Medium Rare was a Canadian radio program, which aired from 1987 to 1993."Is TV ready for talk show host with a beard?; CHEZ news director at front of proposed Ottawa-based late-night program that would have more than idle chatter". Ottawa Citizen, October 17, 1990. Produced and hosted by Ken Rockburn, from the studios of Ottawa radio station CHEZ-FM, the program was syndicated to several radio stations across Canada."CRTC quota proposal may be last straw for Medium Rare syndicator". Ottawa Citizen, November 8, 1992.
The program was a two-hour news and public affairs magazine show which aired on Sunday evenings, including features and interviews on politics, arts, literature and culture,"Sunday evening radio offers plenty of interesting conversation". Ottawa Citizen, September 8, 1991. although the show was ultimately most noted for Rockburn's interviews with writers."Rockburn right stuff for TVO job". Ottawa Citizen, March 9, 1993. The program made Rockburn the only host in Canadian commercial, rather than public, radio ever to win three Nellies from the ACTRA Awards."Award-winning broadcaster enjoys 'challenge of sound'". Ottawa Citizen, June 24, 1989.
After an April 1993 change in CRTC regulations meant that music-based stations were no longer required to air a minimum quota of spoken word programming, the program was immediately dropped from the schedules of all its syndicated stations."Empty hole left as Medium Rare bids a farewell". Ottawa Citizen, June 20, 1993. It continued on CHEZ for two more months, before airing its final episode in June. During this time Rockburn was a contender for the job of hosting TVOntario's literature show Imprint following the departure of Daniel Richler, although he was not selected.
Rockburn published a book of interviews from the show, Medium Rare: Jamming with Culture, in 1995."MEDIUM RARE: Jamming with Culture; Half-baked interviews at the culture bar". The Globe and Mail, October 5, 1995.
He subsequently moved to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, where he hosted the television interview show Rockburn and Company and CBO's afternoon program All in a Day."Rockburn named All In a Day host". Ottawa Citizen, March 7, 1996.
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