View source for Definitely Not the Opera

{{Short description|Canadian pop culture radio program and podcast}}
{{refimprove|date=March 2013}}
{{Infobox Radio Show
| show_name          = Definitely Not the Opera
| image              =File:Definitely_Not_The_Opera_Podcast_Cover.jpg
| imagesize          =
| caption            =
| format             = [[popular culture|pop culture]]
| audio_format       =
| record_location    = 
| runtime            = 1 hour
| creator            = Bill Smith
| developer          =
| producer           =
| executive_producer = Iris Yudai
| starring           = [[Nora Young]] (1994–2002)<br>[[Sook-Yin Lee]] (2002–2016)
| narrated           =
| opentheme          =
| endtheme           =
| country            = [[Canada]]
| language           = [[English language|English]]
| home_station       = [[CBC Radio One]]
| syndicates         =
| first_aired        = {{Start date|1994|9}}
| last_aired         = {{End date|2016|5|14}}
| num_episodes       =
| website            = {{URL|https://web.archive.org/web/20180301075645/http://www.cbc.ca/radio/dnto}}
| podcast            =
}}

'''''Definitely Not the Opera''''' (or simply '''''DNTO''''') was a magazine-style [[radio]] program focusing on aspects of [[popular culture|pop culture]] and storytelling, that aired on [[CBC Radio One]] on Saturday afternoons from 1994 until 2016. The show's running time varied over the years, though it ran for a full hour in its final year. An abridged version of each program is available for download as a weekly [[podcast]], with an abbreviated sister edition called '''''Your DNTO''''', airing on Tuesday afternoons and featuring listener-submitted content.

''DNTO'' is also syndicated to some public radio stations in the [[United States]].

==History==
In 1993, the CBC launched '''''Brand X''''' as a Saturday afternoon replacement for ''[[Canada Live (1992 radio program)|Canada Live]]'',<ref name=premiere>"Brand X targets youth". ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'', June 26, 1993.</ref> which itself was a short-lived successor to Jack Farr's ''[[The Radio Show]]''. ''Brand X'' also took over the youth and pop culture mandate from the network's recently cancelled ''[[Prime Time (radio program)|Prime Time]]''.<ref name=cut>"Prime cut". ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'', June 16, 1993.</ref> Initially airing with a stable of regular contributors but no single host,<ref name=premiere/> ''Brand X'' premiered on June 26, 1993<ref name=premiere/> and was co-created by André LaRivière and Bill Smith.

After a year under the ''Brand X'' title and format, the show was revamped by Bill Smith and became ''Definitely Not the Opera'' in September 1994.<ref>"CBC revamps radio lineup". ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'', June 29, 1994.</ref> The new name was chosen because the program aired opposite ''[[Saturday Afternoon at the Opera]]'' on [[CBC Radio 2|CBC Stereo]]. [[Nora Young]], one of ''Brand X''<nowiki/>'s contributors,<ref>"Pop culture finds a Saturday niche on the airwaves". ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'', February 11, 1995.</ref> was named as the new show's host,<ref name=ut>"Media Stars: Avi Lewis, Nora Young and [[Ruby Bhatia]]". ''U of T Magazine'', Summer 2001.</ref> and held the position until September 2002, when musician and former [[MuchMusic]] [[VJ (media personality)|VJ]] [[Sook-Yin Lee]] took over.<ref name=ending/>

''DNTO'' varied in length over the course of its run. Initially running four hours, it was reduced to two hours by the late 2000s, then one hour for its final season (2015–2016).

On May 2, 2016, CBC announced that ''DNTO'' would be discontinued after 22 seasons.<ref name=ending>[http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/dnto-ends-22-years-1.3562008?cmp=rss "DNTO, long-running CBC Radio show, ending in May"]. [[CBC News]], May 2, 2016.</ref> The final episode, recorded before a live audience at CBC Radio's [[Winnipeg]] studios and aired on May 14, 2016, included special guests and highlights from the show's 22-year run.<ref>[http://www.cbc.ca/radio/dnto/saying-goodbye-1.3581073 Audio of ''DNTO'' final episode] from CBC.ca</ref> Lee continued with the CBC as host of the summer series ''Sleepover''.<ref>[http://www.broadcastermagazine.com/acquisition/cbc-radio-one-launch-social-experiment-show-sleepover/1004123230/ "CBC Radio One to Launch 'Social Experiment' Radio Show"]. ''Broadcaster'', June 21, 2016.</ref>

==Features==
When Young was its host, ''DNTO'' was a magazine-style show focusing on popular entertainment, containing features on pop-culture phenomena, movie, video and music reviews,<ref name=ut /> as well as music and concert segments, comedy sketches by [[Elyse Friedman]], and biographical features on entertainment and pop culture figures. Contributors during this era included [[Ross Porter (Canadian broadcaster)|Ross Porter]] (who sometimes filled in as host), [[Rex Murphy]], [[Mary Walsh (actress)|Mary Walsh]], [[Laurie Brown (broadcaster)|Laurie Brown]] and [[Guy Maddin]].<ref name=ending/>

With Lee in the host chair, ''DNTO'' would gradually evolve in scope, transitioning by the second half of the 2000s from its former pop culture and entertainment focus to one that emphasized light [[documentary]] and storytelling. Each episode's wide-ranging focus would also evolve so that the segments would pertain to a specific aspect of modern life. For example, an episode might have a thematic focus on [[etiquette]], [[fear]], [[listening]], interpersonal conflict, [[food]] or [[small talk]]. On-location profiles would also be among the episode themes, including a post-[[Hurricane Katrina]] visit to [[New Orleans]] in 2006<ref name=ending/> and a 2015 visit to the northern [[Manitoba]] community of [[Pukatawagan]].<ref>[http://www.cbc.ca/radio/dnto/dntonorth-stories-from-pukatawagan-1.2950352/dntonorth-joseph-caribou-at-home-1.2961583 ''DNTO'' Pukatawagan episode] from CBC.ca</ref> Celebrity and expert interviews would remain, as would the music segments, but they would also focus on the episode's theme rather than being strictly promotional in nature. Remote segments and on-the-street interviews tying to the episode theme would also be included, along with first-person audio essays. A rotating stable of regular contributors – including comedian [[Candy Palmater]], journalist [[Kaj Hasselriis]] and CBC Radio personalities Acey Rowe, [[Jane Farrow]] and [[Grant Lawrence]] – would also contribute their own themed segments.

In part to allow listeners to share their own related stories, a weekday offshoot of ''DNTO'' was established. Titled ''Your DNTO'', the show aired on Tuesday afternoons. While the weekday show would sometimes include content repeated from the weekend show, the weekday show's primary emphasis was dedicated to airing stories submitted by listeners, who could record and upload their own contributions for possible broadcast to the ''DNTO'' website.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|https://web.archive.org/web/20180301075645/http://www.cbc.ca/radio/dnto}}
{{CBC Radio Programs (current and upcoming)}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Definitely Not The Opera}}
[[Category:CBC Radio One programs]]
[[Category:1994 radio programme debuts]]
[[Category:Audio podcasts]]
[[Category:Canadian talk radio programs]]
[[Category:1994 establishments in Canada]]
[[Category:2016 radio programme endings]]
[[Category:Canadian podcasts]]
[[Category:2016 disestablishments in Canada]]
[[Category:2013 podcast debuts]] 
[[Category:2014 podcast endings]]
[[Category:1990s Canadian radio programs]]
[[Category:2000s Canadian radio programs]]
[[Category:2010s Canadian radio programs]]