Radio Discord

Two days before Christmas, cifu Radio’s news director Malcolm McDonald is called in early to work.

Under pressure from the conservative station owner George Caulfeild, Malcolm reluctantly fires cifu’s star morning show host, Stephen Millburn, whose only fault — if it can be called that — is going against Caulfeild’s orders not to report on a shady scheme to pay homeless people to leave Victoria, BC.

While Malcolm is wracked with guilt for not standing up for Stephen, he’s soon distracted by bigger worries, including his daughter’s health issues. He needs this job to support his family, but how can Malcolm strike a balance between a newsroom of clashing personalities and politics, Caulfeild’s short-sighted directives to cut down on expenses, and his own ideals of good and fair journalism?

From the world of Gregor Craigie’s Leacock Medal for Humour–longlisted novel Radio Jet Lag, Radio Discord explores another year of behind-the-mic chaos at a chronically underperforming private radio station in Victoria, featuring an uphill climb for ratings and ad dollars, an eclectic cast of news reporters, with lots of humour and heart.