In 1987, a perpetual CBC Radio freelancer named Eleanor Wachtel scored a one-year contract to work on a weekend show called State of the Arts. A year later, the program morphed into The Arts Tonight, and she was hired as a contributor. Occasionally, she would fill in for the regular host – Shelagh Rogers.
This weekend, that intersection comes to a two-way stop. Ms. Wachtel, host of CBC Radio’s Writers & Company, and Ms. Rogers, host of The Next Chapter, will broadcast their final shows. Both women say it’s their decision.
On paper, it’s two broadcasters retiring from long, storied (sorry) careers at the CBC. But the real story is the significant loss for Canada. These women have had a huge impact on Canadian publishing and bookselling.
“Do you have this book? I heard about it on CBC,” Victoria’s Munro Books posted on Instagram this week. “Any Canadian bookseller can tell you that nine times out of ten, the above statement applies to either Eleanor Wachtel or Shelagh Rogers.”
Ms. Wachtel has been hosting Writers & Company since its inception in 1990. Ms. Rogers launched The Next Chapter in 2008. Before that, she was a CBC staple for decades. Between them, they have collected enough awards, accolades and honorary degrees to fill a book.
Over the last few weeks, both shows have ended episodes with recorded messages. Writers & Company listeners called in to say what the show and Ms. Wachtel have meant to them. “The announcement of your departure has been almost an occasion of national mourning,” said Mike Evans from Edmonton last week. Another man cried.
On The Next Chapter, authors shared accolades. “You have an uncanny ability to make the microphones, the headphones and the whole studio just melt away, thanks to your warmth and kindness,” said Waubgeshig Rice, addressing Ms. Rogers.
These clips surely are as meaningful as any Order of Canada citation (both women have them, of course) – maybe more.
We, the book lovers of Canada, have our own stories about these women, these shows, and the producers who put them together (including Sandra Rabinovitch, who has been with Writers & Company from the beginning). These programs kept me engaged in the mushy postpartum months of maternity leave, reminding me that there were books once cared about beyond the What to Expect guides.
More recently, I’ve been listening to Writers & Company Sundays at 5 p.m. (when it airs in B.C.) while making dinner. Risotto while Ms. Wachtel interviewed Leila Slimani; a pasta bake when she spoke to Hua Hsu. The interviews turned out better than the dinners, my teenage son can confirm.
Ms. Wachtel’s probing questions, her deep well of knowledge, are impressive even to the authors who have been through the procedure countless times. “Eleanor Wachtel is one of the very finest interviewers of authors I’ve come across anywhere in the world,” Nobel Prize winner Kazuo Ishiguro has said.
At a time of shrinking attention spans and micro, TikTok-y takes on everything, this show has stubbornly stuck to deep dives. It doesn’t matter if I have heard of the author, or plan on ever reading their work. The interviews Ms. Wachtel conducts are works of art on their own, braiding life and literature together into little masterpieces.
And then there’s Shelagh. Her warmth, her empathy, her engagement – this all floats through the radio via that magnificent voice. And if you’ve had the great fortune to be interviewed by her, you know – this is no performance. She really is that nice, that interested, that amazing.
With The Next Chapter, Ms. Rogers has promoted Canadian writers, elevating new voices alongside literary icons. Her work beyond the literary space is notable, too. From 2015 to 2021 she was chancellor at the University of Victoria. She is a fierce advocate for mental health and Indigenous issues. In 2011, she was named an honorary witness for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. While that will continue, it’s now time for her next chapter. Ms. Wachtel’s, too.
CBC told me this week that Ms. Wachtel is so intertwined and responsible for the success of Writers & Company that it makes sense to bring it to a natural end with her departure (repeats will run for now). A new audio literary show will be developed without any preset parameters, with a producer hired to do that work in the coming months. The Next Chapter will continue with a guest host this summer, and a permanent host beyond that.
As they depart, Ms. Rogers and Ms. Wachtel should know they have been great guides, teachers – and company. They now deserve to read off into the sunset.
But their devoted listeners deserve something, too – especially given the current state of the arts. The public broadcaster must demonstrate a continued commitment to cultural content. I hope the CBC is listening.
Marsha Lederman