Buying Canada’s Hockey Night
Uh oh.
I haven’t been near the internet today til now, and what do I find but an email from Miss 604 asking “WHY ARE YOU IGNORING THIS STORY???” Okay, that’s not strictly true… She was very nice, and she never yells at me…;-)
But this is a huge story, and one which has been debated a few times on VCOE and other blogs and newspapers this past year: What if Hockey Night in Canada left the CBC?
From Broadcaster Magazine:
The Toronto Globe and Mail reported today that Bell Globemedia is likely to offer a bid to Hockey Night in Canada worth $1.4 billion over ten years.
The CBC’s rights for Hockey Night in Canada will expire at the end of the 2007-2008 NHL season. Hockey Night in Canada has been airing on CBC since 1952.
Frankly, the whole idea makes me a bit sick. It’s Bell Globemedia, for chrissakes. How long til they add cheerleaders to the sound booth and create some event called the Stanley Cup Bowl? Ugh.
I’m not being entirely rational, I know. Maybe (probably) Bell can do the hockey business just fine. But HNIC is tradition, and I can’t imagine anyone else doing it but the CBC. Not to mention, we all own the CBC in this country, and HNIC belongs to us in some strange way.
If Bell owns it, then we don’t anymore.
More later. I’d love to hear people’s comments.
UPDATE:
Damn. I’m already wishing I titled this story “$1.4 Billion For Canada’s Hockey Soul.”
August 11th, 2006 at 11:14 am
I was thinking CTV would have HNIC if the bid went through but a co-worker corrected me… of TSN (owned by Bell) would be the one to carry it. I haven’t had nearly enough coffee today. Yeesh.
I’m already pretty anti-TSN with their pro-Toronto-ness and the ’sport’ of poker coverage. I’m not sure how I feel… it would be like if Tim Horton’s started selling Starbucks coffee I guess
August 11th, 2006 at 11:19 am
It would be like if Tim Horton’s got bought by Starbucks, I think…
August 11th, 2006 at 11:19 am
Okay my last comment almost made sense… let’s try again with another thought:
If it would be on a channel other than the CBC, those without cable wouldn’t be able to get it - bunny ears or not, eh?
And now, I rest my head on my desk and count backwards from 30.
August 11th, 2006 at 12:50 pm
It would sting, if Bell got it instead, and I really wish I could say that I trusted the League to stick with tradition, keeping Hockey in its rightful home in Canada, but I trust Gary Bettman about as far as I can throw him. In fact, with him as comissioner, I’ll almost go ahead and guarantee he removes our beloved hockey from CBC and makes it unwatchable, somehow.
Stupid little weasel man.
August 11th, 2006 at 3:16 pm
The bloviated, useless, wasteful CBC comes up with one good program in a century of broadcasting and they can’t even hold onto that? Something stinks with this corporation. Your telling me they can pony up the dough for George Stroumboulopoulos, Jian Ghomeshi, and Shelagh Rogers to praddle on endlessly yet they will not match any offer by Bell for Hockey Night in Canada?
Suffering Jiminy.
Having said all that. I still have not entirely forgiven the CBC for failing to properly regionalize their coverage. I am sure I’m not the only one who struggled in vain in the 80’s on Saturday nights watching the Habs or the Leafs in order to catch a five second update on how the Canucks were doing. Even today, their regional selections still shock me at times.
Not to mention, it is long past time Bob Cole and Harry Neale were put out to pasture.
August 11th, 2006 at 3:29 pm
I can’t imagine not hearing “that” song every Saturday, sigh.
August 11th, 2006 at 7:22 pm
Temujin, you speak truth brother, well said! I can’t even add to that.
Hey, I liked watching the Leafs in the 80’s! I just didn’t like how much they sucked.
“I’m already pretty anti-TSN with their pro-Toronto-ness”
It’s good to be a Leaf fan when it comes to Canadian Television