TV Misguide

There was a lot said by CBC president and CEO Robert Rabinovitch last month when he appeared before Parliament's Heritage Committee. I watched the coverage live on Newsworld but I never revisited my videotape of the hearing. That despite hearing  grumblings and rumblings from various CBC insiders and watchers about what he said.

One thing many people pointed out was how ignorant he seemed of CBC-TV's programming. So today, I had a quick look at the transcript, now available online. Here's one whopper:

There are certain types of programming that we don't have to do, or
shouldn't do. For example, we don't do reality television. We think
we're enough of a reality act on our own, in terms of surviving. But
we do not do reality programming. If we just were chasing audiences,
or just were chasing rating points, we could do reality programming.
Quite frankly, some public broadcasters in the world do reality
programming. Some of the most successful programs, quite frankly, were
first developed by public broadcasters. But we don't do that.

Uhhh ...

Making the Cut? Raging Hormones? The Greatest Canadian? 72 Hours: True Crime?

It was also stomach-churning to hear Rabinovitch talk about how happy he was for the competition that they were doing great ratings with such Canadian hits as Corner Gas and Canadian Idol, and then resorting his "CBC must be flexible'' mantra, as if it were relevant.

Corner Gas on CTV is terrific. That they're doing Canadian Idol is fine. It's their type of program and it's great and it gets good audience share. I don't
begrudge them. And similarly, I don't expect us to have everything that's Canadian. Other stations hopefully will compete with us in terms of attracting talent and developing product. But over the next ten years, if CBC is to survive, it must be flexible, it must recognize that there's talent out there, and they don't all live in the CBC or in Radio-Canada, and we must go and seek that talent and give them the opportunities to operate.

But, according to numerous sources, CBC-TV's former top programmer Slawko Klymkiw and the Canadian Media Guild, many of these shows were first shopped to the public network.

(T)he CBC had a chance to own the most popular reality show in Canada – actually, the most popular show in Canada, period – but said "No thanks."

In an interview, outgoing CBC chief programmer Slawko Klymkiw confirmed that senior brass decided not to bid for the Canadian version of the U.K.-based Idol franchise.

Canadian Idol was instead snapped up by CTV. It debuted in 2003 and, now in its third season, is a smash hit, a cultural phenomenon and a huge money-maker.

"They shopped the show around to everybody, including us," said Klymkiw, who is leaving CBC at the end of August to work at the Canadian Film Centre.

<SNIP>

In an Aug. 19 article, Toronto Sun TV critic Bill Brioux complimented Klymkiw's ability to find TV winners, such as Canada: A People's History, in a hyper-competitive environment.

But, Brioux added, "Klymkiw was sometimes his own worst enemy. He passed on shows that could have been the next generation of CBC hits, including Corner Gas and Trailer Park Boys. Instead, he gave a green light to a parade of shows that never caught on …"

All these decisions happened on Rabinovitch's watch.

But clearly, he never watches.

(Chapeau tips to Brian G. and Joe Clark.)

Comments

[Mach Stelmacher]

Corner Gas was ignored for a Gemini this year wasn't it?

- -- - -

Its a jungle out there.

"We think we're enough of a reality act on our own, in terms of surviving." - Rabinovitch

That was a veiled reference to Mark Burnettes original show wasn't it? The one that started it all?

- - - - - -

But I think the CBC 'see's reality differently than all the other stations combined.

After all, they dont care about pop culture. They ARE pop culture.

But the CBC has a more lofty role to
play. They have to assign themselves the role of SHAPING culture. But they are
obliged to disengage themselves from
following the modes of whats deemed
popular culture. Why? Because we
get all that stuff from the States remember?

:)

-- - -

Oh yeah
I heard at one time the CBC was going
to run a mid afternoon half hour
daily soap opera and were
accepting submissions for it
but have not heard
hide nor hair of the idea since.

CBC needs another North of 60

http://www.northof60.net/pages/TBF_backgrounder.html

when everyone knows there will never
be another North of 60.

And Tina Keeper is supposed to be running
as a Lib in the next riding election.

http://www.firstperspective.ca/story_2005_10_27_north.html

Damn, it's late @ night here, some brain
cells are fused , but I can't think of
any other Canadian TV 'star' who has
turned to politics. Can you?

[Dwight Williams]

Speaking of Tina Keeper...if she was elected and her party carried the day as well(minority or majority government), which post should she be considered best qualified to hold in Cabinet?

DIAND? National Heritage? Some other portfolio I haven't yet considered?

[watchette]

Someone might wanna break it to Mr. Rabinovitch that CBC won the Gemini for best reality program- for the SECOND year in a row.