CBC's New Venture

OK, here is something that can turn out well or horribly. CBC has decided to re-brand two digital channels as "Bold" and "Documentary". The "Bold" channel, in particular should be interesting, in that it will air 80% Canadian content and will bring back some acclaimed but canceled shows, such as "Intelligence". But it does not sound like it will re-start producing those shows -- it will just make re-runs available to those who want them.

Now, what are the implications of this? One possibility, of course, is that CBC will now feel more comfortable to make cutting-edge shows, like "Intelligence" and "J-Pod". The other possibility is that it might continue to dumb down its core channel, so that the more intelligent stuff will be ghettoized to the "Bold" channel, not available to a good number of people. Time will tell....

"Intelligence" too close to the truth?

Well, related to my previous post, in which I claimed that there is a connection between Canadian cultural and material sovereignty, comes this article from Toronto Star, making the claim that one possible reason the CBC critically acclaimed show Intelligence was canceled was because it tackled the issue of Canadian bulk water exports to the US. The article makes a persuasive enough case on its own. So I will not belabour the issue, other than to remind people that cultural industries serve a key role in mobilizing the public sentiment one way or another, as the documentary "War Made Easy" illustrates. So it is not inconceivable that a show that attempted to mobilize the sentiment in a politically inconvenient manner would end up on the chopping block.

What is wrong with anti-Americanism, any way?

One of the things I find odd is that there are significant segments of Canadian population that are upset about anti-American sentiments. For example, National Post accused the since then canceled CBC drama Intelligence as well as some other CBC shows of anti-Americanism. The columnist Robert Fulford argues:

"Their shows appeal to the anti-American mood that Liberal and NDP politicians, as well as a few editorialists and TV critics, have done their best to foment."

I have seen similar complaints in a variety of Canwest and Sun publications....

My question is: what is wrong with "anti-Americanism", if that's what these folks want to call it? In this day and age, especially, the clumsiness and hubris of American foreign policy is plain for everyone to see, and countries all over the world are turning away from the US. So why is it that certain elements in Canada are so eager to defend the honour of the US? Europe, Latin America and the Middle East are increasingly trying to chart their own course. But why not Canada? Instead, we are finding attempts to weld Canada closer and closer to the US via the Security and Prosperity Partnership, as documented by the Council of Canadians.

The way I see it, the refusal of Canadians to support domestic TV and other cultural products is a part of Canada's continuing failure to seek independence from the US. But I would also argue that, it is precisely through the brainwashing of Canadians with US cultural bombardment that it becomes easier for the US to annex Canada economically and structurally.

I say: we need more of this so-called anti-Americanism!

Are we the enemy?

Having moved to Canada from the US almost three years ago, I am constantly shocked by the Canadians' apparent strong hatred for domestic TV and film (and to a lesser extent, music).

TV writer Denis McGrath just nicely summarized much of what I have been observing:

"What "foley, really?" stands for, for me, is the propensity of a portion of the Canadian viewing audience (and a much larger portion of the production community) to judge our homemade stuff by a nitpicky yardstick that suggests we look to hate and find fault, rather than actually judge something on its true strength and merits, and its true weaknesses. It's like putting a magnet nearby and watching it warp -- you can't really trust the reaction because it seems...churlish."

See the rest of the blog here.

Being a Hong Kong movie fan since early 1990's I recall many Americans dismissing Hong Kong film as "low-budget", criticizing the acting, the special effects, etc. What shocks me is that in Canada we are finding nearly identical criticism of Canadian TV and movies -- but from Canadians themselves! Is it not ironic that such shows as "Intelligence" or even "Corner Gas" have greater viewership aborad than in Canada. For example see how prominently the WGN Superstation in the US displays "Corner Gas"! On the front page!

Why are we happy to criticize and ridicule Americans, while embracing their culture? Why do people proudly tell me that they don't watch Canadian TV? Is there such a thing as Canadian patriotism?

Getting started!

Greetings! This is likely to take a while to start up, as I am quite swamped with work at this time. But this is an exciting and important time. We are likely to see some changes in CTF (Canadian Television Fund), see: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/international/news/e3ia8852bfeb779d0670ea546c679f20b1f

CBC is going through restructuring. The writers strike in the US is over, which means CTV and Global may lose interest in producing Cancon again. So a lot to think about!