HNIC facing uncertain future

[Alex The Loyal]

It would be a damn shame if HNIC left CBC. Even though they have gotten a little worse over the last few years, it's still Hockey Night in Canada on CBC. I grew up with it. I grew up tuning into CBC a few minutes early just to hear the classic theme song. I of course don't do that anymore because the theme is now on TSN. HNIC on CBC is part of our culture. It would be kind of hard to watch Hockey Night in Canada on TSN. Even though they do a great job with their games, it just wouldn't feel right. They chnaged the theme into a loud ringtone and that makes me angry

Weighing in here...

To me, HNIC is special. I can't quite explain it - although I'll try - but it's something that TSN/CTV will never have.

"The following is a live presentation of CBC Sports...."

Those words, followed by the new theme give me chills every Saturday night.

CBC's production is top-notch. Every double header feels like (and really is) a big event. In contrast, TSN's broadcasts - while their play-by-play guys are better - just can't offer that feeling of culture that CBC brings to the table.

The name of the show is "Hockey Night in Canada." And that's truly what it is. They describe the sport in a broader context - how does hockey fit in to life as a Canadian? To me, it feels like they strive to answer this question in every broadcast. It's so much more than just showing the games and reporting on trades, contracts, and injuries. They bring their cameras and microphones into the streets, livingrooms, bars and backyard rinks. CBC melds the sport with music and art, and give their show a uniquely Canadian feel. And I like Ron's poetry. Culture is something that you work hard towards and earn. CTV thinks culture can be gained by buying a song, and that sports news coverage should be a carbon copy of ESPN's.

What's more, CBC has guys like Ron MacLean and Scott Oake - journalists as much as they are sportscasters. They ask tough questions, and are critical of the NHL when it's warranted. For being Canada's premier sports network, TSN's coverage of the Thrashers move and the Coyotes financial troubles were been nothing short of embarassing. Does anyone actually think that Darren Dreger is a "hockey insider" as much as he is just an NHL mouthpiece?

And I'll take one of Cherry's sometimes nonsensical, always thoroughly entertaining, and always off-the-cuff rants over one of Bob McKenzie's wooden teleprompter-read analyses any day.

Another thing I absolutely love about HNIC is that their appreciation for the history of hockey. I'm not an old-timer - I'm 30, but I love when Ron or Don show a clip from the 60s, 70s, or 80s, and make great comparisons to the game today. That's something that TSN rarely does - probably because they don't own much archived footage - but history is important - and nobody does that better than HNIC.

I can put up with CBC's weak links like Cassie Campbell and the growing number of grey haired dudes. To me, HNIC is a far superior product, and a Canadian institution to boot.


---

An aside about CTV:


If their Olympic coverage is any indication, I won't look forward to CTV's handling of big time hockey. Their coverage, while thorough, was lacking in personality and professionalism. They used people from Canada AM, Ben Mulrooney, and other nauseating CTV personalities for a lot of their coverage. Seamus O'Regan? Enough said.

One morning several years ago, I saw Jeff Hutchison, the weather guy on Canada AM, recount the Oilers game he watched the night before, and during his anecdote he used the expression "Roloson stoned him!" Immediately, the rest of the Canada AM clan - including that tool Seamus, sat dumbfounded at the expression. Then they all snickered in a "if you say so..." way as the weather guy explained that "stoned" means to make a great save, and isn't some sort of drug reference. Cringe. Then a few years later, I have to sit through Seamus covering big time sports as if he knows what the hell he's talking about. Ugh, I hate that guy. Let's all hope we never see him anywhere near an NHL broadcast.

----

As far as the existence of CBC in general, I feel it would be a terrible shame if our country lost it. Being partly government funded keeps the CBC and in particular its news coverage, autonomous and unbiased. I wouldn't trade that for the sideshow that passes itself off as news coverage in the U.S. A broadcaster with a mandate to serve the people of Canada and not shareholders is refreshing and well worth the relatively little tax dollars I spend on it.

Good post, but seriously. **** the new theme.

 

[Confucius]

I was just correcting a factual error. I try not to get into the whole debate on whats the best use of tax payers funds. Everyone has their different views on that. But, you cannot really down play the cost of CBC. $1.1B is a material amount, especially in a political climate where budget cuts are being made at every level.

One of the questions I always have about CBC and HNIC, is if you are giving over $1B to a public broadcaster, why are they spending their resources on something that the private sector is willing to do.

Because they provided it at no charge to all Canadians. It is one of the small bones the government provides people who populate the countryside. Many people refuse to pay for TV, CBC provided that option. I don't know if CBC was able to charge Cable companies or satellite providers for using their signal. I thought they should of been able to. Sort of like some photos or computer programs, free to you the user but if you're a company making money off our product we want a cut.

Edit to add:
Same with CBC radio, they put up towers where private company's couldn't make money because there were just too few people in the broadcast area. Canada is freakin large, we are all in this country together just because people in cities have options there are vast areas that don't. Lets bring some news to the countryside, or do you want every Canadian to live in a city and just desert the rest of the place?

 

[shello]

TSN has some of the worst coverage around

Let's hope CBC and Sportsnet do a joint venture and land the rights.

Tsn is honestly one of the best at covering games, if not the best. Sportsnet is terrible and is bias for whatever region it's broadcasting in, they shouldn't even have a network. I hope CBC will buy the rights for NHL games again, if not I'll miss them very much. If CTV does buy the "exclusive" rights to Canadian games I'd lose a lot of respect for them.

 

[Mungman]

Because they provided it at no charge to all Canadians. It is one of the small bones the government provides people who populate the countryside. Many people refuse to pay for TV, CBC provided that option. I don't know if CBC was able to charge Cable companies or satellite providers for using their signal. I thought they should of been able to. Sort of like some photos or computer programs, free to you the user but if you're a company making money off our product we want a cut.

Edit to add:
Same with CBC radio, they put up towers where private company's couldn't make money because there were just too few people in the broadcast area. Canada is freakin large, we are all in this country together just because people in cities have options there are vast areas that don't. Lets bring some news to the countryside, or do you want every Canadian to live in a city and just desert the rest of the place?

CBC and the other over the air networks do not get paid by the cable companies, but they do get their signal put on the US channels if the same program is broadcast on a US network at the same time. The argument that CBC goes places that others won't/can't hasn't held water for at least a decade (to be generous to the CBC) with the rise of satellite TV and radio. Just because that's how it used to be is not a justification for continuing to subsidize the mothercorp. I would propose moving to a US style public broadcaster with the onus put on viewers to support the thing with matching funds at some rate from government (note this COULD actually end up costing taxpayers more in the end but it would be due to popular demand rather than a rentseeking operation).