"The Hour" represents all that's wrong with the CBC TV these days.
Don't get me wrong - I'm not a fifty-something nostalgia junkie who's convinced that everything after "This Hour Has Seven Days" isn't worth my attention. In fact, I imagine I'm not completely outside the demographic they're trying to attract. (I'm only 31, after all).
But just because I'm young(ish) doesn't mean I have ADD. For some reason, CBC is convinced that, if they don't bend over backwards to appeal to the twenty-something crowd, they won't have any viewers at all.
Am I the only one who finds this constant sycophancy to the elusive cooler-than-thou Net Gen incredibly annoying? CBC TV seems to be, to gently paraphrase my lovely broadcasting teacher Peter McNelly, several identities in search of a focus.
Are they a testing ground for achingly non-edgy, badly acted sitcoms? CBC is deservedly proud of its political satire, but any efforts at actual plot-driven shows seem to follow the same, predictable, unfunny pattern, of which Little Mosque is only the latest attempt.
Or are they the new television home for young 'uns who have neither the time nor the attention span to watch traditional newscasts? Well, no, if the ratings for "The Hour" are any indication.
Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if CBC's highest ratings are from 5 to 5:30 on weekdays, which is when they run "Simpsons" reruns. Depressing. Why can't they do better?
I'm puzzled as to why CBC's television department can't take its cue from CBC radio - which, although I have my own issues with the distressingly ubiquitous Jian Ghomeshi, seems to be treading the line between coolness and quality a little more elegantly. Their emphasis on world and indie music and genuinely interesting radio features is a whole lot more appealing to this particular young gal than anything for offer on the television side of things.
Why doesn't CBC realize that, just because 20-somethings aren't watching now, doesn't mean they'll never watch. I neither watched nor listened to CBC five years ago, but I do now. CBC needs to figure out what it does well and stay consistent, rather than constantly re-inventing itself for some elusive new target demographic.
Phew.
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4 comments:
Is the church much different, in its attention to passing fads?
I find with CBC, there's simply too much change. And the shortness of each segment is exasperating: I think that Matt Galloway on "Here and Now" is a great interviewer, but he may press an interviewee on ONE topic--but I want to hear the rest. Complexity's not a bad thing!
I wonder if CBC's ever been compared to the Anglican church before...you may be the first to make that connection.
it could just be because i rarely stop thinking about the church. how was tenebrae for you?
Tenebrae was lovely, although I thought the psalms were never going to end. (Never thought I's get sick of plainsong, but there you go.) I know there's a moevement in the church to keep music relevant and accessible, but, for me, there's nothing like a little renaissance polyphony to evoke that "still small voice of calm." How's your Holy Week going?
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