the past year show dozens of food establishments face pest-related issues, ranging from minor to serious.

In a statement made to Global News, Tyson says every restaurant he knows gets a pest control service done monthly and that he does everything he can to provide a safe and healthy environment.

The SHA said in a statement they have been working with Tyson, who has been cooperative. They have suspended the restaurant’s licence pending a follow up inspection.

Watch above for more on how Pink Cadillacs isn’t the only establishment dealing with pests.

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.