Canadian TV landscape

Canadian TV & programming policy

I often wonder what our TV landscape would be like if we actually had a broadcast system that was independent of our neighbours to the south. Would we be able to follow in the footsteps of our friends across the Atlantic, in Britain, and produce the same kind of quality achieved by BBC, ITV and Channel 4? Would such a scenario mean that we would have to forswear US shows?

Looking at our Canadian networks and various local stations, it seems, and rightly so, that they are nothing but affiliates of US networks. In fact, whenever one of our networks has to pre-empt a US show (for sports or “CanCon”), they simply drop that week’s episode entirely and, in a way, intimate to us, the Canadian viewers, that we can catch that particular episode on the “mother station” of some US network. To me, that does not sound like an independent and sovereign television industry at all. You can test it yourself: take any of your favourite US shows carried by a Canadian network and keep track of the episodes shown by the Canadian broadcaster throughout the season, while noting down the episodes shown by the originating US network. At the end of the season you will find, invariably, that the Canadian network has skipped at least two to three episodes (at a minimum, they will have been shown out of sequence, which is especially annoying with shows that have an ongoing storyline).

In a nutshell, if you were to rely only on our domestic broadcasters, you would miss out on some great moments of your favourite shows.

I always tend to look towards Britain, with envy, and at their accomplishments in the world of TV. Almost 10 years ago or so, they started cutting back on US imports (also due to the fact that Rupert Murdoch’s BSkyB had begun to snatch up the biggest hits from the States at the time), which, in my view, has resulted in a higher degree of flexibility. Their TV schedules do not follow slavishly the rigid system of “seasons” (September to May); new series and shows are launched all year round. Also, their “seasons”, or series, are usually not as long as in the States – the average US show produces about 22-24 episodes per season, while UK shows may yield as few as 4-6 episodes a year. This gives writers and producers more time to focus on quality, and it shows.

American imports have not vanished from British screens completely. Even the BBC is still showing US shows (including “The Simpsons”), but they fit them into their schedules as needed and when the time is right. About 15 years ago, UK TV would air American shows within about one to two months of the US airdate. Nowadays, they may be apart by as much as an entire year. Is anyone complaining? Not that I know of.

This is exactly the kind of system that I would like to see implemented in Canada: flexible programming and more independence. I am convinced that this would draw more Canadian viewers to domestic channels, despite the strong competition (and attraction) to the south. Things seem to be stirring already in this respect: this summer, Global aired the entire first season of “Reba” during the summer months (instead of simulcasting with the WB network right from the fall), thus giving Canadian viewers new and original programming during the dog days of summer. This programming stunt is a perfect example of the flexibility I am talking about. Note to Canadian networks: more of the same, please!

Added:  Friday, September 20, 2002
Reviewer:  Werner George Patels
Score:
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