This decision is about as dumb as it gets. The CBC is actually planning bump Marketplace out of its slot in favour of U.S. programming. In fact, Connie Woodchuck says it has been temporarily shelved (H/T National Newswatch ).
Marketplace! This is just dumb, dumb and dumber . Only by cancelling The Mercer Report or Hockey Night in Canada could they top this one.
Marketplace is one of a meager selection of Mothercorps productions that has any redeeming value at all (IMHO). Witness the relevancy regarding the recent "Product of Canada " announcements regarding consumer food products!
But they’re keeping Little Mosque ?
This just proves what a ridiculous waste of taxpayers’ money this archaic institution has become. Why shouldn’t it be offered on a user-pay basis just like every other broadcaster in this country?
Back in a previous post we discussed the merits of the CBC and the debate is still raging on . I should be selling tickets.
Please join in either there or here and air your thoughts.
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Update : Interesting Globe piece here by Marsha Lederman regarding the fact that Marketplace doesn’t run commercials during the body of the show. Well, couldn’t they change that?
And you gotta love the hubris here:
…He (Richard Stursberg, vice-president of English services) added that CBC’s audience and ratings improved this year, and he vowed to maintain the uptick in 2008. "We are on a very big roll," he told the crowd. "CBC continues to be the most important cultural institution in Canada. We beat Global in prime time for the first time since 1995."
I’ll chime in
There are very few programs I will watch on the CBC.
RMR is good
I liked Air Farce-especially Jessica Holmes-but it has been cancelled.
I can’t stomach 22 minutes…just a bunch of angry bitter people on that show.
Loved Dragon’s Den…just for Kevin and his snark
I used to watch HNIC, but I now watch on TSN. Sorry Grapes.
Marketplace had its place…sad to see it go..
If I want to watch WOF or Jeopardy, I’ll tune into the US station.
I watch the Martha show, and have noticed it plays on CBC, too. But I watch that on the US station or the specialty stations.
My guess as to why they are doing it? They are realizing they are not pulling in the viewers as they have before, so they think that by adding US shows it will sway the viewing public. Considering how anti-US the left are, it is quite ironic that they feel they have to keep viewers by providing them with US shows….
Tori, you like Air Farce? I would have lost that bet!
BTW, one of the articles I linked to in the update says that Marketplace will be back in the winter season, which is good.
between Air Farce and 22 minutes, I’ll choose air farce in a heartbeat!
oh, and I almost forgot- the hour makes me sick to my stomach
Where in the Charter of our rights and freedoms does it guarantee us the right to crappy overpriced garbage from the CBC?
Is it in the back somewhere in the small print?
How does the CBC represent Canadians?
Do we really need a crown corporation to bring us overpriced unfunny sitcoms, idiotic game shows, biased news, and leftish garbage like Michael Moore’s crocumentaries?
From my perspective it only represents a few bitter and elitist commies.
And George Strombopopopoluos reminds me of Zoolander except that Zoolander had more depth.
I simply refuse to ever watch any CBC TV or listen to any CBC radio, ever. When I quot it was unadulterated garbage with a leftist bias. I will never subject ,myself to it ever again. Save a billion dollars and terminate the CBC permanently! forever!
Maybe if the cbc got some added income from advertising,they could use the money for ‘de-programming’ all the so-called reporters/pundits and get them out of the scary and dangerous cult that is the cbc.
Maybe Global will pick up Marketplace. I certainly hope so.
Conservative Bashing Corporation…Liberal party of Canada has it’s own private television network year round to message it’s voice…Is’nt that illegal? Where’s Elections Canada?
Jo, Speaking of Elections Canada…Keep in mind that 4 days from now (Assuming they count weekend days would mean Monday the 2nd at 12 midnight) if Dion and other Liberals haven’t paid back their debts the remainder of dues become illegal donation: I’ll bet we won’t see much coverage on MSM either way and especially if they pass the deadline…A topic you may want to cover on this excellent blog.
…Forgot to mention: Will Elections Canada extend the payback date? Which would be clerar bias as they have been seen as unfair with the in & out donations loophole again’st the Conservatives which every other party has been also exploiting.
To be continued…
Even if you do want to watch Jeopardy on a US station, if it is simulcast, you will get CBC anyway!
I think the top rated show on CBC TV is either HNIC on Coronation Street. I can live without the CBC
HNiC on Saturday night, & the “At Issue” panel on Thursday ( primarily for Chantel Hebert)& that’s it. I cannot believe anyone watches The Hour with that clown!
It is a good call.
Marketplace started to become an activist attack vehicle for its hosts pet causes.
Wendey Mesley disgustingly attacked the head of the Cancer Society. Why? Because she got cancer.
http://www.cbc.ca/consumers/market/files/health/cancer/
It was becoming less and less objective, not to mention less and less relevant to ordinary Canadians.
If the CBC was eliminated no one other than a handful of Marxist Morons would miss it. Tax payers would save a billion dollars a year, and only a few thousand, mostly affirmative action, dim-witted bimbos, would loose their jobs.
However, regrettably this is not going to happen any time soon since we don’t have a small-c conservative Prime Minister. Harper disingenuously tells us about his conservatism, however he governs like any other liberal Prime Minister: lots of spending, bigger government, lots of regulations, liberal social policies, and now pollution abating taxes and regulations which will do nothing other than de-industrialize us back to the middle ages. It seems that our purportedly fiscal/social conservative PM has bought into the “global warming” propaganda which has been created by the far-left to replace discredited communism and it’s goal of redistributing wealth from wealth creators to welfare bums.
If we are going to eliminate the far-left promoting, bias CBC we first have to replace our liberal Prime Minister. Genuine conservative members of the Conservative Party are demanding a policy/leadership convention in which we would have the freedom to debate issues this time,. for a change.
Don’t tell me Gayle….the thinking behind brining Jeopardy to CBC is because Alex Trebek is Canadian, thus the Canadian character and content has been saved!!!
The only thing I watch on CBC is Rick Mercer, oh, and the Just for Laughs gags, but heck, how about we start one of those gag shows in Toronto? That city really needs to lighten up.
Once upon a time there was a a national broadcaster named the CBC which stood for Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. They started out as a radio service and eventually added television. The programing consisted of topical news and miscellaneous interest and entertainment. It was ALL produced in Canada. There was a period where the CBC expanded it’s operations by establishing regional centers that were good at producing local news and other programming.
At this point there was a widespread audience who enjoyed what the CBC had to offer. But alas…..
When the CBC decided to create it’s Head Office on Front street in Toronto it took on a new character. The CBC became a playground for mediocre talents in broadcast management who held visions of big league broadcast empire in their heads. Not being blessed with the talent, intelligence or experience that would allow them top be successful what they accomplished instead was the creation of a mediocre organisation populated by people with the mindset of bureaucrats and public service unionists.
Rather than being an evolution that lead to progress and growth the changes at CBC were an unstoppable devolution where pettiness and self importance ruled. Where the insatiable need to justify the existence of the workers in the Front Street Hive led to ever greater consolidation into the nest. Isolation and desperation led to ever declining standards and ever increasing reliance on low quality and low cost programing. An today the CBC which was really first rate at what it did in it’s own niche has become not a second rate nor a third rate but a fourth rate entity and an object lesson in mediocrity.
Is the CBC worth supporting?
If you ask the viewers and listeners they’ll probably say yes. If you ask the viewers to pay 100% of the costs they sure won’t. It’s all too easy to be cling to wasteful things of little or no value when you either can’t see the cost of doing so or can rely on others to bear the bulk of those costs.
I don’t think Little Mosque will ever be cancelled. They are too afraid.
I agree, eliminate the CBC completely. PMSH could call it a two-pronged attack on “Global Warming’. He is getting rid of all that hot air coming out of there and doing his best to stop “Global Whineing” at the same time.
As to machiavelli’s points about the Prime Minister;
Conservatives in this country are already viewed ad neandrathals by many (due largely to biased MSN reports) so he has to tread lightly. If he were to go off on a tangent and start following the advice of hard right-wings, we would be handing the country back to the Lieberals for the foreseeable future. It sounds like the stuff coming out of the USA about McCain. Conservatives are talking about not voting for him because he is not conservative enough. What do they think they are going to get in repplacement? BHO is so far left he makes Ted Kennedy look radical.
We had better be careful here in Canada to support the only alternative we have that available. Let’s not go off half-cocked and shoot ourselves in the foot. Let’s give PMSH a majority and see where he takes us then before we do something stupid like tear him apart at a policy convention and force him to throw all of the hard-won advances away, JMHO
Machiavelli…I share your view in principle. We currently have a centrist positioned, uncorrupt Liberal Government in Stephen Harper.
Slowly though, sprinkles of right wing reforms are being given just like taste samplers at your local supermarket. These are given to Canucks addicted to too many years of Liberal dogma. Canucks in general are shy and afraid of abrupt change. They treat politics like bad tasting medicine or algebra: They hate dealing with it so don’t tune into it and study their government moves and as a result often wake up too late. They hate surprizes.
You have to be patient my friend. Slowly and small increments at a time is they only way. Remember our Conservative ideals have no voice in the MSM…We must not give up and start questioning. Stay the course. I still believe in Harper. Will we ever get to where you and I might want to see it? Doubtful in our lifetime. So far we managed to regroup the right of centre and attain a minority Government after 13 long years of darkness…Not too shabby in my books.
Sorry to interrupt but,
Did you read ‘the trusty tory’ it has an arcticle on Batman-DAWN Black-X-RAYED EYES, take a look
“If we are going to eliminate the far-left promoting, bias CBC we first have to replace our liberal Prime Minister.”
How Machiavellian of you, Machiavelli! Trying to sow dissension among conservatives?
Did you forget what you wrote long ago in The Prince? (From Wiki)
“Yet the way men live is so far removed from the way they ought to live that anyone who abandons what is for what should be pursues his downfall rather than his preservation”
In other words, we are still in Canada, not in some dream world of your own creation.
The PM is trying to walk a fine line between extremes, and quite successfully I might add.
Only malcontents who are never satisfied would suggest the PM needs to be replaced – either that, or a liberal.
“Machiavelli summarizes that guarding against the people’s hatred is more important than building up a reputation for generosity.”
Again, the PM is walking a fine line admirably. Forget it if you are seeking massive tax cuts. and the axing of many government services. It will never happen in Canada, unless you want to go back to pre-Confederation times.
“Genuine conservative members of the Conservative Party are demanding a policy/leadership convention …”
So I guess you’re not aware that there’s a convention coming up sometime in November.
Jo, Speaking of Elections Canada…Keep in mind that 4 days from now (Assuming they count weekend days would mean Monday the 2nd at 12 midnight) if Dion and other Liberals haven’t paid back their debts the remainder of dues become illegal donation: I’ll bet we won’t see much coverage on MSM either way and especially if they pass the deadline…A topic you may want to cover on this excellent blog.
Grind a Grit, first of all, thanks for that compliment. I also love the “Conservative Bashing Corporation” reference. lol!
I see that Stephen Taylor has just addressed the debt deadline situation and he is allowing comments at the moment.
Wendey Mesley disgustingly attacked the head of the Cancer Society. Why? Because she got cancer.
Bob, I missed that segment. I also didn’t know she had cancer.
I agree that her methods are sometimes a bit much. One columnist called her the Michael Moore of the North.
Did you read ‘the trusty tory’ it has an arcticle on Batman-DAWN Black-X-RAYED EYES, take a look…
Jen I saw that this morning. Good stuff!
Joanne, for curiosity sake, have you ever been to the parliament to watch the parties in debate or how about the so-call media that sit there on one of the balcony then to report ‘nothing.’
Gabby: Please note my complete sentence:
Genuine conservative members of the Conservative Party are demanding a policy/leadership convention in which we would have the freedom to debate issues this time,. for a change.
Please note in particular that I said, “in which we would have the freedom to debate issues this time, for a change.”
I don’t know if you were at the last convention. If you were you will recall that Harper and his lefty handlers prohibited all debate on contentious issued ie: abortion ect. simply to please the left wing Red Tories who are annihilating our once proud Reform and Alliance, authentic small-c conservative party. You will also remember Pete McKay’s baby-like whine pursuant to Reed’s amendment which was extensively accepted among conventioneers but rejected because the Red Tories controlled the convention.
That is why legitimate small-c fiscal and social conservatives are demanding the right to debate and permit the majority to determine policy this time, rather than allowing Harper and the rest of the liberal members of the party dictate.
Without the MSM, the liberals are completely lost, apparently the PM has no MSM to help him yet he still manages to do the job.
It seems to me that the MSM is in favour of the liberals not returning our money and Dion invasion of pakistan and adding more terrorist groups to their name.
CBC knows that most canadians don’t have access to cable naturally it is very easy for CBC to manipulate the public.
In nothern Alberta only CBC is stationed there as pointed out by those who lived there; if you fart like one said on a radio show in Calgary, CBC has headlines news on it.they also said that they have yet to see the Calgary flames on CBC since Calgary is a conservative city.
Basically putting it, CBC operates like those in dictated country.
I do not want my money wasted on a DICTATED television station.
“I don’t know if you were at the last convention. If you were you will recall that Harper and his lefty handlers prohibited all debate on contentious issued ie: abortion ect. simply to please the left wing Red Tories who are annihilating our once proud Reform and Alliance, authentic small-c conservative party.”
No, I wasn’t at the convention in person, but I did watch a lot of it on CPAC, and I recall that the question of abortion was put to a vote and defeated. I recall Elsie Wayne and Belinda Stronach presenting opposite sides of the argument.
If you want to campaign against this present Conservative Party, go right ahead. It is your prerogative. And as someone else said, I guess you haven’t had enough of years of Liberal rule, interrupted occasionally by a Conservative government. So, start spreading your dissatisfaction. See how far it gets you. And how much Canada benefits from those years of Liberal rule.
I’m sorry to have to say this, but you strike me as the kind of person who, if (s)he doesn’t get exactly what (s)he has in mind, picks up and leaves. Sometimes we all have to compromise. Sometimes we all have to put a little less wailing in our whine.
Compromise……..is that what you guys on the far left are calling it? Anyone who has passed a poli-sci 101 course will identify appeasement, or caving in ones principles when they see it.
For me, your comments evoke 1939 when Chamberlain met Hitler in Munich and signed an agreement giving away a large chunk of Czechoslovakia. Now there was a virtuoso example of compromise. How many millions of people might have lived if Chamberlain had lived by his principles?
Unfortunately too many leaders, like our disingenuous Harper, are all too willing to compromise their principles and are disposed to cave in to far-left policies that they recognize as injurious if they will guarantee success at the election box.
By the way, you must have been watching the convention on your preferred, far-left, bias CBC. The reality of the event is that Harper and his fellow leftist constrained full debate on social conservative and language issues. He simply caved into Quebec and the left-wing Red Tories, regrettably not for the last time.
Read some history.
“what you guys on the far left are calling it?”
Surely you jest?
If someone is on the left, it’s you … way out in left field, and I don’t mean politically.
“… your comments evoke 1939 when Chamberlain met Hitler in Munich …”
Godwin’s law … google it. You lose.
“… you must have been watching the convention on your preferred, far-left, bias CBC.”
I do watch the CBC, to see what I can agree or disagree with. I don’t believe in criticizing something I never watch. It’s like leading a life with blinders on.
And if you bother to reread my comment, you will see that I stated “but I did watch a lot of it on CPAC …”
Marketplace is the only reason to watch CBC.
Not only does it not run commercials, it tweaks the noses of potential advertisers. No wonder they want to shut it down.
Compromise……..is that what you guys on the far left are calling it? Anyone who has passed a poli-sci 101 course will identify appeasement, or caving in ones principles when they see it.
Drop back when you’re making some kind of sense.
Why are all the extreme socialist whining about the cancellation of a typical, anti-business, anti-American program ran by a couple of affirmative action, extreme left-wing, moronic bimbos?
A authentic fiscal conservative Prime Minister would have instantaneously expedited genuinely substantial cuts. A legitimate, small-c fiscal conservative Prime Minister would have immediately announced the abolishment of the $1 billion of wasted tax dollars squandered annually on the extremely far-left bias CBC. Most Canadians would prefer to see these squandered tax dollars materialize in their personal bank accounts.
In an age of numerous Canadian television and radio networks, satellite networks, and of course the internet, there is no longer any requisite for a government-owned, and tax payers paid for, TV and/or radio network; especially one ran by left-wing affirmative action bimblos and watched/ listened to mostly by the far-left, but paid for my people who actually work for a living and pay taxes.
Unfortunately Canada does not have a fiscal and/or social small-c conservative Prime Minister who would expedite a non-socialist agenda that would diminish our excessive tax bill.