Cynics Unlimited

After months of being knocked around by Olympics coverage and hockey games, CBC’s flagship news program, The National, will be pushed out of its familiar 10:00pm slot once again. However the iconic broadcast will not be replaced by special programming or even Canadian content. Instead, CBC –a publicly owned Canadian network- has chosen to simulcast The One: Making a Music Star. The upcoming reality TV series is produced by ABC – a privately owned American network.

For years Canadians have complained about the CBC’s “dry” content and artsy/leftist slant. If anything, the CBC is guilty of being too experimental with its homegrown productions and attempting to be high-brow with its programming. Some of the documentaries on The Passionate Eye easily equal the quality programming on specialty channels like A&E or The History Channel, but frankly will never hold as wide of an appeal as high JPM (jolts-per-minute) television. Reactionary politics and vicarious rags-to-riches contests put more bums in seats than Canada: A People’s History.

Still there are people who complain that their tax dollars should not be used to fund weird TV productions that cannot be understood or appreciated by the “average” person. Perhaps this true; however Canadians are about to discover just how badly their tax money can be wasted. What’s worse than paying for original and inaccessible material? Paying for unoriginal and otherwise-accessible material, of course!

• ABC News is available in one or multiple incarnations on Rogers, Bell, DirecTV, Cogeco and practically every other cable or satellite service in Canada. Far from being a specialty network, ABC is available as part of the basic package. Hence, most viewers already have access to The One – without necessary additional cost to the taxpayer
• Privately-owned Canadian networks CTV and Global have virtually cornered the market on simulcast American TV Shows, from Law & Order to American Idol. Once again, this is accomplished without additional tax dollars
• Speaking of American Idol, Making a Music Star is far from breaking new conceptual ground. The show follows the lives of several pop-star wannabes as they receive vocal coaching and other assistance from celebrity mentors. Every week the contestants will have to perform before a live studio audience, who will democratically send one home. The last contestant standing will receive a recording contract from a major company and the 15 minutes of fame that goes along with the post-TV inflated sales of their first album.

To its credit, CBC appears to have a plan for its first foray into reality TV (not to be confused with documentaries, which are actually real … but that’s another discussion). A Canadian spin-off of the show is being considered and will in turn be used to lure viewers into watching The National. News anchor Peter Mansbridge is cautiously optimistic about the plan. ACTRA and Friends of Canadian Broadcasting are decidedly less so. Hopefully this “investment” pays off for CBC.