Saturday, March 14, 2009
Welcome Birders
I'M PROFOUNDLY IMPRESSED by the recent traffic I'm getting from Chris Bird. But that still doesn't help me with my first draft. Lots of stuff to talk about. Maybe that's the problem. It's going to be a few days yet.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Gone Fishing
I'M TIRED. I HAVE lots and lots of work to do.
And I'm tired of all the pettiness. I really am.
Gone fishin till I'm through the weeds. At least.
And I'm tired of all the pettiness. I really am.
Gone fishin till I'm through the weeds. At least.
Tale of the Tape
GREATEST MOMENT in comedy? Maybe not. But what's interesting is that it plays pretty much like every other one of those sketches. And before you fuckers start with the wingnut "Greg is an alien the laughs are sweetened" shit....they're not.
I think there's a lesson here. Your mileage might vary. There's a lot of that these days.
I think there's a lesson here. Your mileage might vary. There's a lot of that these days.
Monday, March 9, 2009
22 Yoo-hoo
BILL BRIOUX does some nice work contextualizing the Geri Hall 22 Minutes imbroglio, which I took on here, over at his digs, TV Feeds My Family.
I didn't make too much of this in the other piece I wrote, well, mainly because I was into my own froth about journalists and the Parliamentary Press Corps (which, I now have to say, looks like it was hyperbolic over-reaction in the other direction, in light of Brioux's subsequent reporting. Note to Queen's Park press gallery: Daddy is sorry. [more of a retraction than you'll get at some places. Oh, I kid. I kid because I love.])
Then again, those news organizations did run with the...no, no, no, no, no, Daddy is sorry. Sorry.
But baby, why you make Daddy so mad?
Anyway, having done that kind of producing work for years and years, the least convincing argument I heard from people was, "look at the footage. she bombed."
I've seen about, oh, 5000 hours of raw footage in my time. It always sucks. Part of what I used to be paid for was to make it awesome. It's part of the gig. Also, I think it's awesome that Brioux goes for it and makes the point that I almost made and pulled back from: you would have never pulled that shit on Mary Walsh. Mary Walsh would have taken Peter Kormos downtown and dropped him in the drink, bad back or no.
I heard from a number of people quite close to the show in the aftermath, but didn't feel like quoting or getting into that game, since this isn't a journalism blog, and I'm not really a journalist. I'm glad a real journalist tracked down one of the nicest guys in Canadian show business, 22 Minutes Executive Producer Mark Farrell, for their side of the story.
But I'm also glad Mark didn't talk to me because he (being aforementioned nicest guy in show business) would probably not want me to end by reiterating the following point:
Peter Kormos is a giant douche.
I'd forgotten he was a Sunshine Boy. Goof.
I'm still surprised by the amount of vitriol this generated, and how out of hand the whole thing seemed. You know, it adds to my unease generally about news spin, as I've got to say that every news story I've ever had first hand knowledge of has seemed like a massive distorto-fest -- no matter how I was involved -- as an observer, journo, bystander, or participant.
Farrell sent her to Queen`s Park at the invitation of the Queen`s Park Press Gallery, who suggested McGuinty needed tweaking about his self imposed five foot personal space limit. The local press wags even offered to keep her hidden until it was time to pounce. She waited for a signal that the session was about to wrap, which she always does. She did her ambush thing, and McGuinty was appropriately awkward. Mission accomplished.
Except NDP MLA and former Sunshine Boy Peter Kormos went ballistic, spinning the comedy ambush into some sort of assault on working people in Ontario. `Get the hell out of here!`he brayed, bringing the encounter to an end.
It all got posted at thestar.com and other places, packaged as a CP video hit. Hall`s crime was that her intrusion took place as McGuinty was speaking to job losses at Stelco in Hamilton and Nanticoke, which definitely is no laughing matter. But this was at the end of the session and this wasn`t the joke Hall or 22 Minutes were ever going to tell.
Still, Hall was quickly tried and convicted, guilty of bad timing. Too bad Kormos never dared to pick on Mary Walsh in all her Marg Delehunty thunder. She would have cut him in half.
I didn't make too much of this in the other piece I wrote, well, mainly because I was into my own froth about journalists and the Parliamentary Press Corps (which, I now have to say, looks like it was hyperbolic over-reaction in the other direction, in light of Brioux's subsequent reporting. Note to Queen's Park press gallery: Daddy is sorry. [more of a retraction than you'll get at some places. Oh, I kid. I kid because I love.])
Then again, those news organizations did run with the...no, no, no, no, no, Daddy is sorry. Sorry.
But baby, why you make Daddy so mad?
Anyway, having done that kind of producing work for years and years, the least convincing argument I heard from people was, "look at the footage. she bombed."
I've seen about, oh, 5000 hours of raw footage in my time. It always sucks. Part of what I used to be paid for was to make it awesome. It's part of the gig. Also, I think it's awesome that Brioux goes for it and makes the point that I almost made and pulled back from: you would have never pulled that shit on Mary Walsh. Mary Walsh would have taken Peter Kormos downtown and dropped him in the drink, bad back or no.
I heard from a number of people quite close to the show in the aftermath, but didn't feel like quoting or getting into that game, since this isn't a journalism blog, and I'm not really a journalist. I'm glad a real journalist tracked down one of the nicest guys in Canadian show business, 22 Minutes Executive Producer Mark Farrell, for their side of the story.
But I'm also glad Mark didn't talk to me because he (being aforementioned nicest guy in show business) would probably not want me to end by reiterating the following point:
Peter Kormos is a giant douche.
I'd forgotten he was a Sunshine Boy. Goof.
Minister of Heritage Visits Flashpoint Set.
There's very little point of speculating about what will really happen down the road with this Canada Media Fund, because none of the details seem to be worked out.
The major changes are that the Board will change -- now the BDU's will get to appoint who sits on the board.
This is not a bunch of new money. It's the same money -- CTF plus Canada New Media Fund money rolled into one.
Plus, the loss of a guaranteed CBC envelope may not be the disaster it first seems, either. The fund envelopes will be based on performance, but the CBC will be in a strong position, supposedly, because they run more original programs, longer orders, less repeats, etc.
Bottom line:
Heritage's decision is better than the cockamamie two-fund solution proposed by the CRTC.
In the current climate, that's the biggest win you could probably hope for. It remains to be seen how the details will work out -- it's definitely a big reward for the BDU's, but there you go.
The Minister came, he toured, he talked to the writers. Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern, Flashpoint's co-creators, were engaging, and the actors joked around with the Minister, too.
WGC's press release on the visit is available here.
EDIT: An earlier version of this post apparently mischaracterized elements of the Flashpoint tour by the Minister. The Management regrets the error and has dutifully redacted all colour from the post.
The major changes are that the Board will change -- now the BDU's will get to appoint who sits on the board.
This is not a bunch of new money. It's the same money -- CTF plus Canada New Media Fund money rolled into one.
Plus, the loss of a guaranteed CBC envelope may not be the disaster it first seems, either. The fund envelopes will be based on performance, but the CBC will be in a strong position, supposedly, because they run more original programs, longer orders, less repeats, etc.
Bottom line:
Heritage's decision is better than the cockamamie two-fund solution proposed by the CRTC.
In the current climate, that's the biggest win you could probably hope for. It remains to be seen how the details will work out -- it's definitely a big reward for the BDU's, but there you go.
The Minister came, he toured, he talked to the writers. Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern, Flashpoint's co-creators, were engaging, and the actors joked around with the Minister, too.
WGC's press release on the visit is available here.
EDIT: An earlier version of this post apparently mischaracterized elements of the Flashpoint tour by the Minister. The Management regrets the error and has dutifully redacted all colour from the post.
Tweet Tweet, Flash, Burn, Bury, TweetBLAM, Feathers,
WELL, LET'S DO it this way, then. (Damn you, Freedom! I didn't launch you fast enough!)
There'll be more later, but for now, here's your announcement by Heritage Minister James Moore from the Flashpoint set, via Twitter. (@Flashpoint_TV)
NOW, I'm unplugging.
There'll be more later, but for now, here's your announcement by Heritage Minister James Moore from the Flashpoint set, via Twitter. (@Flashpoint_TV)
- 310 million over two years
- Cbc guaranteed envelope removed
- Ctf consolidated with new media april 2010 to create new media fund of 310 million
- A level playing field. In house production allowed. No guaranteed envelopes. Ctf will operate seperately this year
- Commitment to canadian artists
- Support programs that canadians watch on prime time and all mobile devices
- Support production in new media and emerging platforms
- A new board of appointeers to manage the fund made up of nominations by the government and by the largest contributrs
- New canada media fund
- Government recognizing new media in culture
- Heritage Minister James Moore to visit Flashpoint and make announcement this morning. Will try and live-twitter updates.
NOW, I'm unplugging.
Talking 'Can't Make The Business Model Work Cause We Paid Attention to the Wrong Crap' Blues
IT'S NOT LIKE Canadian media companies were alone in this -- remember how AOL TIME WARNER was going to do everything cause of "synergy?" Riiight. But U.S. media companies also invested heavily in Content by becoming their own TV studios: FOX now feeds FOX and F/X, NBC Universal, ABC Studios and CBS Productions also pump product.
I don't know Angelo Persachilli, but I do find it a little shameful that it's an op-ed columnist who puts forth the clearest explanation of Canadian broadcasting's woes. Then again, with the concentration at work in the Canadian media, maybe it's not so unusual.
Meanwhile, later today, if my information holds up, another cavalierly disastrous decision for the Canadian creative industry is coming down. We'll return to that later. For now, I'm running my little Freedom app and unplugging for a few hours to get work done.
The sky can always fall later.
I don't know Angelo Persachilli, but I do find it a little shameful that it's an op-ed columnist who puts forth the clearest explanation of Canadian broadcasting's woes. Then again, with the concentration at work in the Canadian media, maybe it's not so unusual.
In fact, you could argue that the conventional broadcasters are doubling down on their bad strategy right now. How? They're trying to get out of local news. It would be funny if it weren't so sad. Hey CRTC, are you listen...never mind, they're not. We know that already.To understand the problems broadcasting is experiencing it helps to compare it with the changes that took place 30 years ago in the computer industry.
At that time, the market was controlled by IBM, the corporate leader in producing hardware. In a few years, however, everybody was able to build computers and IBM became only one of several manufacturers. Then Bill Gates came along and software took over the industry.
The same has happened with broadcasting. Thirty years ago, the sector was controlled by the companies that owned the medium through radio or TV broadcasting licences. Then something happened. New technology – fibre-optic cable and satellites – came along and viewers were flooded with hundreds of channels, many from abroad, mainly from the United States. The sudden abundance of channels (hardware) and shortage of programs (software) changed the game. Quality content became the dividing line between success and failure.
Unfortunately – and contrary to what Gates did – broadcasters ignored the software, meaning programs, and tried to maintain their control of the industry by buying new channels and asking the CRTC for more. Imagine IBM trying to control the computer industry by buying clone computer makers and leaving the opportunity to fill them with content to others – that's what it was like.
Private Canadian broadcasters (the CBC is in a different category because of public financing and unique regulatory demands) increased their capacity to broadcast but reduced their ability to fill their outlets with quality Canadian-produced programs. They looked for easy profit by flooding Canada with American-produced shows and got around the CRTC's Canadian content requirements by airing cheaply produced ethnic programs and repeats of Canadian-produced shows to the point that viewers have memorized them.
But new technology allows us to bypass their stations and watch programs directly on foreign channels. It's the same with ethnic programs. There are so many channels from around the world broadcasting quality programs in every language that Canadian production, aside from some newscasts, is useless.
Broadcasters didn't invest heavily in production because, they say, we can't compete with American companies whose audience is 10 times bigger than ours. In this lame defence is concentrated the core of the problems affecting our broadcasters: They ignored the fact that new technology long ago crashed geographic barriers, and they have always seen the 300-million-strong American market as a threat rather than an opportunity. We speak the same language, after all.
Instead, the broadcasters cocooned themselves inside Canada's borders and chose the easy way out, asking the CRTC to tax their viewers while buying more American programs. They complained that their over-the-air channels were less profitable than specialty cable channels and asked for permission to charge a fee to cable companies carrying their programs. Why not improve the quality of their programs to woo viewers back from the specialty channels? Because they own most of the specialty channels and would have been competing against themselves. So instead of improving quality, they sought to subsidize their over-the-air channels by charging viewers for programs they don't watch. This request, denied by the CRTC, came last year when the economy was booming. I'm sure they will try again, this time blaming the recession for their problems.
Meanwhile, later today, if my information holds up, another cavalierly disastrous decision for the Canadian creative industry is coming down. We'll return to that later. For now, I'm running my little Freedom app and unplugging for a few hours to get work done.
The sky can always fall later.
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