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Corks pop at the CBC after hair’s breadth victory over Global
Posted on April 30, 2008 by Douglas Bell
Among the more hair-pulling, knuckle-biting, rant-inducing items of last week was the CBC’s widely reported announcement (cue the confetti, elephants and brass bands) that for the winter/spring season of ’07–’08 the CBC beat Global, moving into second place among Canadian television networks, just behind CTV. Pardon my Slovenian, but so bleeping what? For CBC Strangeloves to leap up and down in Valkyric ecstasy because they “posted a prime-time share of 7.8 during the winter/spring season, compared with Global’s share of 7.4, relying on BBM Nielsen Media data that were collected from viewers aged 2-plus from October 1, 2007, to April 6, 2008 (7 to 11 p.m.)” thoroughly demeans what is supposed to be a noble enterprise. Quacking on about numbers in this context reminds me of those godawful attempts by various chinless royals to humanize the Crown by appearing on British game shows.
The fact is Global put on an American mega-hit Monday night—House—and once those numbers are in, the CBC’s carefully constructed numerical house of cards will begin to collapse like the cut-rate facelift it is. While there’s nothing wrong with herding Canadians to watch schlock like The Week the Women Went (which I actually kinda liked), it’s not the sort of thing that should define, let alone articulate, the CBC’s purpose—a purpose that, in this season of puck mania, seems entirely devoted to fattening the coffers of a certain New York–based professional ice hockey league.
• CBC crows, Global grows [Media in Canada]
• Writers’ strike and The Border give CBC a leg up over Global [Globe and Mail]
• Boob Tube: The CBC thinks it knows what you want [Toronto Life]
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January April 30, 2008 at 10:33 a.m.
Douglas Bell, I am shocked and appalled. Slamming hockey is one thing, as bad as that is. But calling it "ice" hockey is pretty close to unforgivable. It's hockey, man. Other variations of hockey can be qualified, such as road hockey. But ice hockey? Bad media commentator. Very bad. Go sit in the corner. Hang your head in shame.
Fintan April 30, 2008 at 11:14 a.m.
Er, January, should our hockey people hang their heads in shame as well? We call the game "jääkiekko" in Finnish. "Jää" means ice and "kiekko" means disc and the federation for the sport calls itself "Finnish Ice Hockey Association" on its web site http://www.finhockey.fi/
Then there's this body:
http://www.iihf.com/
I think the sport was invented to turn millions of normally sane people into frenetic fanatics.
charley April 30, 2008 at 11:16 a.m.
I feel sorry for the CBC- they can't win. They air interesting out of the ordinary things and they get minimal ratings ang people complain they're elitist. If they put on popular middle of the road stuff they get nailed for just doing what the private broadcasters do-i.e why should they get public money to compete unfairly with CTV, Global etc. Hockey is the easiest way out-get ratings and advertising and they can claim this is real "Canadiana".
January April 30, 2008 at 11:26 a.m.
Fintan -- I was talking about common usage here in Canada and that Douglas Bell made either a small or very large mistake depending on if you're talking to a Canadian hockey nut (most of us) or a Canadian who isn't a hockey nut. You (any non-Canadian) can call the game anything you want.
Fintan April 30, 2008 at 12:35 p.m.
OK, January, I get your drift. They sell a really funny T-shirt here. It depicts a reindeer wearing a blue-and-white skull cap and drinking from a bucket with "Finlandia" written on the side. Its penis is in the neck of a bottle labelled "Absolut". Hockey fans often wear it at games against Sweden. In case you didn't know, Finlandia and Absolut are vodka brands.
January April 30, 2008 at 1 p.m.
And let me guess -- Absolut is a Swedish brand, right? That's funny.
Fintan April 30, 2008 at 1:25 p.m.
January: "And let me guess -- Absolut is a Swedish brand, right? That's funny."
Yes, I guess you could say its THE Swedish vodka.
http://www.absolut.com/
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