01-05-2004 04:47									#61
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quote: Originally posted by Ben Kenobi Why should we pay all this money for 'niche' programming? Let the private stations do the same job, since that is how most stations build up an audience by appealing to a niche, rather than raising taxes to keep CBC afloat.

If unregulated, that wouldn't work because there's no room for small niche stations when the corporate juggernauts have the money to always be the highest bidder and a vested interest in keeping all television mediocre.

	01-05-2004 04:49									#62
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quote: because there's no room for small niche stations when the corporate juggernauts have the money to always be the highest bidder and a vested interest in keeping all television mediocre.

They don't make any money without viewership. Most stations work by appealing to a niche audience, and then going from there.

I don't see any reason why something like 22 minutes wouldn't fare well on comedy central.

The rest can fall by the wayside.

	01-05-2004 05:31									#63
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But you need new productions to get new shows once 22 minutes runs its course, Ben. Also, for you all the rest can go, but other people may like some of the other programs that have been on as a result of CanCon rules. Of course, that has squat to do with American (and British) channels on cable, so...

Maybe the CRTC disallowed Fox News for reasons other than timidity. Maybe they want truth in advertising. Maybe if Fox applied under the banner Fox Comedy they would get approved. j/k, sort of.

	01-05-2004 06:10									#64
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quote: Also, for you all the rest can go, but other people may like some of the other programs that have been on as a result of CanCon rules.

I'm curious as to the ratings of these particular shows.

CBC ratings, except for a few shows, like 22 minutes, Air Farce and HNIC have been abysmal.

This should give you an idea of the numbers we are talking about.

February 18, 2004

http://www.friends.ca/print/News/Fr...les02180404.asp

The Newsroom in certain ways represents just what CBC Television wants to be known for. Ken Finkleman's satire of the TV news business is risky, sly and wised-up. It has a cult following, especially among people in the media world. And it is one of the few Canadian shows to have earned fans in the U.S.

But it is definitely an acquired taste, and when it comes to attracting a mass audience, well, this show's numbers are never going to rival those of Hockey Night In Canada.

In fact, the evidence suggests that a significant number of viewers have developed so strong an aversion to Finkleman that they reach for their converters the instant he appears.

This has created a problem, because no matter how much it tries to program against the grain, CBC is still forced to play the numbers game. And the public broadcaster was hoping to score a big success on Monday nights with three new shows in a row airing in the 8 to 10 p.m. slots.

Rick Mercer's Monday Report has been kicking the night off reasonably well from 8 to 8: 30, but half Mercer's viewers have been defecting when Newsroom comes on. And the feeble lead-in from Newsroom hurts the chances of This Is Wonderland to score well at 9 p.m.

Last week the CBC conducted a bizarre experiment, suddenly moving Wonderland to 8: 30 p.m. and trying Newsroom at 9: 30 p.m.

Results: Mercer drew 720,000 viewers. That dropped to 449,000 for Wonderland and 238,000 for Newsroom.

The upshot: The National, the flagship newscast, slipped below half a million to 498,000 viewers - which you can bet did not please its producers. Consequently, that schedule change turned out to be a one-week-only phenomenon.

Doesn't all this sound as if it would make a great episode of The Newsroom?

Still, there was some good news for numbers crunchers at the CBC. The Royal Canadian Air Farce (Fridays at 8) climbed back over the magic million mark for the first time in ages.

	01-05-2004 06:20									#65
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Thanks for proving the point that they have shows that do well.

	01-05-2004 06:36									#66
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But does the success of these shows have anything to do with CBC?

	01-05-2004 06:47									#67
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CanCon applies to more then the CBC, but the Ceeb is a larger bastion of it than any other.

And yes, CanCon has a place. For every 3 or 4 Rita McNiels we get a Rick Mercer. If it weren't for CanCon how do you know that there ever would have been a Second City TV? A lot of talented Canadians have gotten a break by Canadian broadcast media being forced to invest in a certain amount of Canadian productions.

	01-05-2004 06:54									#68
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And why would these people, talented as they are, not have gotten a break in the private sector?

	01-05-2004 07:06									#69
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It is all too easy to set up a station, ink an agreement with NBC, and run what would essentially be a branch plant with local news. It is the path of least resistance. Easier + less risk = what 99% of investors would opt for.

Now, as things stand we have practically that. Except that they are required to air a certain percentage of Canadian productions. That is where the Joihn Candy's of Canada get their exposure from.

	01-05-2004 07:12									#70
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quote: Except that they are required to air a certain percentage of Canadian productions. That is where the John Candy's of Canada get their exposure from.

This assumes that Canadians cannot compete on their own against the Americans. I think we can, but only if we abandon this idea of public broadcasting as the only way to maintain 'Canadian content'.

	01-05-2004 07:21									#71
	Re: Fox News says boycott Canada Help yourself to an AD-FREE life

quote: Originally posted by Tingkai The Globe, far left?

The globe IS as far left as it gets in N America for mainstream

LOL LOK, IKIKIOL LOL@ guess you don't know what to expect after having spent your previous 9/10s of life next to whatever Hong Kong harbour

****

	01-05-2004 07:53									#72
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quote: Originally posted by Agathon Btw, I'm not entirely sure you could characterize someone as a far right-winger, who is a strict vegetarian and a dog lover. You know who I mean.

Are you talking about me?

quote: Because that has ANY bearing on his political beliefs whatsoever?

Vegetarianism does tend to be a very poltical issue, and atleast have political undertones. I don't know what went wrong with... him. He could've made a very enthusiastic feminist or hippie, but he had to throw it all away.

	01-05-2004 08:08									#73
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I'll tell you a funny story about state funding of the arts.

In New Zealand for many years the government has in one way or another funded local filmakers to make sure that New Zealand films get made and that New Zealanders can get experience in filmaking that they otherwise would not get.

The troglodyte right in New Zealand complained for years and years about this, despite the fact that many of the films made were quite good attracted a reasonable audience in NZ and many people who made them went on to have good careers in filmaking overseas. The same troglodytes would whine on how it was a money pit.

But one of the people who gained experience from this was a young New Zealander named Peter Jackson. He went on to make a 300 million dollar film which eventually paid back into the New Zealand economy dozens of times more than the entire shortfall from the years of state funding and equalled the record Oscar haul. It's also provided New Zealand with world class facilities for filmaking and has resulted in many other productions being filmed there.

There's a huge silence from some people now.....

	01-05-2004 08:15									#74
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mainly yourself, seeing as how he wouldn't have *D UP THE TRILOGY SO BADLY IF HIS FAT HAIRY ASS HAD LEARNED HOW TO CREATE THE HARD WAY

holy **** those films could have gone the extra mile without a director background in mediocrity

	01-05-2004 08:15									#75
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Indeed. The production facilities and trained work force in Vancouver and Toronto were there for the Yanks when they started to want to make films up here. But of course, CanCon is still a dirty word to many people.

	01-05-2004 08:16									#76
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quote: The same troglodytes would whine on how it was a money pit.

Wow!

Advanced all the way to troglodyte status.

So without public funding none of this would have happened?

	01-05-2004 08:20									#78
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quote: Originally posted by Ben Kenobi Wow! Advanced all the way to troglodyte status. So without public funding none of this would have happened?

Much less likely to have happened.

And so too would Eugene Levy have been much less likely to have had a viable career.

It was Canadian TV stations who needed CanCon that breathed life into SCTV, not Yankee stations.

	01-05-2004 08:22									#79
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quote: Originally posted by Ben Kenobi Wow! Advanced all the way to troglodyte status. So without public funding none of this would have happened?

no, it would have happened BETTER

meanwhile we pay taxes for POS programming such as "ROCKPOINT PD". check it out! seriously, give this abolute gem of Canadian funding a look next time you're up at 3:00am

and in ironic fashion, quality programming such as Trailer Park Boy make constant mockery of the feds every shot they get - and still take the very paycheques they find ridiculous. wake the * up, Canada

	01-05-2004 08:23									#80
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John Candy, Martin Short, Dave Thomas, Catherine O'Hara, Andrea Martin, Rick Moranis, Harold Ramis, Robin Duke, Tony Rosato, Joe Flaherty, and Eugene Levy...

With a cast like that, why were not New York execs lining up to put them on prime time in the US? Oh wait, they were unknown then.

	01-05-2004 08:29									#81
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How dare some of you people in effect diss "The Beachcombers". You bastards!!!!!!

	01-05-2004 08:30									#82
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quote: Much less likely to have happened. And so too would Eugene Levy have been much less likely to have had a viable career.

Well, then.

Why don't we privatise everything and see if the flow of good Canadian film stops.

If you are right, what do you have to fear?

	01-05-2004 08:32									#83
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You have a problem with requiring people who profit from licences for use of public airwaves to put something back?

Do you beat puppies too?

	01-05-2004 08:32									#84
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quote: Originally posted by Agathon How dare some of you people in effect diss "The Beachcombers". You bastards!!!!!!

Relic forEVAR!

	01-05-2004 08:38									#85
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quote: You have a problem with requiring people who profit from licences for use of public airwaves to put something back?

They pay for these licences already.

That's a form of contribution.

	01-05-2004 08:43									#86
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Bull!

Again, with the cast for SCTV, the private sector should have been lined up to air them. They weren't. CBC, baby. Nothin', zilch, nada from the states for many years, despite the connections to Chicago.

	01-05-2004 08:44									#87
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What do you think would happen nationally, If alquaeda were to assasinte o'reilly? Would he become an national hero? i think he would.

	01-05-2004 08:51									#88
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quote: Originally posted by Ben Kenobi They pay for these licences already. That's a form of contribution.

Besides, they pay what? 1.5% of revenue... to the government!

You want the government to get directly into the business of producing programming? Isn't the Ceebs news bad enough for you already? Are you nuts?

	01-05-2004 08:52									#89
	Re: Re: Fox News says boycott Canada Enter the AD-FREE zone

quote: Originally posted by Zylka The globe IS as far left as it gets in N America for mainstream

Uhm, Toronto Star is mainstream. I'd like you to explain how the Globe is further left than the Star.

quote: and in ironic fashion, quality programming such as Trailer Park Boy make constant mockery of the feds every shot they get - and still take the very paycheques they find ridiculous. wake the * up, Canada

Excuse me, but you have no right to moan about this since you'd also moan if they were censored by the government. I am proud of Canada for supporting freedom of speech.

quote: They pay for these licences already. That's a form of contribution.

Would you find it acceptable if the Canadian content rules were junked, the fees were raised, and the money from the fees were used to fund all of CBC operations?

	01-05-2004 09:39									#90
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quote: Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui How does O'Reilly equal Fox News now? And O'Reilly isn't really your ordinary right-winger. He's pretty left on a variety of issues.

Doesn't matter -- whether you're a left extremist or a right extremist, a person would still be a loon.