Tuesday, August 22, 2006
I'm sure most of you know that Street Cents, the television programmed I worked on last year, has been officially cancelled by the CBC.
The official reason for the cancellation is that "the CBC says its target audience of preteen and teen viewers has dwindled over the past few years." Unfortunately over the last couple of years they have also reduced advertising for the show and constantly altered the airdates and times. It would seem to me like there's a direct link between the dwindling audience and the inability to give the show a consistent and relevant timeslot. Last year we aired our first episode five months after it had been in the can. It's hard to deliver relevant programming to the viewership if you're a consumer affairs show and your information is five months old.
There was definite room for improvement from within the show, but it's unfortunate that we won't get that chance. It's hard to make a case for an 18th season when you're relegated to the graveyard that is Sunday afternoon television.
Tod Maffin of Inside the CBC writes :
I was part of that "unit" and there's been no talk of keeping it together. It is indeed a clean sweep. The notion of keeping the unit together is much too Pollyanna for me. When we hadn't heard whether we were going to be renewed in the spring, the writing was on the wall.
On the picket line I heard a lot of talk about having a place at the CBC. It seemed a little hollow then and it certainly seems hollow now. I had pushed as much as anyone to increase the online presence of Street Cents and include pieces on the show concerning blogs and myspace and I certainly won't be getting re-hired. I certainly won't be part of the new initiatives. It's difficult for me to talk positively and optimistically about 'changes' and 'medium switches' when I think their not so much a part of re-structuring initiatives as they are excuses.
I have soured so much on the CBC and the CMG over the last year. I lost three weeks of contract work due to the lockout. I was told that I would be receiving the signing bonus by one of the heads of the CMG, that signing bonus never arrived and it took 5 weeks and a half dozen unanswered emails to find that out. Street Cents lost its timeslot and original airdate due to the lockout, I'm sure it wasn't the cause of SC's downfall, but it certainly didn't help Street Cents find an audience this year. I waited for months to hear about Street Cents' future and now I just feel defeated.
I have watched the CBC all my life and working for the CBC, on one of my favourite shows as a teen, was a dream come true. I met the most amazing people while working on Street Cents, the best people I have ever worked with. I worked in one of the most creative and fun environments I have ever experienced. Going to work every day was a joy and I constantly thought about the show, the CBC and how I could make both better.
I weathered through the lockout and never wavered. It occurred less than a week into my tenure at the CBC, what a baptism. I soldiered on while being told that things would get better. I thought "this is necessary", this is the right thing to be doing, the ends will justify this. I was kidding myself.
The show is gone and with it, my dream of being a part of the CBC. It's probably for the best, if I had my way I'd bring back shows like "Front Page Challenge".
The official reason for the cancellation is that "the CBC says its target audience of preteen and teen viewers has dwindled over the past few years." Unfortunately over the last couple of years they have also reduced advertising for the show and constantly altered the airdates and times. It would seem to me like there's a direct link between the dwindling audience and the inability to give the show a consistent and relevant timeslot. Last year we aired our first episode five months after it had been in the can. It's hard to deliver relevant programming to the viewership if you're a consumer affairs show and your information is five months old.
There was definite room for improvement from within the show, but it's unfortunate that we won't get that chance. It's hard to make a case for an 18th season when you're relegated to the graveyard that is Sunday afternoon television.
Tod Maffin of Inside the CBC writes :
But CBC has it absolutely right in this case. Pre-teens and teens are simply not watching television certainly not in the volumes that they do. Instead, they get their information through YouTube, MySpace, instant messagers, and more.
This does not have to mean, of course, that CBC stops presenting the same outstanding content that Street Cents offered. I have no inside knowledge of what these interactive initiatives are, but I sure as hell hope the CBC keeps that unit together, bolsters it with people who "get" online social media, and starts pumping out even more content online. I've only been at CBC for six years or so, but I've already seen too many "clean sweeps" occur, where perfectly functional teams are swept aside in the desire for a fresh change.
This shouldn't happen here.
The content was always bang-on. It's just the medium we're switching.
I hope.
I was part of that "unit" and there's been no talk of keeping it together. It is indeed a clean sweep. The notion of keeping the unit together is much too Pollyanna for me. When we hadn't heard whether we were going to be renewed in the spring, the writing was on the wall.
On the picket line I heard a lot of talk about having a place at the CBC. It seemed a little hollow then and it certainly seems hollow now. I had pushed as much as anyone to increase the online presence of Street Cents and include pieces on the show concerning blogs and myspace and I certainly won't be getting re-hired. I certainly won't be part of the new initiatives. It's difficult for me to talk positively and optimistically about 'changes' and 'medium switches' when I think their not so much a part of re-structuring initiatives as they are excuses.
I have soured so much on the CBC and the CMG over the last year. I lost three weeks of contract work due to the lockout. I was told that I would be receiving the signing bonus by one of the heads of the CMG, that signing bonus never arrived and it took 5 weeks and a half dozen unanswered emails to find that out. Street Cents lost its timeslot and original airdate due to the lockout, I'm sure it wasn't the cause of SC's downfall, but it certainly didn't help Street Cents find an audience this year. I waited for months to hear about Street Cents' future and now I just feel defeated.
I have watched the CBC all my life and working for the CBC, on one of my favourite shows as a teen, was a dream come true. I met the most amazing people while working on Street Cents, the best people I have ever worked with. I worked in one of the most creative and fun environments I have ever experienced. Going to work every day was a joy and I constantly thought about the show, the CBC and how I could make both better.
I weathered through the lockout and never wavered. It occurred less than a week into my tenure at the CBC, what a baptism. I soldiered on while being told that things would get better. I thought "this is necessary", this is the right thing to be doing, the ends will justify this. I was kidding myself.
The show is gone and with it, my dream of being a part of the CBC. It's probably for the best, if I had my way I'd bring back shows like "Front Page Challenge".
