Surfergeeks

Jason says:

I disagree.

I think there is such thing as Canadian culture and it is important to protect it. Canadian culture has long been inundated by an almost overpowering American influence. And to this extent, most people are unable to identify what Canadian culture is. However, Canadian culture is alive and well and is being depicted on Canadian television. We have distinct legal, political, social, geographical, and historical traditions that feed into our Canadian culture.

So, how does the CRTC requirement of having Canadian broadcasters air a certian percentage of Canadian programming promote our culture? In two ways: it gives us an alternative to American programming; and it gives us a reflection of ourselves by dealing with Canadian issues in a Canadian perspective.

Here’s another way of looking at this issue — Canadian music contributes to our Canadian culture and heritage. The CRTC enforces Canadian content on Radio – name some Canadian music! There’s tons, and not all is as popular in the US as here (Great Big Sea, The Tragically Hip, and 54-40 come to mind) why? – Because a Canadian audience isn’t the same as an American one; Canadians have tastes in, and historical ties to some styles of music not addressed by American bands/singers (eg. francophone music, eastern Canadian music). Part of the reason music flourishes in Canada is because of the CRTC’s mandate to have Canadian music played on the radio, another reason is talent, and the third is cost — it is relatively cheap to record an album and get some airplay on a Cdn radio station.

One of the reasons why Canadian television is not regarded as “as-good-as” US television has to do with production values. Good television is expensive to produce and the Americans have more money. The more people who watch a show, the more money the advertisers will pay the broadcaster to air ads on that show. The more money a broadcaster receives for a show, the more money can be spent on the show itself. More viewers in the US, means more money to produce television shows in the US when compared to the Canadian market. Higher production budgets means higher wages, so most of our acting and behind-the-scenes talent drifts south of the border. Thus, Canadian television is often exemplified by poor acting, cheap sets, and bad writing because this is all that remains for our paltry budgets.

The CRTC mandates that Canadian networks air a certain percentage of Canadian programming with the goal of promoting Canadian culture. Because of costs and talent drain, Canadian TV networks are presented with a conundrum – how to meet Cdn content rules while remaining profitable with smaller budgets than American shows while having to be competetive with American shows. One result: re-runs of TV shows that were filmed in Canada aimed for a global audience; another result, cheap television shows that don’t compete with the cream of the crop of American television; and a final category, high-quality Canadian shows that provide a Canadian view point. (I am not going to discuss news programs – they help broadcasters meet Cdn content rules, but they don’t really contribute culturally to our society).

With regards to “re-runs of TV shows that were filmed in Canada aimed for a global audience.” Name as many Canadian content shows that air on Canadian television as you can. Hard isn’t it? But among the list, you’ll eventually come up with shows like Earth: Final Conflict, Relic Hunter, Tek War, and Nikita. And, to be honest, I wouldn’t classify these shows as distinctly Canadian – the only reason these shows get airplay is because they were filmed in Canada with a certain percentage of Canadian actors and workers. These shows were designed for an international market and were filmed here because it is cheaper than filming in LA. We get inundated with these shows because they are the cheapest to air (purchased at discounted costs as they are second run shows) and meet the content regualtions. These shows will always survive (sadly) because of the CRTCs mandate to force low-budget Canadian broadcasters to air Canadian content.

I’ll deal with “cheap television shows that don’t compete with the cream of the crop of American television” next. The best example; comedy – and not sitcoms, but sketch-comedy and stand-up comedy. Distinctly Canadian, cheap to produce as there are no elaborate sets, its a niche market, and usually air in low-end time slots (such as during the day or on Friday nights). Think about it – Royal Canadian Air Farce, Red Green, Kids in the Hall, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Just for Laughs — all Canadian, all screaming Canadian content and culture, and all produced on miniscule budgets. These shows are popular because they examine events happening in Canadian society and poke fun at them. We could never get this from US television.

The final category of Canadian television: High-quality Candian shows (primarily dramas, and a few sitcoms)that provide distinct Canadian perspectives of whats going on in the world. This category of Canadian television flies into the face of conventional wisdom – it is relatively expensive to produce, competes directly with American counterparts, and is designed specifically for a Canadian audience. Does it survive? Yes. Why? Because there is a demand for a Canadian perspective on television. For example – Street Legal. It was a very popular Canadian law show. It lasted for 6 or 7 seasons, had a large following, and offerred something unique – a look at the Canadian legal system and some of the legal issues relevant in Canadian society. This was something LA Law couldn’t do because it couldn’t address Canadian issues – it could be entertaining, but never completely applicable to Canadians. Other shows that offer distinctly Canadian perspectives are This is Wonderland (another Toronto-based law show) and Made in Canada (a parody of the Canadian tv/film industry). Another example of a high quality Cdn show that is doing well in Canada is The Eleventh Hour – a drama that looks at the goings-on behind the scenes of a Canadian news show. This show ably addresses Canadian news issues in a dramatic Canadian context – something American shows can’t do. And my final example – Corner Gas. A new Canadian Sitcom. Its about a girl from Toronto who moves to rural Saskatchewan and has to mix in with the locals – hilarity ensues. Why is it a hit? Because it is distinctly Canadian and offers a reflection on our society that most Canadians can identify with – the rural/urban dichotomy that exists in Canadian society (and its well written and acted).

These high quality Canadian shows are becoming more scarce but are getting better. Competetive pressures mean that only the best-of-the-best Canadian high quality shows can literally afford to survive – it has to be good to get the viewers, to get the ad revenue, to stay on the air.

Will Canadian television shows ever be as popular or as good as US shows? Probably not. But this doesn’t mean that Canadian television is without merit. It serves a purpose – both as an alternative to what the Americans would feed us and as a reflection of Canadian values and culture. I believe that the government should do more to promote the development of Canadian shows, as opposed to relying on the CRTC to mandate content rules. After all, I’d rather watch new episodes of The Eleventh Hour and 22 Minutes than reruns of Earth: Final Conflict. However, it is the content rules that create the market for Canadian broadcasters to produce good Canadian television. I can stomach reruns of Earth: Final Conflict if it means that I get to watch high quality programs like The Eleventh Hour, This is Wonderland, and Corner Gas.

And why do we need to receive US Satellite signals anyway? You can’t watch the Canadian shows on the US satellites and you can watch all the US programs on Canadian television already! (although it would be nice to see the multi-million dollar ads on the SuperBowl).

The only reason this is an issue is because Canadian broadcasters are losing money to pirated US satellite signals. The broadcasters are pressuring the CRTC (a non-profit government watchdog and regulator of Canadian TV broadcasters, radio, and telephone companies) to allow US cable channels onto their line-ups, the theory being that Canadians will pay for the channels they want if they are available in Canada legally, rather than pirating them. (which is like saying that two stores side by side carry bananas, store A gives the bananas away free, store B charges $50/month for all the bananas you want — which store would you “buy” from? the broadcasters seem to think store B is preferable) I think we can all see the flawed logic in the broadcasters arguement. And so does the CRTC, so for now, the CRTC isn’t doing anything — they’re enforcing Canadian content laws, and leaving it up to the broadcasters to deal with pirated satellite signals.

Hope you enjoyed my two cents, I think I got my money’s worth! (wow – a 1,500 word essay! — Ok, I do have a life, I don’t rant endlessly on web sites about Canadian content and culture, really….I am an interesting person damn it!!!)