It needs to be said that the stem-to-gudgeon relaunch of CBC news today — radio, cable network, flagship newscast, website — shows a hearty re-dedication to the proposition that news matters, and that the public broadcaster should be putting news at the centre of its mission, that should be applauded. Last spring, while mocking the Globe’s publisher, I took a one-paragraph detour to claim, based on then-ambient rumours, that Don Newman’s show might not be replaced and that the Corp was therefore “trying to decide whether the number of hours of dedicated political coverage in a day should be one or zero, instead of, say, three or six.” Well, things evolved: now pretty much the whole day at Newsworld Network is about breaking news, with an emphasis on politics that reaches its summit with a two-hour dinnertime politics orgy on Evan Solomon’s palatial set.
(The Globe, meanwhile, is a more substantial paper, on most days, than it was before Phil Crawley switched editors. And the Toronto Star is re-energized, very much in line with its traditions dating back more than half a century, under Mike Cooke’s stewardship. And we’re doing our thing at Maclean’s, and Steve Maich has started to transform Canadian Business, and La Presse assuredly will survive its current troubles. Against impossible odds, and even taking the Canwest capsizing into account, I think much of Canada’s media landscape actually looks brighter today than a year ago. I anticipate many furious rebuttals to this paragraph in the comments.)
But the CBC relaunch is a bit of a mixed bag. The deeper news hole is, clearly, a hell of a challenge to fill on a day when there actually isn’t all that much going on in the world. And no amount of frenetic urgency from a dizzying succession of hosts, all of them bolt upright on hind legs as though they had been forbidden the use of their asses (jazz hands, everyone! Motion motion motion!) can substitute for the purposeful use of the extra time the network has allotted itself.
Two hours of frantic kineticism is exhausting. An endless succession of tidbits is not more satisfying than the staid pokeyness of the old CBC: if they don’t start stretching out and luxuriating in the richness of a couple of stories soon, they’re going to become the Official Network of ADD. Tonight’s National had some news, then a long promo for some story we’re not going to get to see until tomorrow, then some news, then an absurd buildup to a promise from Jian Gomeshi that we’re going to hear him interview Gustavo Dudamel tomorrow morning on the radio, then some more news. It is deadly to the show’s credibility if I can’t tell the difference between news and promos-for-news. That whole idea is a visitation from the Dept. of Somebody Thought It Was A Good Idea, just like those gruelling years when Hana Gartner would come on at 10:20 to act out our confusion in expressive dance, instead of doing anything to dispel it. As for Wendy Mesley’s wacky trip to the bookstore in an H1N1 survival suit, well, we can’t accuse the Corp of refusing to take any risks, now can we.
I think the good news substantially outweighs the bad here. The newshole the CBC has opened up is immense; each of those new shows clearly has the attention of a lot of hardworking people; they’re clearly not just punching time clocks. Our 2005 relaunch at Maclean’s erred on the side of nervous jumpiness too. There’s the potential here for a news operation that impresses instead of merely dazzling. First they just need to stop flashing all those strobe lights in our eyes.
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What I want to know is if somebody is investigating whether or not CBC violated its journalistic policy by putting that bloodied protester in the studio in the first place. It would seem to me that the putting a bloodied protestor on air would be considered “the presentation of violence” and it seems clear to me that he was put on the air in the state he was for “shock effect”.
According to the CBC’s policy:
“In all cases, the presentation of violence should be warranted and should not be undertaken for shock effect or for trivial reasons.”
http://www.cbc.radio-canada.ca/accountability/jou...
So I'm watching Mark Kelly last night and I start focussing on the zooming and flashing crawls underneath him. Suddenly, it induced a seizure and hallucinations like I'm a Japanese kid watching bad anime. When I woke up, I swear I saw Peter Mansbridge shuffling nervously back and forth with his head lopped off by the camera, talking to some reporter off stage right.
Next time they decide to have a.v. night for the local high school kids, they should post a warning.
Start of a post at "Dust my Broom":
"CNN (North): Why bother?
Indeed. Most of Mother Corpse's "news" makeover, with money from taxpayers in the Great White North having gone, er, south in the effort, is now a frenetic ("frantic kineticism"? see link at last para of post) reality show, fixated this morning on a sad, but individual, anomaly…"
http://dustmybroom.com/index.php?option=com_conte...
Mark
Ottawa
I was cautiously optimistic about the redo of CBC News. Wow. What a load of poo. Total lack of depth. The National is just putrid. And Newsworld's redo is all flash, no substance. The Mark Kelley Connect show is unbelievably bad – totally reliant of free content from the web. What does Stursberg have over those who are keeping him employed?? It is breathtaking in its vapidness.
I appreciated Wendy Mesley's take on Africa tonight, "Can we have a snack please?" — the sarcasm here is so youthful and edgy.
I am young and uninformed, but this new sarcastic, vapid, edgy and ADD ridden format has really peaked my interest in the news. Way to keep it real CBC…
BOLF!!
The new Internet media c/w live U-Tube fillers much of which is captured along with the eye-reporters to news networks is becoming dulls ville. If it was not for the Cafferty File who would really watch Wolf Blizer. CTV has been using day late CNN material for years, Mike and Pamela have moved on the Senate, no more inside rat finking there, This leaves nothing more than another around of dead people from Iraq and Afghanistan, but wait could we have a good ode Shock and Awe in Iran. oops more dead people!
Far too many people are living one pay check away from poverty and are totally wiped out and disgusted with all politicians and have decided they have cast their last vote. So why watch any political type on TV, they are all the same be they CEO' s or generals. Thanks Macleans at least I get some say and comfort with a few words here and there accepted for print or not. More & more of us ode dudes are well informed and choose not to vote because we have learned Politics is Self Serving plain and simple more than ever.
You lost me when you misspelled YouTube.
That's a pet peeve of mine.
Their slogan is "Broadcast Yourself", not "Broadcast random letters of the alphabet".