Frank words on hockey, local news
I was wrong. It turns out that the future of CBC may not be that far from the vision laid out by former CBC president Tony Manera on Monday.
Manera’s first two points were also the most controversial: eliminating hockey and local supper-hour news.
1) At the end of the current contract, CBC should stop broadcasting professional hockey….Hockey fans will still be able to watch hockey on private networks, and the CBC talent will go wherever the game goes. This measure will have a negative financial impact on CBC….At any rate, there are sound reasons to believe that CBC may not be able to match private sector bids for hockey rights in the future.
Those “sound reasons” were brought up at yesterday’s Q&A with the committee on Canadian Heritage. And CBC president Robert Rabinovitch didn’t duck from them:
If in fact the NHL goes to CTV and it’s distinctly possible, I think it would be very unfortunate because it’s the oldest mandate we have at the CBC, but it is distinctly possible, we will have to seriously re-evaluate almost everything about English Television.
As Richard Stursberg pointed out, no hockey would mean an additional 400 hours of airspace to fill, and $100 million less to do it with.
Where did this sudden frankness about the spectre of losing hockey come from? Certainly CBC is still smarting from losing the Olympics, though we pulled off some recent wins on World Cup soccer and curling.
As reported here, we know CTV is preparing an massive bid for hockey – some speculate as much as $1.4 billion.
It seems unlikely the NHL would turn down a higher bid just to honour CBC’s long hockey tradition. There’s an argument to be made that CBC can offer a greater reach, and therefore greater exposure.
And there’s also an argument to be made that giving hockey to CTV would knock CBC out of the picture for good. That’d leave CTV with a monopoly, and the ability to set terms for the next contract.
Next battleground: local supper-hour news. Here’s Manera again:
2) CBC should drop local television supper-hour newscasts, which have not been adequately resourced for some time, except in locations where there is insufficient diversity of coverage by the private sector. The savings should be redirected, first to radio, for enhanced coverage of local news, and secondly to national and international radio and television newscasts.
That’s apparently the preoccupation of executive vice president Richard Sturbsberg as well, who said yesterday that local newscasts have been in decline for 15 years.
According to Robert Rabinovitch:
The numbers quite frankly are unacceptable. They’re too low by a long-shot. And we have to ask ourselves some very fundamental questions about what it is we want to do.
Apparently that means “going back to the drawing board and re-evaluating everything on the local and regional news front.”
Obviously, that’s a cause of concern for everyone working in local and regional news. This afternoon, Rabinovitch sent out a clarification to employees about the local news pilots:
I would like to stress that my comments were not in any way meant to disparage individual employees. Rather, if you examine the transcript of the broader discussion we had around local news, you will see that my remarks were in reference to our institutional competence vis a vis what the privates are doing in local news. For them, local is a news priority. For us, local news has not been a primary focal point in the last six years, but we know how important it is to Canadians.
So, what’s your take? Can we afford to keep CBC in the hockey and local news games? Can we afford not to?
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In the last few years everything that kept me a faithful listener to the CBC has been systematically elliminated. As far as I am concerned the end came for me with the lockout. Oh I still listen on occaision, here and there, but I’ve written it off overall. My impression agrees with something I’ve recently seen quoted here– that CBC people are mostly interested in getting feedback from each other– essentially a self-contained society. TV stations have mostly lost their brand, with the exception of the news channels, so I pay no attention to which channel I’m watching, choosing only shows. So CBC-TV is a write-off. Endless hockey guarantees I won’t watch. Maybe I’m the wrong demographic.
To tell the truth I’d probably listen to significantly more CBC radio if it were all available as podcasts and I could cherry-pick the specific items that interested me. As it is, if there is an interesting interview or program on, I’m almost certain to miss it, or not know it exists. If anybody at the CBC actually believes I’m going to look up a radio program on the website and make sure I’m listening at 9:30PM next Wednesday evening, or whatever, they really need better drugs.
One’s a crutch, the other’s a broken leg. The CBC can’t afford to do without the former, and it has to do all it can to heal the latter. Maybe when it does, losing the crutch wouldn’t be such a disaster – but until then, it should hang on for dear life.
I want my Hockey Night. I want my local newscasts.
Manera and company are going to have to burn a lot of midnight oil to convince me that I should stop wanting either one.
In case my first try at a comment went awry:
No thank you for your recommendations, Mr. Manera. I want my Hockey Night. I want my local news.
I’m a fan of the CBC, but I must say that losing NHL hockey may not be a bad idea. The NHL has turned into such a pointless soap opera the last few years that I can’t find time to care any more. This may be superficial, but I think the CBC can do better.
I think that the NHL leaving the CBC is a reality that should be planned for. A network like CTV can simply pay more money for it. Now that I don’t watch it I won’t really care, but here’s to hoping that if it happens, they can fill it with meaningful material (without losing too much funding).
Here are a couple of thoughts on this –
If the corp loses hockey which we probably will (c’mon down BRIAN WILLIAMS)..and the Tories win a majority perhaps this will be THE tsunami which has been building for so long.
And in a strange way this may turn out to be “good” for public broadcasting in Canada. Let’s be honest, the corp (and I speak of TV) is putting out a lot of crap these days…the independent community can do just as well…twice as fast..and much, much cheaper. The Tories know this. The CFTPA (indie producers association) has been lobbying parliament hill for years. They know the players in the Conservative party…and the players know them. Know what ? They like each other.
what the CBC needs is obvious. A new mandate. And perhaps Harper and his gang will have just enough guts (or hatred) to start a debate about what it is we want the CBC to be. After all, do we really want another massive China series ?? Do we really want another “The One” …another “Dragons Den”… and even before Dumb and Dumber showed up the Big Uke was blundering around like some sort of pompous Mr Goodyear from Ghost Busters. If the CBC had as many viewers as people he pissed on we wouldn’t be having this debate at all.
yep…the CBC has about as many fans in the country these days as Tubby Black does. Now speaking of crappy TV….THERE is a reality show I would watch. Behind the scenes with Conrad and Babs. Tune in next week as they pack their guccis for a long stretch in Martha’s old cell.
nah..the corp would never do it. People might watch.
But those RRSPs now kids…..a hard rain is gonna fall.
sleep well.
I’m sure the opinions of people like me don’t matter, but those of us in U.S. border cities that receive CBC would be disappointed to see hockey banished to CTV. It’s bad enough that we’ll miss out on the Olympic coverage starting in 2010.
Hockey can be done well by any station. Indeed, I’ve argued elsewhere that CBC wasn’t doing as good a job as TSN at a particular thing dear to my heart: showing Canucks games on HD. I’m not the only one who noticed.
The excuse I’ve heard is that CBC doesn’t have as much money as TSN, so they can’t bring/borrow/buy/rent an HD truck out here for HNIC games.
As for the rest of it, darned right: it’s better for the CBC to try to do a few things very very well. If hockey isn’t a profit centre for the CBC, it should let go.
one more though on all of this…and I’m afraid it is yet another downer. Let’s not lose sight of what’s at stake here…what WE (as a community) are on the verge of losing.
We are not simply witnessing the demise of “just” another TV broadcaster, our leaders are writing the last chapter of an important piece of our national character…our voice…our soul. The importance of the CBC is not because it is a program transmission devise…nobody cares about the CORP because of the buildings..the logo…the producers…or even the “personalities”…the important thing about the CBC (and what may NEVER be replaced) is what it carried…what was on that transmission device. The CBC let us talk to each other across the breadth of this huge nation of ours….the CBC really DID let us into the lives of others, a continent distant. And if we really are trying to build a community of understanding and compassion and “virtue”….then surely the first step is understanding what is important to our fellow citizens. Will TSN do that ? Does CTV do that ? City ? Global ? BCTV ? These are all succesful private sector businesses with an obligation (as it should be) to their shareholders. And almost NO OBLIGATION to the broader community.
there is no moral dimension to their mandate. They sell “stuff”….which just happens to be programs. The CBC doesn’t sell anything…it simply “is” – and that’s a very tough concept for policy makers in times like these to come to terms with.
…and let’s not forget one last thing — the airwaves belong to us. Not investors. Not private sector entrepreneurs. And if the CBC evolves into an unfortunate PBS type of model (which Harper et al want)…then one day….just maybe….some future policy maker might take a long look at the enormous profits the private sector makes in comparison to their pitiful re-investment in the community — and go hmmmmmmm.
d.j.: the Ceeb costs a fair bit to taxpayers (not as much as most public broadcasters, but it ain’t free) and it produces, however uncommercially, programs.
Are the outputs worth the inputs?
Maybe I should put this more concretely: which are these shows you like that much on the CBC? I had high hopes for “Being Alone” until I actually got a chance to watch 15 minutes of it. Shudder.
Digging up three current shows you like might be a bit of a trick. I’m not much for TV news: with all but the most visually oriented subject matter, it’s a slow, shallow way of learning.
I think the last CBC show I really enjoyed was “Made in Canada”, and I mostly caught that in syndication. Of current Canadian shows I find tolerable, the top three would probably be the demented “Trailer Park Boys”, “Corner Gas,” and um, something made in Vancouver? Maybe “The Sword of Damocles”.
I have read with great interest the various comments posted on this website in connection with the op ed piece “How to “Save the CBC”.
Most of the comments have to do with the recommendation that the CBC should drop hockey and local news on television. Admittedly, these are controversial recommendations, and it is good that they should elicit strong and passionate responses.
But it is also important for people to realize that there are other recommendations in this article, which when taken as a total package, merit consideration.
There is a recommendation on governance, which calls for changes that are long overdue, and could have a significant positive impact on how the CBC functions.
There are also recommendations that bring to light the fact that it’s not only the CBC that receives government subsidies, but also private broadcasters through a variety of subsidies, tax credits, simulcasting rules, etc. This fact is often not given the importance that it deserves.
When taken as a whole, the various recommendations would not require an increase in government spending, only a redirection of existing spending, so the overall impact on government spending would be neutral. So no one can say that the vision outlined in this article is financially irresponsible.
The other important point is that, with the private sector doing less Canadian drama (due to its loss of government subsidies), and the CBC doing more, while dropping hockey and local news which the private sector wants to do and can do, the CBC would be far more distinctive than it is now. There would also be stronger support for CBC radio, which is a less costly medium than television and could boost local news coverage, if television no longer were to provide it. CBC radio continues to enjoy tremendous audience loyalty and should be better supported in terms of financial resources. I believe it was Patrick Watson who coined the phrase: “Distinction or Extinction”. Patrick now seems convinced that it’s too late to save the CBC. I do not share this view.
The object of the article “How to save the CBC” was to encourage a debate, and to point out some important realities. I do hope the debate occurs soon, and if better solutions are available than what has been promised in this article, then they should be aggressively pursued.
Tony Manera
hey ryan….yes, I loved MADE IN CANADA also. But this was done by an independent comany in Halifax not the CBC. The Corp broadcast the show..but didn’t actually make it.
My bigger point is not so much whether we like the CBC shows or we don’t like them (there’s a lot of crap out there – ever watch the Shirley Holmes show on CTV…or half the stuff on Discovery these days – American Chopper as ‘science’ — give me a F***ing break).
But as much as I love/hate the CBC I am terrified that the Tories will force it into a PBS model. Do you know that PBS gets almost the same total number of viewers as the CBC does….and how many yanks are there ?? 340 million.
PBS is a tiny little niche broadcaster – which is exactly what MAY lie ahead for the CBC in a generation from now. A kind of quaint old eccentric relative who was once young and strong and vibrant, but has now become kind of a doddering old bore the family drags out every Thanksgiving – I mean look what has happened to the NFB ?? The film board used to be at the cutting edge of WORLD WIDE FILM MAKING….the best people on the PLANET worked there. People killed for a job at the NFB. Now, it has about as much weight as Belinda Stronach AND Tie Domi’s I.Q.s added together. Which is to say…not much.
The corp has been bleeding talent for years. Producers, technicians, reporters, even – managers. It’s about time somebody with some balls stood up and said ‘enough’. The CBC is as important to Canada in the 21st century as the railway was in the 20th…the bush plane was in the north…or the make n’ break motor was off the east coast.
Yes – it is a mediocre television network. But the CBC has a much bigger role in Canada than that…it is part of what makes us a nation..a community. And a pretty damn good community at that.
and I, for one – think this is worth fighting for. If the tories get a majority next year. Watch out.
d.j.
Don:
what is this bigger role in Canada that CBC has? If a network broadcasts a show, and hardly anyone watches it, does it make a nation?
What would be bad about a PBS model for the CBC?
Regarding the NFB, its most famous son was a Scot they cherry-picked from New York.
Television in the 21st century? I have to reiterate my question: what are you watching on CBC? My current CBC visual diet consists of HNIC and, very occasionally, something on the Documentary channel (mostly Errol Morris docs, frankly). I’m not sure that’s a very good recommendation.
I live and work in Sault Ste. Marie, we do not have a CBC pressence in our community and would love to have on. I strongly believe it’s the local markets that the CBC should be investing in. It’s an untapped market, the privates won’t do it – the Sault for example has not had a television station since 2001 when CTV pulled out. I’m sure there are hundreds of communities like the Sault. Local programming and news and entertainment would draw that local audience, maybe not in the bigger markets , but there’s more smaler ones that together, could give the CBC a huge national audience. Producing dramas and such are fine, but the privates are doing that, let the CBC look after the people and what they really want. – Local News.
well now, this HAS become quite the little cross country chit chat, hasn’t it. Kind of like what the CBC used to be. I don’t have time right now to write at length but here are a few bullet points.
Ryan – the bigger role for the CBC ?? That old cliche…letting Canadians talk to Canadians. Letting us hear the voice of our nation. The fisherman off the east coast…the Toronto subway rider…the prairie farmer. Why should we WANT to hear those voices ? Because that’s how we build a nation. Understanding what’s important to others. Disagreeing – maybe. But ignoring – never.
many of the shows suck (did you SEE that terrible hockey series last week ??)…but that doesn’t mean we quit the game just because our skates need sharpened (sorry, for the bad analogy).
but guess – what ?? Many (most) of the shows on TV around the dial also suck. Even CSI which gets almost THREE million viewers on CTV….is in my opinion, crap.
The CBC needs renewal (yet, again). And this is the issue if we care about the concept of public broadcasting.
– and what’s so bad about PBS. Nothing. Except for the fact that nobody watches it except the New York Times reading community. And surely this is exactly what we DON’T want to Corp to become.
– the NFB ?? Hey, I know Grierson’s story well. I’m from Glasgow too, you know.
- what am I watching on the CBC. A damn good question. The news sometimes. And if a big story breaks then like most everybody else..the first place I go is to the CBC. Why ?? Because I trust it.
CRAIG – right on. I couldn’t agree more. Local. Local. Local. All broadcasting (like all politics) is fundamentally local. But…who will pay ? That’s the issue. Tv is expensive. One single Beta cam video tape is 35 bucks….digital tape is more.
I also love the Sault….I used to hang out on St. Joe’s island when I was a kid.
Mr. Manera — nice to hear your voice. Why not share a few TRUE STORIES about your time in the eye of the storm ??? C’mon…we won’t tell anybody. Honest. Why did you leave ? Who were you fighting ? Did you not get the support you needed from the Liberals ? Manera….hmmmmm, that would be a Liberal name, would it not ?? What DID happen when you were in the pilot’s seat ?
you have seen all of “this” from a unique and privileged perspective. Why WERE the local stations slaughtered back in 89 ?? Why WAS The Journal cancelled ? Why did the pendulum swing towards Toronto-based programming at the expense of all the regions ?? Was all of this simply a function of career building amongst the managers — or did somebody gamble that the Corp really COULD compete with the privates if we went all Canadian and they were allowed to important American.
You should speak up. You have a highly respected voice. I’d really like to hear your views (eventhough I think you are dead wrong on the issue of local programming)
…ok, back to work.
dy
Don: regarding the PBS model, I think the CBC has achieved your nightmare (that’s a PDF of the top 30 TV shows in Canada, Sept. 18-24).
You’ll notice the CBC has zero shows in the top 30. I see two identifiably Canadian shows in the list, “Corner Gas” and CTV’s evening news. I may have missed something.
Curious about how hockey changed the picture, I grabbed the March 13-19 ratings.
In those ratings, CBC does better with four shows: the early HNIC game, curling (hm…The Brier?), the late HNIC game, and what I think is a movie on Monday night.
Other Canadian shows in the March ratings were the CTV evening news, Corner Gas, the CTV weekend news, and the Global evening news.
Now, I’ve already made it clear I don’t have much time for TV news, but the CBC can’t even interest people who do watch TV news. What’s going on there?
The CBC had better start telling its stories, any stories, to someone!
As for the NFB, I was, amusingly enough, thinking of Norman MacLaren. So perhaps the NFB was just the retail outlet for some singularly successful Scottish film renaissance.
What I’m trying to get people to think about is not just the future, but a clear-eyed look at the present. The status quo isn’t disastrous, it’s ridiculous.
I don’t watch CBC TV In fact I don’t watch any TV. Having my shows disrupred by commercials is frustrating to the extreme. On the other hand most of what is available is, in my opinion, rubbish.
I’m an avid CBC radio listener, lack of commercials, abundant local news, sensible, intelligent, programming, podcasts, and rss feeds keeps my tunner and ipod welded on CBC.
I hear ya Don, I have worked in television for 25 years and I know it’s expensive. My company , which launched when CTV pulled out of the Sault, managed to pull off a tv newscast which was aired on the community channel, I can see the same thing happening with very little cost and airing it from current cbc transmitters. We married our on-line news and packaged it daily for a tv newscast…our cost , start up was a mere $250,000 ….you don’t need the best euqipment, just quality people and a reasonable quality of picture and sound.
It can be done, we just have to think of the CBC from the ground up.
get with it melanie. Television is the most important cultural force of our time. You might not like it…you might not watch it…but you can’t argue with the fact that it shapes just about every facet of modern life.
…and you know what, despite the critical tone of this thread – there IS some really great stuff on the tube. Wonderful documentaries. Terrific serial TV dramas. Arguments. Music. Comedy. Pathos and Politics………in short – Life.
you should check it out.
dy