Only Tuesday and there’s a lot to read, most of it from the President himself. Summing up his CRTC appearance Monday, he started off an internal memo:
The focal point of our appearance was the two issues that CBC/Radio-Canada deems key to the future health of conventional television: the weakening business model, and the transition to digital High Definition television.
Sometimes I wonder if we’re even on the same planet.
The revenue model is shaky, audiences are shrinking, everyone’s downloading, PVRing, YouTubing, buying $3 DVDs in Chinatown, skipping as many commercials as they can, computers are getting faster and cheaper and internet content is getting better and more interactive and our solution is more expensive TV’s? And higher cable fees?
We’re going to be watching these HiDef TVs in the Atrium by ourselves while the audience moves on, if we’re not careful. What we need is better TV shows, not better TVs.
There is also a long interview with him over at Tod’s site that’s worth reading. This exchange in particular caught my eye:
So when history, say, fifty years from now, looks back on your term, what do you want it to say? “Robert Rabinovitch’s term at the CBC was…†?
It won’t be fifty years. It’ll be five or ten. In fifty years, it’ll be all forgotten. Who remembers Alphonse Ouimet?
Am I imagining things, or did the President just tell me to go fuck myself?
16 Comments
HDTV is not the answer at all. One only has to look at the success of youtube, and ohters to realize this. People are willing to forgo even standard ntsc resolution and framerate, and watch videos in a tiny credit card size square because the variety of content is vast, it is user selectable (on demand); it is self-publishable, basically commercial free, and free to watch.
The old guard (networks) are dying, and there is nothing asnyone can do about it.
Joe, you did a great job on that HTML version.
Your dedication and contribution has not gone unnoticed.
You’re a pillar of this “community”, and a community unto yourself.
We all appreciate you, truly.
Regards 12am to 6pm: I venture that shows about string theory, malolactic fermentation and Canadian experimental film would draw numbers equal to, or greater than the current offerings.
’œTodd’ could ’œdo an amazing job’ if he relied more on the available help ’“Â ante facto rather than post facto, that is.
So you’™re saying the error-ridden, giant PDF was easier to read than plain copy-edited HTML? Interesting. Have you considered applying for a job at CBC?
Am I imagining things, or did the President just tell me to go fuck myself?
Nah… it was an homage.
If complimenting Tod means that I’m him, then what does that make Anonymous, Johnny?
The CBC Drone? (God forbid)
(top secret, for new users:
pretend to be someone you’re not and odds are you’ll find teeth marks on your embarrased behind when you realize you overlooked something)
“What we need is better TV shows, not better TVs.”
Let me take it a step further, ~O, and say that I don’t care if we get better TV shows as much as I care that we get more of them.
These have been incredibly strong programs – Deacon, Dragon, 5th Estate, even the Hour. And Newsworld is coming along.
But we need more. And more.
Indeed, it’s rather sad that, just like the web site, absolutely everything has to be cleared by multiple dept.’s.
Throw off the fears and timid intellectualizing that prevents the CBC from trying more experimental and free-form going where your passions take you programming.
The only interest in anything broadcast between 12 AM and 6 AM on TV is that residing in the warm transistors of VCR’s across the country, so what’s to lose by bringing a group of enthusiastic people into a studio and letting them find their way to great and original content?
Can it be any more absurd than Kenny & Spenny or more of a snorefest than One on One?
“The revenue model is shaky …”
“A third of British internet users watch less television once they have broadband, while 27% read fewer national newspapers and almost a fifth switch off their radios, according to new research from the telecoms regulator Ofcom. The picture is similar across France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the US, highlighting the threat posed by the web to traditional media.”
(from The Guardian – Nov. 30, 06)
I envision all homes having internet and large screens to view the web. I’m talking six feet wide (eh … two meters?) with regular television channels along the bottom like Picture-In-Picture.
We’ll sit on our couches with wireless keyboard and mouse and create Flash web pages while instantly calling up a track of music, a DVD, Donkey Kong and instructional podcasts.
And when cable companies get it together I’ll be able to view the local news in Vancouver, Copenhagen and Los Angeles on demand, with constant interruptions from buddies trying to videoconference me because they too have no real life.
Can anyone think of a better way to escape global warming?
speaking of HD, I tried watching CBC HD once (yes, in the atrium at the broadcast centre, where else?) and I was surprised at how much the aspect ratio changed depending on what was on: the news was (mostly) in widescreen but the ads weren’t, even many of the cbc promos. So there was a lot of jumping back and forth.
It looks very preliminary. And the picture doesn’t look that much different, although perhaps I was standing a little close.
Joe Clark,
When will your madness end? When will you get a real job and stop harassing people with your inane criticisms?
Todd does an amazing job.
Am I the last person to figure out that Allan is Tod?
Tod did an excellent job with this interview. Does he get paid to do this?
His “blog” is tops in readability and energy, Clean design and smart content. I commend him for being so enterprising as to score an interview with the Big Guy. Says a lot about his commitment to giving his readers a worthwhile and unique experience. The value of his work becomes more apparent once you actually try and do something yourself to contribute.
And let’s not overlook the not-so-trivial courage of setting yourself and your work out there for abuse, such as from the one-of-a-kind-work-of-art that is Joe Clark (you’re a hoot, Joe, keep it up!)
Unbelievable that Rabinovitch states on page 13 of his interview with Todd which was distributed to staff today at CBC:
…”I think there is, to a certain extent, in the CBC a left-of- centre bias where I happen to be comfortable with.”
Shitzu..Some leader eh? Of course as is usual with such ‘in-house- interviewers Mr. Maffin did not even challenge him on that statement…what else is new…Worse though..just the ammo those ex-reform party types need to chop the cbc
did the President just tell me to go fuck myself?
umm, it sure looks that way, doesn’t it?
Since Maffin is not really clear on this whole Internets thing, and is an inch away from having his blogging licence revoked, I have an HTML version of the Rabinovitch interview available for review and criticism. I cleaned up a few dozen copy errors. You’™ll at least be able to read this one.
You’re imagining things.
ha ha ha ha!
bah! who remembers Robert Ouimet?