BROADCASTING
Monkey see, monkey doodoo.
Now that banks and auto makers have sucked mightily from the public tit, the line-up of Big-Lipped Monsters is getting downright pushy.
Elbowing right to the front in Canada are broadcasters.
Global, CTV and the CBC are all behaving like rink enforcers in the corner shoving and biting and high sticking their way to The Big Payoff.
These people all want taxpayer bailouts.
My answer is simple.
No. No. No.
Canwest Global and CTV have consistently made fortunes by blithely ignoring any vague sense of responsibility to the country they have been fleecing. They basically are windows for American programs. The little that they have focused on local or national texture has been entirely at the end of regulatory shotguns. If they hadn't been forced to do local news or the occasional drama, they wouldn't have wasted a penny on such pain-in-the-ass hard work.
Now that times are tough, now that the sons have blown the father's gifts, now that ad revenues are migrating elsewhere, they want you and me to help out.
Huh?
Get lost.
Fold your cheesy tent, boys.
Let me watch CBS is that's what I want.
You want me to watch you, give me something to watch. Otherwise go the way of Eatons.
I cannot for a moment understand how or why I should pony a penny for your bad practices.
As for the CBC, let's quote the former chair, Carole Taylor:
"...go for broadcasting that is different from what the privates do, that is not going for ratings, but is proving a service that cannot be found anywhere else."
Bang on.
The CBC is a hideously deformed monstrosity, a twisted, unworkable hybrid. It is overgrown and knows not what it wants.
It should be cut in half or to a third and it should produce and show only entirely original Canadian content.
The claim by its current executive that the audience it gets at 7:30 pm for Jeopardy carries into its 8-11 prime time is utter nonsense. If this fool actually believes that fabrication, he has no business in the business.
The remote rules, Dopey.
The minute Alex says goodbye, we are all gone.
More taxpayer money for dunces and dissemblers like this?
No.
It should have absolutely no concern with ratings. It should be concerned only with doing good work.
What a concept!
4 comments:
You are Right On Dave!
As an EX CBC Producer and TV guy in the wonderful world of Canadian television for 40 years, there is only ONE WAY for TV-Canuck to go...Canadian Programming.
(BTW I always loved Carole T. in person as well)
The days of license to print sheckels-shysters who purport to be Canadian, but are just re-broadcasters of US product, should be OVER!
Used to be that CBC said they were providing a US service for folks who couldn't pick up US signals by cable or whatever. Now, Not!
Everyone in Canada, including the far north where satellite dishes are as abundant as Inukshuks and beer, can get US channels of multifarious kinds.
If I was god or head of the CRTC, I would only grant licenses to those who created ALL their own Canadian content. Of this content, xyz% would need to be drama/current affairs/docs/kids etc.
Living in England at the moment, I notice that although US programming has an influence here, it is NOT the predominant influence and UK programming rules the ratings.(Albeit a lot of crap amongst the gems)
Aspers et al should have their license nuts cut off and lets get Canadian Broadcasting, Canadian.
CBC does a great job when it does a job. CBC MUST be 100%-Canadian, as should all 'Canadian' networks.
Vote for me for god of Canadian broadcasting
If Canwest wants public money they should do us all a favour and sell either The Sun or The Province.
BREAK THE MONOPOLY!
(But keep the Canadian ownership rules, please.)
Its hard to add to what has been said so let me play devils advocate. How can we bail out the auto makers and then tell the other big three sorry we only care about cars. Their must be a lot of jobs at these companies that support just as many families as GM Ford etc. How can we pick where the botomless pit of tax paid bailouts stops.
I wonder if the public would allow a bail out of Burger King.
"How can we bail out the auto makers and then tell the other big three sorry we only care about cars? "
Try thinking of it as more a matter of telling them, "We made the mistake once, we're not going to repeat it."
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