Tuesday, August 30, 2005

CBC Lockout Watch, Day 16

Locking out the announcers and cameramen has done wonders for the CFL ratings:they've nearly doubled!

What need is there of inane chatter from announcers and endless slo-mos and replays from every possible camera angle? It almost becomes a form of broadcast masturbation, pleasuring the network people, but adding nothing to the game.

The migration of locked-out CBC broadcasters to campus radio stations might relieve the cravings of CBC addicts, but the CRTC takes a much dimmer view of the matter according to its broadcast licence conditions:

Conditions for community-based campus, instructional campus and developmental campus radio stations

....

3. The licensee shall not affiliate with or disaffiliate from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation without the prior written approval of the Commission.


While the CBC's employees are locked out and not performing their usual employment duties for CBC, does this provision continue to apply to them?

Moreover, why are campus radio stations rolling over for the CBC hacks? Could it be that they're hoping to generate more advertising revenue by raising their ratings off the bottom with the prestige and listenership that these people's broadcasts will bring?

Every hour turned over to the CBC people is an hour taken away from a volunteer broadcaster hoping to gain valuable broadcasting experience. As unlistenable as campus radio may be, it is a service primarily for and by the students, and it should left to the students.

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