qwerty06

In other words: is the choice of programs shown in Canadian TV crap? (we are not talking about the quality of canadian made programmes here)

My vote: Yes
Why: too many adverts, very few films, dummies/mononeuron barbies (Cindy?) reporting the news on CTV, hour long features to discuss 30 second events on CBC, documentaries only on PBS if you are lucky or Discovery when they are not showing 'Monster Cars'... do not even get me started on Much Music, next time I am in Toronto I may enact that fantasy where I egg pellett the big window behind the presenters or show a big board along the lines 'PLAY SOME MUSIC FOR ONCE other than 50 Cent et. al.'.

Having said that, I am becoming a fan of the varied CBC radio, and Halifax has a good radio station variety. Also, I am reading a lot more books!

Luckily we got Torchwood (in a nice Cardiff accent) via recordable DVD at Christmas... for now I will live on Holmes on Homes and The Weather Network when I am not catching up on books or planning my garden.

Cheers

dbd33

Yes.

Biiiiink

I was going to agree with you until I got to the Torchwood bit. Liking that disqualifies you from rubbishing Canadian TV

qwerty06

I never said Torchwood was any good but I watch it

Hey, it's better than Entertainment Tonight

Rich_007

Is it anything like Pobl y Cwm (old S4C soap opera).

Rich.

MrGreen

It is indeed undeniably bad.

qwerty06

Undeniably bad indeed... hence why we cut the cable to the minimum package (as we get the phone line from the same guys) and got a Satellite Radio (it has BBC Radio 1!) and have not looked back.

Novocastrian

Oh, the irony! Now you've got BBC Radio 1 (of all things) you've not looked back!

raine66

Absolutely 100% crap, why do you think we are on here at night

Atlantic Xpat

I listened to Radio 1 when I went back to UK for a visit last year. Most of it was incomprehensible and that was just the DJ's. Then I re-tuned to Radio 2 and was reassured to find Steve Wright doing exactly the same stuff he did on Radio 1 15 years ago - being bloody irritating and unoriginal. Still I felt more at home. Middle age is clearly beckoning.

Canadian TV should be considered in two perpsectives. Firstly since most of the channels / programmes we get are US, it's really US TV. And yes it's crap but a few minutes channel surfing through SKY in the UK is all one needs to realise that most of the TV in the UK is crap too. With the honorable exception of some of the terrestrial output and BBC specialist channels.

The second perspective is the 'made in Canada' programmes. Humour, with the exception of Rick Mercer and bits of 22 Minutes is lacking. I never got my head around Red Green or Trailer park boys and wonder what the hell the national broadcaster is doing wasting resources on Royal Air Farce. It would also be nice for Canadian TV, particularly CBC to have a few more adverts for variety's sake rather than showing the same ones continually and often twice in the same ad break. As a form of brainwashing it's hardly subtle.

I do like Holmes on Homes. The missus says it's because I have a gay crush on Mike H but it's really about education on Canadian house construction. And for the vicarious pleasure of other peoples stupidity. (What do you mean did we get a permit? )

Novocastrian

Well, it's the new normal, innit?

FWIW I watch BBC World News on CBC NW at 6:OO most nights, then eat, then watch Jeopardy on CTV at 7:30. Then check out Steve Palkin's "Agenda" on TVO. If it's not crap I'll do that until 9 many a time, then walk the dog.

This is all (nay more) than I expect from TV.


OK, add in EPL football on Saturday and the Blue Jays in season.

Iain Mc

It certainly is; from my time living in Vancouver I can say thank heaven for the internet and bit-torrent. We live in an age where, increasingly, geographical location is not an insurmountable boundary to choice of media.

And "+1" to the internet radio, I'd miss my Radio 4 - not been a Radio 1 listener for a few years now, when we move over again this year that's one of the first items on the list for the kitchen

Souvenir

Well, he does have an earring......Mind you, he's too old to be gay so you'd be out of luck.

Returning to the topic, we don't watch all that much TV. The only de-rigeur shows are the 6pm BBC news and anything Souvette wants to watch. In the latter case, the pecking order is: anything from the UK, HGTV, French stuff, Mercer, the test card, Anglo Canadian stuff.

Steve Paikin is banned, as is Fred Langan, the only man capable of making Peter Mansbridge look exciting.

Does George Strombolopwhatever have a tongue piercing or just an irritating lisp?

neill

Generally yes,

The only channels worth watching are: CBC occasionally (The Hour, News bulletins), MPIX/MFEST (NOT the main movie network channels), IFC, HGTV/BBC Canada/Discovery if you can tolerate the endless comercials, Comedy network for Simpsons/South park and a smidgen of the GSN for Millionaire. and maybe the Weather network. And BBC World

My parents had a particular fascination with the Weather network when they visited.

Oooh, and PBS. How could i forget PBS!!

Souvenir

Let us be thankful that Veronique Cloutier gave up work after having a baby and essentially killed-off La Fureur.