Hallelujah!

It would appear the CBC restrictions on the use of their feeds that I have often complained about are gone. I went to look for them today and couldn't find them. Instead I just found this.

What is RSS?

CBC/Radio-Canada RSS (RDF Site Summary) feeds allow you to read through the news you want, at your own convenience.
Using the RSS reader of your choice or by integrating the feed into your blog (or online personal journal), you can access the latest CBC.ca news headlines in your favourite environment!

This new reality, as well as a few others, will be reflected on publicbroadcasting.ca shortly! (not today, I'm tired).

I Want My Radio 3 TV

Radio 3 is, arguably, the CBC's success story of the decade. I say arguably because you can argue about anything but if you choose to argue with the above statement, you're wrong.

Radio 3, in addition to the radio station, is one of the most successful podcasts in Canada, and one of the most popular music podcasts in the world. It is extremely popular with young people (an area in which the CBC usually strikes out) but not only with young people. I've personally talked with people from 14 to 50 who listen to Radio 3.

It is not only successful in it's own rite, it has helped to promote Canadian arts and culture (in this case music) and by extension Canada - something the CBC is supposed to do. It has made Canadian music increasingly popular not only in Canada but around the world and is, I believe, at least partially responsible for the rise of such acts as Broken Social Scene, the Arcade Fire, the New Pornographers, Feist, the Dears, the Stars, and the Hidden Cameras.

Now CBC television isn't doing as well as it could, especially with young people. It is also seeing an annual decline in funds (at least in terms of real dollars) - so why not capitalize and expand on what works?

The possible formats are numerous - a half hour once a week, a half hour 3 times a week, an hour once a week ... whatever works, (you could even stick in on after the Hour) but Radio 3 already has most of the content. Build the show primarily around Canadian music videos - throw in some music news (new albums, tour dates etc), add the occasional interview or even an in studio performance by whoever happens to be in town and viola, Radio 3 TV. It has a built in audience, can be promoted for free on Radio 3 (and even Radio 1 and 2) and it's cheap to produce.

I'm sure there's an excellent reason why not, but I can't think of what it would be personally.

TV Continues it's decline

Before I start I should state that I must not be a TV person, or at least my tastes in Television do not match those of the audience they are after. Despite my high hopes last fall, my 'must watch' schedule for next fall is shorter than it has been in a long, long time. The new shows I liked the best from the AmNets this year (namely Studio 60 and the Black Donnely's) were axed, then Lost, 24 and House all proceeded to jump the shark.

For it's part the CBC cancelled Venture freeing up another half hour. The new programs they introduced didn't do much for me, and I'm less inclined to watch 'the Hour' than I was last year. For me talk shows are all about who the guests are and most of the time the Hour's guests this year just didn't do it for me. I like Gill Deacon generally, but her guests generally didn't do alot for me either (again, not it's target audience).

As for the rest of the CBC's new offerings, as I said at the beginning, I must not be a TV person. Sitcoms are not my thing. I liked BBC's the Office (not the US one though) and I liked CBC's the Newsroom but for the most part sitcoms become too predictable too quickly for me, the jokes become repetitive and I lose interest. Beyond that game shows and 'reality' shows stand almost no chance with me and medical dramas and police dramas (including courtroom, and espionage shows) have been done to such an extent in recent years that they face an hard, uphill battle from the word go. They must basically bring something brand new and exciting or I will tune out half way through the first preview. There was Dragon's Den, it was good. We'll see if it holds up in season 2.

I also have to say that the horizon is not promising. If you take out the sit coms, reality shows, game shows, police and medical dramas there isn't much (at least that has been announced so far) that sounds promising for next season. There is the CBC co-production the Tudors but personally, in all of European history, I can't think of a subject much less interesting than Henry VIII. Then there is Exposure, an idea I pitched to PBS back in 2001 so, obviously I like the idea. But in it's 11 pm Sunday timeslot I doubt I'll ever see it unless it is podcast.

So it turns out that the CBC had it's worst ratings in 5 years despite Rabinovich's statement of the opposite and the CRTC has decided to make it more profitable to import American programs, thus less desirable to make Canadian ones.

You might think that given everything I've said that I wouldn't care about the CRTC decision after all, if no one is making much that I like why should I care about how the funds are distributed? In fact I do care, very much. I just want them to make better programming.

I'm more than happy to advocate for greater arts and cultural funding in Canada overall. Arts and culture are woefully underfunded by any reasonable measure in Canada and, after all, great nations are remembered by their great works of art and other cultural expressions much more than for their economies, or militaries or anything else.

So I will continue to do all that I can to get more funding and exposure for Canadian artists in all fields, but please TV people - stop copying the Americans and importing formulas from Japan and Britain. Take risks, be creative, try new things, some of it will surely bomb, but some won't and I know that I am not alone when I say there is a vast audience in Canada waiting to watch new, original, compelling programming. You just have to meet them half way.

The CBC Shouldn't Quit Daytime (again)

After going 5 years without a serious daytime program the CBC finally got back into the game in 2006 with the Gill Deacon Show. Unfortunately, as Antonia Zerbisias puts it, the show was Dumbed down, smothered, then axed. Personally, I would like to see the show continue. I would like to see Gill back next fall, and I would like to see the show given some freedom to take some risks, rather than simply trying to be CBCs version of the View, or Oprah or .. whatever. I would like to see the show given the green light to develop it's own personality and to attempt to appeal to audiences that are missed by existing daytime television (which in reality is most people - in a 24 hour world the potential 'daytime' audience has changed dramatically). If you like Gill, and the show and would like to see it back in any form, please drop an email to layfield@cbc.ca.

Exposure

Personally, I think that Exposure is a brilliant idea. I must admit though that I'm biased, I presented almost the exact same idea to PBS in 2001.

Is it though, as Tod Maffin suggests the new Zed? The short answer is no. There are obvious similarities: for one thing they are making some of the same mistakes. The show is scheduled to be on at 11pm on Sundays - a time slot where it is virtually guaranteed that it won't find an audience. I can only hope that they have the good sense to podcast it (not part of it, or highlights, but the entire thing.)

Exposure is also far more limited than the original Zed. Zed was, after all, about film, animation and art and music and virtually everything independent, artistic and cultural so even in concept Exposure is shooting for a narrower audience.

I fully intend to watch the show (though not at 11pm on Sundays) and to do what I can to promote it, but I have a nagging fear that unless they podcast this, put serious effort into promoting it and give it time (a few years) to build an audience that Management will find the results less satisfactory than they found Zed.

The New Shot Heard Round the World

09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0

Big Media, as represented by the RIAA and MPAA in the states has lost yet again. A little piece of code made it's way onto the internet yesterday. The little piece of code, it turns out, was accidentally published to the internet by the AACS (Advanced Access Content System) and will unlock the copy protections on all HD-DVDs and possibly blue ray discs released to date. The MPAA freaked out and got a cease and desist order against Digg and apparently many others - there are still scattered reports of cease and desist and other such things flying around the internet.

Digg decided, initially, to comply with the court order and deleted posts containing the code. Digg users revolted posting thousands of messages containing the code. Faced with a choice between banning all of it's users and fighting the cease and desist order, Digg founder Kevin Rose decided to 'at least die trying' and stopped deleting the stories.

It should also be pointed out that even if Digg does delete all of the stories it is now appearing in chat rooms, on bulletin boards, in email lists hell, you can already get the code printed on t-shirts, coffee mugs and bumper stickers - the genie is out of the bottle, and the code is out there for anyone who wants it.

One more time for those who haven't caught on yet. The rules for media and copyright have changed. You cannot control the flow of your content anymore. If people want it and you don't make it available they will take it anyway, they will use it how they want to and when they want to, they are going to share it with their friends, and swap files online - and no matter how much time, energy and money you waste on lawsuits and lobbying there is no going back. For every law you lobby for there is an army waiting to oppose it, for every technical protection you implement there are hordes of end users that will work to find a way around it.

For most of the history of media (in terms of television, radio, recording and film this means about 100 years) most media producers wanted an audience, now they seem to be doing everything possible to keep people away from their content. Those media companies and content producers that want to survive are going to have to shift their focus from fighting with their audience to learning to work within the new rules. Those that don't want to survive - just keep doing what you're doing.

Canadian Television on E!

Do you live in fear that Brittney Spears will get a haircut without your knowing? Are you afraid that some Hollywood starlet will slip into rehab and no one will tell you? Are you concerned that Kim Bassingers divorce will become final and you'll be the last to know? Well fear no longer.

Via Torontoist E! The all entertainment network is coming to Canada. It will be replacing CHCH Hamilton (too much local/regional news in Canada anyway). So, you can also rest assured that as long as they get a Canadian to tell you who's out this week on 'America's Next Top Model' that they will get a big tax subsidy.