Saturday, May 23, 2009

Local television: "It's the plus and plus, if the minuses are played correctly"

CTV and the A-Channels are holding public open houses and community events in order to get the locals to believe that they need to help save local television. I just looked at my Rogers TV guide and noticed with CFTO-TV Toronto and CKCO-TV Kitchener that the only differences in scheduling are the one-hour suppertime news at 6 p.m. and the late evening news at 11:30. That's only one and a half hours of local programming today (Saturday). On the weekdays, there is an extra hour of lunchtime local news. Wow. Local programming is 10.42% of the daily weekday schedule. And it's all news programming.

If you want to see what local programming was like, what this news story about the former Tiny Talent Time show from CHCH-TV Hamilton:



Here's a piece from the 1970's show, WKRP in Cinninatti. I know the content is not exactly related to the so-called fight for local program. However, I do get the feeling that CTV is trying to shift its plusses and minuses in order to maximize the benefits for itself. It's using the campaign to support local television as a way to gain more revenue. Cue to 2:30:



Update: Perhaps we need less local television. See video with station info. at the end:



Another update: If you didn't read my first blog about the local television campaign, click the link.

Another update again: The Tyee has a great blogpost about how the "local" A-Channel in Victoria, BC missed covering the provincial election--especially the local races. Instead, the A-Channel ran American programs.

4 comments:

Robert McClelland said...

Local programming is 10.42% of the daily weekday schedule. And it's all news programming.And three quarters of that news isn't local. So that 10% of local programming shrinks to about 2-3%.

Skinny Dipper said...

Good point!

François Caron said...

Here's another show that local Canadian television produced a long, long time ago: "You Can't Do That On Television" (produced by CJOH Ottawa).

The next thing you know, the US cable channel Nickelodeon buys the rights to the show, steals OUR green slime, and brands THEIR network with the stuff!

Skinny Dipper said...

I loved that show. Unfortunately, no local station would take a chance in producing a similar show like YCDTOT.