The Problem, Eh?

[CANADIAN TV] CP's got a story on the wire where Tv Eh, Blogcritics and Unified Theory blogger Diane is quoted alongside the likes of Chris Haddock (DaVinci, the upcoming Intelligence) about the problems promoting Canadian TV to Canadians.

A few highlights:

While compelling Canadians to tune into homegrown fare has always been a struggle, one Canadian TV producer says it's even more difficult now to compete against the tidal wave of American magazines, websites, advertising and so-called infotainment shows that celebrate U.S. television on both sides of the border.

"The Americans operate the best propaganda machine in the world," says Chris Haddock, the man behind "Da Vinci's Inquest" and the new CBC show, "Intelligence," premiering Oct. 10 and already getting rave reviews from critics.

I really worry about Haddock's new show. CBC made the unforgiveably stupid bureaucratic brain-dead maneuver of firing all their publicists last year. And numbers are down across the network. I have doubts as to whether they can step up and mount any kind of campaign. It's October 1, and I have yet to see a single promo, ad, transit shelter or handbill promoting the premiere of Intelligence. Oh well, it's not like I live in Canada's largest city or anything.

Haddock's point is the the wedge that we have to deal with, as Canadians, that no one else in the world has to deal with when it comes to their domestic industry: effectively, we're part of the U.S. domestic industry. That's how the movie marketing guys see us; and that's how the Canadian viewer watches TV.

Canadians read and watch all the massive promo for fall shows -- promo that the Canadian networks get for free, after they've bought these shows for a fraction of what they cost to make. Then, they get to substitute their signal over the U.S. one on cable and satellite, whenever they simulcast. THAT is a massive subsidization of the so-called "private" tv networks in this country. So what do they do with such wonderful bounty?

The Writers Guild of Canada made a submission last week to the CRTC, pointing out that spending by broadcasters on Canadian programming over the past five years has dropped from 27 per cent to 25 per cent of advertising revenue. During the same time period, spending on American shows increased from 27 per cent to 35 per cent.

"To make matters worse," the Writers Guild said, "this happened while advertising revenues rose more than 15 per cent over the same period. That means that during the past five years as over-the-air broadcasters were making more money, they were spending less on Canadian programming."

Oh. I see.

I know that TV writers and producers complaining that there's not enough support, and that Canadian networks don't take them seriously is a small beans complaint compared to the things that affect everyone else's lives. I know that.

But right now, everybody gets to have it both ways in this industry, except us. The networks get millions of dollars of freebies from US promo, for series they bought cheap and get to piggyback on US promo....viewers get to watch goodies at the same time as the Americans ( a "right" that is so ensconced in Canadians' minds that when they hear about the 5% of shows they can't watch at exactly the same time -- they freak out. See: Galactica, Battlestar. or Mars, Veronica.)

But better marketing is essential to getting anywhere. I have heard multiple stories of people who create Canadian shows not being invited to the upfronts at their own networks, for example. That's not anemic promo. That's Keystone Kops.

I think we have to start creating higher concept fare -- because that needs less promo. An idea that you can get in a sentence can wend its way into the consciousness in the way that complex narratives can't. I think we need to get it on the air while the idea is still in the public consciousness, and admit that developing shows for two years does not make them better.
And a little savvy on the propaganda front wouldn't hurt, either.