BOLD CHANGES?

A very busy week at the office job resulted in not being able to update since last Monday so I promised myself that no matter what I would find something to rant about this weekend.

Sure there were lots of crazy neighbour-related stories that came to my attention while checking out the vast tubes of the intraweb. A few that caught my eye included indecency charges for a man who was caught having sex with his picnic table to a story about a lady who was so upset with the construction noises caused by a kitchen cabinet renovation next door that she decided to assault her neighbour with her car.

What really got me laughing and slightly worked up had nothing to do with neighbours after all. I learned on Saturday that the CBC, the government-funded television and media network here in Canada, has decided to "re-brand" two of its cable channels. I learned this because I have them as part of a 'free preview weekend' blah blah.

Now I want to state on the record that I love the CBC. I believe in the principle of a taxpayer funded network that airs programming that is reflective of our diverse country and provides an opportunity to broadcast shows that may not be commercially viable because they don't cater to the lowest common denominator type of generic sexual innuendo, mindless violence, and racist stereotyping that passes for 99% of all prime-time television.

That all being said, it ticks me off that somebody actually was paid to think about the re-branding of this network. The new channel called 'BOLD' was formally known as 'Country Canada'. At first I thought we might be getting something similar to the metamorphosis of The Nashville Network into SPIKE TV in the USA. I had visions of an endless orgy of Steven Segal movies sandwiched between shows about customizing cars and T&A based reality programming with a dash of Mixed Martial Arts on top. Those hopes were dashed. According to the CBC the new channel will offer "cutting edge programming" and a "deeper television experience".

So what was on BOLD last night? Some uncut and award winning foreign film? No such luck. Instead we were treated to the World Womens Curling Semi-Finals. The daytime linup for next week? Mostly reruns of cancelled CBC prime-time dramas like Intelligence and Da Vinci's Inquest. Now THAT is cutting edge! They are going to round out thier programming with some broadcasts of the Metropolitan Opera, Cirque du Soleil and one or two British drama shows that will be broadcast uncut (read: tits and foul language).

Somebody should lose their job over this marketing fiasco but it will never happen and now we have more fodder for those who would argue that we need to get rid of the CBC entirely instead of just getting rid of inept senior management.