YOU KNOW HOW I know this? (Well, besides the fact that I probably am one?)
They make the same dumbass mistakes as the rest of us.
When last we spake of Jpod, CBC's ill-fated adaptation of the Douglas Coupland book, it was canceled, the producer blamed CBC for not (yawn) promoting it properly, and the show's tiny fan base vowed to fight on for a second season.
It called to mind that moment I had a few years ago at an event celebrating new CBC Comedy Pilots, when the creator stood up and said, "we wanted to make a show for people who don't watch TeeVee!" And I thought, "Um, shouldn't you master the people who are watching first?"
Jpod was a troubling exercise for the CBC from the beginning, suffused with plenty of good and bad.
The Good: it did have an appeal to a younger audience
The Bad: they don't watch CBC
The Good: the fan base was passionate
The Bad: they were tiny
The Good: they pointed out that Jpod was one of the most heavily bit-torrented shows on the Interwebs
The Bad: Why the fuck would CBC or any network consider the fact that a huge audience chose to illegally pirate the show and not watch it on air a good thing?
CBC did try tinkering -- they moved JPod to Fridays and swapped it with MVP. Interestingly enough, though the fans complain that move killed the show, the numbers which were dropping like a rock actually ticked up a bit on Fridays. Evidently not all nerds are cool and stylin out on a Friday night. (After all, isn't that Friday death slot where X-Files became a hit. Oh yes, it surely is.)
Anyway, it was all too little too late.
(And some of the too little too late was also creative: the strongest shows that Jpod did were the last few -- the ones that few people saw. Also, you could strongly make the argument, I think, that Jpod was never, ever, ever a show that should have been an hour.)
So now we're left with the inevitable fan campaign to Save Jpod. Officially, I'm thrilled by this campaign. Because, damnit, it's a fan campaign to save a Canadian show!
That's awesome.
But there is the part of me that feels oogy, because, hey, what do you know...the nerds of Jpod are out there committing every fan campaign mistake in the book.
Evidently, they've chosen May 19th to send all sorts of Lego figures to CBC people who could (but won't) bring the show back for a Season 2.
Sigh.
There's all the other stuff in there, too. All the stuff that I wrote about in my Emily Post's Guide To Save-Our-Show Campaigns.
- They vastly overestimate the size of their audience (the selection error problem)
- They vilify and talk about how stupid the CBC is and how they'll never watch it again.
- They focus their efforts strictly on their internet and Facebook audience -- failing to grow their efforts beyond that to an audience that will actually increase their impact and make it wide-ranging.
- They overestimate signs of "success." (Ie: the fact that you're being streamed on "the new WB.com!" doesn't mean you are loved. It means you were dirt cheap to buy.)
And on, and on, and on. Yup. Nerds is smart. But they're not so smart that they can't make the mistakes of every other TV fan.
There's something comforting in that, I guess.
*Oh, and if you're at the CBC and you get a whole mess of Lego, may I humbly suggest figuring out a way to send it here?
11 comments:
The Good: Donating Lego to Sick Kids. Brilliant Denis!
Um - you didn't explain what you have against May 19th... ??
Just cause its a holiday, doesn't mean the mailboxes will all be locked...
And as one of the mainstays of this "tiny" fanbase, I can't resist just a few comments:
1. Sick Kids is an awesome idea for the minifigs - I would love to see them end up there.
2. I do not "hate" the CBC, and I'll never quit watching. I grew up on CBC - its like my slightly old fashioned uncle who really wants to be hip and hang out with his kid's friends and they can't hate him 'cause he really does have a good heart, he's just a dork sometimes. And hey, when its all over, the CBC gave me 14 episodes of one of my favourite shows EVER.
3. I will NOT argue that the fanbase is HUGE - I will only argue one thing: the show is funny, intelligent, sometimes brilliant, and utterly Canadian, and deserves a chance to build an audience. Some shows just take a little longer.
4. As for Bit Torrents - hmmm, I don't think most of the fans are necessarily arguing in favour of the torrents - its just the only way many of them can watch the show - the CBC has not offered a system for people outside of the country to subscribe to their online viewable content.
At this point, all I have left is my love for the show, and for the beautiful people who made it for me. When I stand out in front of the Bayshore on May 24th, http://www.leoawards.com/ I'm going to be standing there for the wonderful actors, writers, crew and producers who made this beautiful gift for me. Its my thank-you card, and even Kirstine Layfield's name will be on that card, cause hey - she gave me season one.
Get it?
Its all about the love.
Those sick kids can get their own lego. Any of it comes my way, it's gone.
"Why the fuck would CBC or any network consider the fact that a huge audience chose to illegally pirate the show and not watch it on air a good thing?"
Downloading is not illegal. It's true. So these people formally known as "pirates" and "thieves" are, in fact, "your audience."
Yayyyy! Semantic arguments are SO MUCH FUN!
The Interwebs are international, and at least some of the people are breaking the (more stringent) copyright laws of their country by downloading via bittorrent.
Is that splitting hairs?
Fuck yeah!
Just as you did when you deliberately misconstrued a point, to..um...well, that's the thing innit?
What's your point?
Unless CBC monetizes torrent downloading somehow, that portion of the audience is not, in fact, germane to deciding whether to pick up the show or not.
They are not "the audience" until such time as CBC's business model changes in such a way that counting them, uh....counts.
Which it doesn't.
And semantics aside, that shouldn't be *that* difficult a concept to grasp.
I agree with DMC about the online audience – it can never sustain the show. However, I do feel the online audience creates uncertainty (Rule #7 of Emily Post Guide), insofar as a move away from Friday night may draw more viewers than previously projected.
I know the early Tues ratings were poor, but I happen to believe the target audience wasn’t aware of the show at that early stage.
We probably missed all the promotion surrounding the premiere because we don’t watch CBC in the first place. That’s not to fault CBC’s promotional efforts; they simply don’t have the means to reach our demographic effectively...
Ultimately, I think CBC needs to decide on a direction. If they wish to reach out to younger viewers (<25), they must recognize their on-channel promotion is not effective, hence they should allocate more time for word-of-mouth to spread in the demographic and build that into their expectations. One simply can’t build a new audience overnight.
jPod appeals to the new audience. And the quality of the show was ramping up with each new episode.
I think jPod is worth saving, and would love to see where the story goes in Season Two.
Hey Denis, what do you do when your not patting yourself on the back over your "Emily Post's Guide To Save-Our-Show Campaigns"? Seriously, do you have a book coming out or something?
jPod fans HAVE in fact branched out from Facebook to spread the word. The campaign has already been mentioned in a couple newspapers. If it hasn't appeared in other media outlets it's not for lack of trying.
And it's not just the CBC's attention we want with this Lego mail-in; the show is going to re-air this summer and we want to drum up as much focus as possible on our efforts to get more people watching.
Maybe a campaign of this nature is old news and played out in the States, but it's a relatively new thing in Canada, for a Canadian show (one on the CBC no less!) Plus, were're not sending something as as bulky and boring as Tabasco sauce or peanuts; Lego Minifigs are tiny and just plain charming!
Denis, is it possible you're a tad jaded? I think somebody needs to reconnect with their inner nerd...
Monica, you clearly have the clarity of purpose which comes from being completely right and knowing the entire context of what you're doing and how you'll succeed. It's a wonder you haven't prevailed already. Cheers.
*edited to remove reference to Jericho which was neither accurate nor relevant*
Oh, and regarding the Lego figures...
This isn’t a militant attempt to overwhelm the mailroom at the CBC.
No.
Each Podster is personally mailing a customized lego person in themselves, and taking the time to include a creative message to show our love for jPod. (And if you're wondering how big a Lego figure is, I can fit at least 20 of them in the palm of one hand). So hardly any different than a postcard.
We are counting on fans being very creative with their figure, and keeping things positive. The goal is twofold: to demonstrate our love for jPod in a different way (we’ve been writing letters for 2 months), and to send a slightly stronger message about our dedication to the show.
As a bonus, we feel that it has the potential to earn a bit of press which would help us reach that non-Internet audience you’re referring to :)
Maybe Strombo should be the new Director of Programming at The CBC:
http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5j6Y8qKWoDfFGquxH_DKTTFpaqwQw
"Online is rapidly becoming king, not traditional TV platforms.
"Part of the reason we did this show is for the kind of people who didn't really watch TV like this before,
(My 2 cents: pretty much that whole younger demographic that the CBC says they're so eager to attract. And yes, they can say they promo'd it sufficiently, but what does that matter if the Target Audience isn't watching The CBC in the first place?)
...so they're not going to come to television - they're going to watch it however they want," he said.
"Ten years from now, the cable channel isn't going to be nearly as important as the domain name. CBC.ca, that's the television channel of the future. We don't worry about where people are watching us, as long as they're watching us."
And then there's this:
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.07/longtail_pr.html (Brilliant!)
and finally, this:
In February 2008, the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage (a committee comprised of various MPs) produced a report entitled CBC/Radio-Canada: Defining distinctiveness in the changing media landscape. The purpose of the report was to study the future role of public broadcasting, and to present the Committee's findings and recommendations.
All of the below statements, taken directly from the report, play straight into jPod's strengths. From the Committee's report: "[CBC] must constantly keep up with new technologies and reach out to audiences where they are, including young people who seek content on the Internet." (p.5) "We are asking CBC/Radio-Canada to be original, of high quality and innovative" (p.9) "Mandate of the CBC/Radio-Canada as stipulated in the Broadcasting Act (1991, c. 11, B-9.01, [Assented to February 1, 1991)(i) be predominantly and distinctively Canadian […]" (p 18) "[…]CBC should make large increases to arts and cultural programming, for example, by producing more contemporary Canadian dramas, historical documentaries, and TV movies." (p.34) "Dwindling audience share is not unique to public broadcasting, and audience measurement will need to adapt alongside the transition to digital media. Internet broadcasting, downloading and streaming content, PVRs and on-demand and pay services mean that the same film, television episode or news broadcast will be seen by many more viewers than those who tune in for "appointment television"." (p55) "CBC/Radio-Canada's online presence will be fundamental to its relevance to Canadian audiences in the future." (p57)
from http://www.friends.ca/News/Friends_News/archives/articles041708010.asp
Like a proper Geek, I've done my homework. jPod is one of the first shows in Canadian TV that I can remember that has launched a Fan Campaign to save a show. But in the end what it all comes down to for me is that jPod is a brilliantly written, well acted show and deserved better than to be cancelled so quickly. (And for the record, I actually watched jPod traditionally, recording it on my DVR if I wasn't home when it was on. With the exception of Episode 11of course, I watched that online because the CBC skipped it and never aired it at all.)
Kirstine Layfield herself talked about how the CBC was taking notice of things. From an article in the Globe and Mail on 30/05/07 and also posted on the CBC Website:
"After years of so-called high-impact miniseries that largely left viewers cold, CBC Television has unveiled a slate of fall shows that it says reflects a new belief that audiences like to be given time to really get to know TV characters. Kirstine Layfield, executive director of network programming, promised a “new direction at the CBC” and acknowledged that “the audience had changed.“People like to meet characters. They like to fall in love with them, and stay with them for a while. Our goal is to increase the number of people coming to the CBC,”
We fell in love with the characters from jPod, why isn't she letting us stay with them for a while?
Which leads me to another point of contention, the CBC has pretty much ignored viewers regarding jPod. Sure, she eventually sent out the same letter to the masses, basically saying we're sorry you're upset, but watch our new shows (http://www.cbc.ca/arts/tv/story/2008/04/09/cbc-shows.html)
next year, blah, blah, blah.
If given the option to watch exceptional Canadian productions I think you would see a "If you broadcast it, we will watch it" attitude take place. The CBC should have confidence in Canadians and not just assume that we are all "Big Brother" and "The Hills" watching sheep. In regards to the CBC, I think all of their content should be Canadian, after all, it is the "Canadian Broadcasting Corporation". People can watch Coronation Street on BBC Canada. I grew up watching The Beachcombers, The King of Kensington, Bizarre and Second City, and it makes me sad that my own kids are not getting the same uniquely Canadian influence. MVP and Sophie? Puh-leeze, a knock-off of Footballers Wives and a hard done by Baby Mama - oh wait! - get Maury, "You are NOT the father!"
jPod has received 15 Leo Nominations and not one mention of the accomplishment was made on the CBC.ca website.
In fact, in my experience, the only 2 people from the CBC who have given jPod Fans the time of day are Tod Maffin and Ouimette - and they didn't have to.
We followed the "Write Letters and be nice" rules and were ignored for two months. We're sending the Lego now in an attempt to bring more attention to the Fan Campaign to save the show.
And it worked didn't it? You wrote about it.
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