Image courtesy of Rannie Turingan at Photojunkie

Andy Barrie’s wife, Dr. Mary Barrie, died of cancer yesterday. Andy Barrie, the host of CBC’s Metro Morning in Toronto, had been on leave to attend to his wife’s illness for the last couple months.

In an interview with Post City Magazines in 2007, Barrie explained how he met his wife-to-be in Montreal while he waited for his date to get ready:

Mary was sitting at the table. And we started to chat, and I just never saw the other date,” he says. They married three years later.

Dr. Mary Barrie retired as the director of the School of Continuing Studies at U of T in 2007.

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	Metro Morning, Obits	Posted at 10:39 am (19 Feb 2009)

Peter Mansbridge was at the White House this morning interviewing President Barack Obama ahead of his official visit on Thursday.

“He’s clearly up to speed on the Canadian file and what is of concern to Canada at the moment,” Mansbridge said.

The interview will be posted at 9 p.m. ET on Newsworld and cbc.ca. You can also watch it at 10 p.m. on The National.

People are clearly looking forward to the interview judging by the response on Twitter and other blogs.

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	The National	Posted at 3:33 pm (17 Feb 2009)

The word of the day is pansy. Hockey Night commentator Mike Milbury used the term “pansification” to describe the impact of banning fighting in the NHL a couple weeks ago. Now a gay-rights group has complained to the CBC about his use of the term.

So what does pansy mean? The trusty Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it:

pan·sy: 1: a garden plant (Viola wittrockiana)

2: a usually disparaging a weak or effeminate man or boy. b usually disparaging: a male homosexual.

Now I don’t know what Milbury was thinking when he used the term, but I’m pretty sure he wasn’t describing a flower. CBC spokesperson Jeff Keay said “the way the language evolves over time, 20 or 30 years ago it would have been seen, reasonably enough, as a direct slur against gay people… But I think with usage now, I’m not sure the association is so immediate.”

A letter to the editor in the Globe and Mail today says “Politically correct attacks on seemingly mild language have grown tiresome over the years… his preferred term seems more quaint than insulting.”

So what do you think, did Milbury go to far? Is pansy a gay slur, or has it lost that meaning?

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	Hockey Night in Canada	Posted at 11:38 am (30 Jan 2009)

CBC’s Hockey Night In Canada scored its largest audience for an NHL all-star game in nine years after a national average audience of 1.516 million viewers tuned into Sunday’s festivities in Montreal.  For more, read the full article at cbc.ca.

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	Hockey Night in Canada	Posted at 6:00 pm (27 Jan 2009)

You may have seen the ads on Newsworld for the blanket with sleeves.  I’m sure the guys at This Hour Has 22 Minutes had a field day with this…

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	This Hour Has 22 Minutes	Posted at 5:31 pm (15 Jan 2009)

The CBC is trying a new promotional strategy for ‘Being Erica’, an oddball comedy about a 30-something time traveler. In addition to heavy traditional promotion, the producers are also using social media tools on the internet to extend and promote the show.

A month before the show launched the fictional ‘Erica’ starting writing her own blog which had the feel of a real blog.

The blog turned out to be a prequel for the television show - an attempt to hook the viewers before the show launched. It served to set the stage for some of the story lines and introduced the quirky character. Once the show launched Erica said on the blog:

No video today. Or for the foreseeable future, I have lost access to my webcam… but in the meantime, I’m going to spend a little more time on Facebook.

I’m sure her Facebook profile will serve as a fan discussion board for the show and provide an additional dimension to the character - essentially extending the storyline on more than one medium.

Both the blog and the Facebook profile are a smart way to promote the show. By blurring the lines between the fictional character and reality, the producers have made the character much more approachable than she could ever be on TV alone. It’s strategy that also creates an emotional investment in the character and might lead to loyal fans. You might be more apt to tune in every Monday if you’ve been chatting with Erica all week on Facebook.

Although it’s too early to tell if their web strategy will work out, the show was off to a good start on Monday. Many critics, including John Doyle of all people, praised it, and that translated into decent ratings.

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	Shows	Posted at 10:45 pm (07 Jan 2009)

Kevin O’Leary, one of the original “dragons” on Dragons’ Den is about to become a shark.

The Toronto Star reports O’Leary has been hired by Mark Burnett, who produced Survivor and The Apprentice, to appear on a ABC version of the show dubbed the Shark Tank.

Burnett is shooting the pilot next month in Los Angeles. O’Leary is the toughest of the Dragons, “When it comes to business, I’m known as a straight shooter,” he told the Star. “I don’t worry about people’s feelings when it comes to money. I worry about their money.”

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	Dragons' Den	Posted at 9:22 am (23 Dec 2008)

There were some big changes unveiled at the CBC News Renewal announcement yesterday. Overall the strategy will envisions CBC News becoming more immediate, better utilizing digital channels, and improving local news.

The meeting was held to update staff on the ongoing process.

Todd Spencer the Executive Director of News Content, said he sees breaking news being feed directly into Newsworld and cbc.ca. “Online and Newsworld will be the first place we break news,”  Spencer said.

There are also big changes envisioned at The National. Jonathan Whitten the executive producer, said The National will be extended to seven nights a week. Sunday and Saturday Report will be absorbed into the new format. These changes will not take effect for the better part of a year.

The project will also bolster World Report. The show will have more daily editions, and will add another weekend edition.

There were no layoffs or cutbacks announced as part of the project.

Jennifer McGuire, the interim publisher of CBC News, and who spearheaded the meeting yesterday said it was called to share and reveal “what we think is the best strategic direction for CBC News… It’s not about revealing the end stage,” McGuire said, it’s “to share our thinking, to fully engage in this process as it moves forward.”

So what do you think? Leave a comment below with your thoughts.

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	CBC Newsworld, Programming, The National	Posted at 6:29 pm (04 Dec 2008)

Dragons’ Den picked up over a million viewers last night. It’s highest ratings the show has had to date. The numbers peaked at the bottom of the hour at 1.2 million.

It’s a significant milestone for the show, now in it’s third season. Its first episode drew only 220,000 viewers. Since the CBC purchased the rights to the format from Sony in 2006, the production has evolved significantly. The CBC version is now considered the one best examples of the execution of the format. “It is one of the best and our finished version is now broadcast around the world,” Stuart Coxe, the executive producer for the show said.

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	Dragons' Den	Posted at 6:35 pm (02 Dec 2008)

The CBC’s Peter Mansbridge will become an officer of the Order of Canada, according to a list of 75 appointees released yesterday by Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean.

Mansbridge, the chief correspondent of CBC News, anchors the flagship nightly news program The National and also hosts Newsworld’s Mansbridge One on One.

Born in London in 1948, the newsman — who turns 60 on Sunday — was educated in Ottawa and served in the Royal Canadian Navy in 1966 and 1967.

His career with the CBC began by chance when someone from the public broadcaster overheard him on the public address system at an airport in the town of Churchill, Man., where he was working for the airline Transair, and asked him to come work at the local radio station. He was 19.

More at cbcnews.ca

I wonder if Canada is recognizing journalists and story-tellers as becoming people who actively shape the nation, as opposed to “just” reporting on it? Should our role be simply to reflect the changing nation, or do we have some responsibility to participate in that reshaping? I mean, I’m totally happy for Peter and the CBC, but — and I can’t quite put my finger on why — but this one’s not quite as cut-and-dry for me.

What do you think?

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	Awards, Personalities, The National	Posted at 4:21 pm (02 Jul 2008)

Beginning in September, CBC Radio’s arts show Q will follow The Current, and air from 10 to 11:30 a.m.  with a two-hour expanded broadcast on Friday mornings. Q will continue to air at 10 p.m. (10:30 p.m. NT) each weeknight., and Jian Ghomeshi will continue to host.

Taking Q’s former mid-day time slot will be Aamer Haleem, who is new to the CBC and radio. Haleem is currently a VH1 personality and host of the show Bands Reunited. He was host of VH1’s Top Video Countdown, interviewing celebrities like Madonna. Haleem was born in London but raised in Canada, attending the University of Toronto and the the Humber College School of Journalism.

CBC Radio icon Shelagh Rogers will be back this fall with a new program exploring the best in Canadian literature. Rogers will speak with renowned writers and future literary stars, and examine the issues having an impact on books in Canada. It will air Saturdays at 3:00 p.m.

Both new shows will originate from Vancouver.

(Both times +30 min in NT)

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	CBC Radio 1, Personalities, Q, Sounds Like Canada	Posted at 5:14 pm (25 Jun 2008)

A Canadian Press Harris-Decima poll reports that the majority of Canadians — 56 per cent — feel the CBC did the right thing by refusing to pay more than $1 million for a year’s licence of the song. (27% of people think the Corp should have shelled out.)

Among hockey fans, the support fell to 52%, but still enough to counter the 40% of these people who opposed the CBC’s decision.

Perhaps demonstrating the quintessential Canadian “middle of the fence” opinion (pronounced “meh…”), 59% of Canadians said they weren’t really moved by the CBC’s loss of the song.

Less than 15% surveyed believed the CBC would lose Hockey Night in Canada viewers because it lost the theme song.

Meanwhile, CBC sports head seems to be playfully hinting that the new theme contest may in fact be trumped by a deal with Stompin’ Tom Connors to use his famous “Hockey Song.” “You never know,” Moore said Wednesday. “Let’s just say we had him on the NHL Awards - that’s all I’ll say.” Connors is said to be open to licensing the song to the CBC as a replacement.

UPDATE: To be clear, Canadian Press, nor any company, was the “client” in this survey. Harris/Decima frequently releases its data with CP, as part of CP’s media sponsorship with the firm.

(hit tip to iNudes for the story)

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	HNIC Theme, Hockey Night in Canada	Posted at 11:53 pm (18 Jun 2008)

This is what happens when you try to add George Stroumboulopoulos to your list of Facebook friends.

Wow. Way to rub it in.

In the world of Facebook, you’re only allowed to have 5,000 “friends.” People, like Strombo, who are are a public figure and have lots of Internet-connected fans usually accept every friend request as a means of promotion. (Actually, there are four “I’m the real Stombo” people on Facebook. It’s hard to tell who’s really behind them.)

Better to try fan pages instead.

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	Fun Stuff, Personalities, The Hour with George S.	Posted at 6:51 pm (17 Jun 2008)

Harris/Decima confirms they conducted a poll in which several questions about the Hockey Night in Canada theme are asked. But, the research company say that nobody is paying them to do it.

Seems the survey company is doing it on their own “as a business development undertaking.” But, for now, “The CBC is not involved in this undertaking and did not pay for these questions,” Harris/Decima’s Kevin Loiselle says.

UPDATED: In fact, the poll only had another company’s name on it (Canadian Press) because CP and Harris/Decima have a media sponsorship arrangement whereby CP’s name appears on many of the surveys H/D publishes. According to H/D, they’ll release the full results (with demographic data, etc.) to any group for free. It’s the analysis of that data where they would begin charging.

The poll was conducted nationally and is is now completed. The company says it doesn’t have a timetable for release yet.

The exact text of the five questions were:

1. Would you say that you are an avid fan, an occasional follower, or not really interested in NHL Hockey?
2. As you may have heard, the theme song for CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada broadcasts will in the future be used by CTV for its hockey broadcasts on TSN. The owner of the theme song wanted to increase the royalties for the use of the song. The CBC and the owner were unable to agree on a fee for the rights, and CTV offered the song’s owner over 1 Million dollars for the rights for five years. Would you say that you are very happy, happy, sad or very sad at this development, or that it doesn’t matter to you one way or another?
3. In your opinion, should the CBC have been willing to offer over a million dollars to keep the rights, or did the CBC do the right thing by not offering to pay that much?
4. The CBC has said that it will run a national contest to find a new song for its Hockey Night in Canada broadcast, do you think this is a very good, good, bad or very bad idea?
5. Do you believe that as a result of losing the familiar theme song and replacing it with a new one, that the audience for CBC’s Hockey broadcasts will grow in the future, stay the same, or shrink?

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	HNIC Theme, Hockey Night in Canada	Posted at 3:26 pm (16 Jun 2008)

Received this email from a reliable source, wondering if the HNIC theme was being polled by some firm — the CBC? CTV?

I got a phone call a few minutes ago, picked up because I was expecting a call from my sister. It was Harris Decima.  (And I was so curious about what pollsters ask that I cheated and said I didn’t work for the media ) I was honest in all my other answers.

They asked me a couple of questions about the economy, if I smoked  (no) and what grocery stores I shopped at.

They then asked three questions about the  HNIC  theme controversy.
1. Had I heard of the HNIC theme controversy? I had.
2. The second question was loaded.  It went something like this.  The CBC recently offered over a million dollars to the composer (according to her interview in the Globe was about $800K) but she turned it down  and CTV offered her $2.5 million. Are you happy?

What kind of f**king question is that? I had the polster repeat it. Am I happy?

UPDATE: Harris/Decima denies that was the text of the questions. The exact text of the questions, written by the company’s president himself, can be found here.

How are you supposed to answer the rigged question? I am not happy that the CBC lost the HNIC theme.  But I am happy that the composer got the money she richly deserved after she was being nickel and dimed by the CBC. So in the end I said I was happy.

Question 3: What did I think the reality show on the new  HNIC theme? Good idea? Good and bad? Bad idea? Don’t care?

I said what I thought– it’s a bad idea.

Next couple of questions were about tomatoes and samonella and who would I vote for in my riding.

UPDATE: Harris/Decima has confirmed the existence of the poll and has offered additional details, notably that no organization has paid for the results.

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	Hockey Night in Canada	Posted at 12:00 am (16 Jun 2008)