Mar 28, 2024
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Seeking Strombo’s replacement on CBC TV

Jian Ghomeshi, Rick Mercer, Russell Peters or how about Ed the Sock?

Who will inherit the sticky red vinyl thrones of George Stroumboulopoulos when he vacates his nightly talk show to host Hockey Night in Canada?

That is the thorny question being asked by CBC executives who are now scrambling to figure out how to plug a talk show hole that sucks up valuable real estate Monday to Friday at 7 p.m. with an encore at 11:30 p.m.

When CBC executive Jennifer Dettman convinced Stroumboulopoulos to jump ship as a VJ on MuchMusic to host his own talk show on the staid public broadcaster in 2005, no one knew that she was creating the start of an enduring franchise.

The counterculture vibe of Strombo was not an easy fit with the buttoned-up broadcaster. And few would have thought that he would end up being the public face of the most valuable brand in the world of Canadian sports television.

Strombo’s half-hour show faces tough competition from its scheduled prime time slot to its repeat segment against David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon. And it’s no secret that national Canadian talk shows are a dying breed. Just ask Mike Bullard. Or maybe Alan Thicke.

The show’s ratings are unimpressive, pulling in 245,000 average viewers nightly in prime time and an additional 96,000 viewers in the late night slot.

Compare that to The Marilyn Denis Show on CTV at 10 a.m., when most viewers are at work, which manages to capture 222,000 viewers. On a good day, Rick Mercer can pull in a million viewers for his weekly show.

But then again, that’s up from the sub-200,000 levels that Strombo saw for some of his much touted CNN show when he was a last-minute replacement in Los Angeles last summer.

The question is whether CBC should bother replacing Strombo with another talk show or devote resources to something else, such as a serialized drama.

Given that the perennially cash strapped broadcaster is facing budget cuts and the loss of Hockey Night in Canada revenue, talk TV may well be the cheapest route to go.

It also fulfils a Canadian content mandate. And it allows the CBC to promote its other shows. Talk shows add to the bottom line of the marketing department because invariably they will be used – whether you’re Letterman promoting a CBS show or Fallon promoting an NBC star – to promote viewership in the guise of entertainment.

The Strombo show strived to be more: it interviewed prime ministers as well as Oscar winners and tried to give a current events spin on subjects. But viewers expecting a host with the comedic chops of a Letterman or Jon Stewart were disappointed at the outset. The monologue was the weakest part of the early shows. Still, the interviews remained strong and above the usually celebrity banter, even if they would invariably meander.

Replacing Strombo is an interesting proposition. Ghomeshi already has a huge following with his CBC radio show and has the built-in cool factor to appeal to the Strombo audience. Rick Mercer would be a shoo-in, but he’s already got a successful show. Russell Peters would likely be way too expensive for a show on the taxpayer’s dime. But then again, what about Ed the Sock, also known as Steven Kerzner, who recently worked as a writer on the show?

Imagine: Instead of red seats, there would be a hot tub with babes in bikinis, while Ed interviews Stephen Harper on family values. A train wreck perhaps, but one can only dream. 

Other names bandied about have been Big Brother Canada host Arisa Cox, Sook Yin-Lee (like Strombo, a former MuchMusic VJ) and Daily Show correspondent and Canadian Samantha Bee.

So far the CBC is remaining mum about who or what they will replace Strombo with.

“More to come on that at our upfront in May,” says the cryptic email from spokesperson Chuck Thompson.

And while Rogers is building a new franchise with hockey, the CBC says it is still in talks to work with Strombo in the future after his show ends this season. The show is currently in production till the middle of April and new shows will continue to air in the spring and into the summer.

“Although this particular chapter is coming to an end, I’ve already had some conversations with George about new ways to work with him in the future,” said Dettman, executive director of studio and unscripted programming for CBC in a statement. “I really believe that over the last decade George has changed the landscape of Canadian talk television.”

It’s unclear what future programming Stroumboulopoulos could do, considering that he will have a full slate with hockey. But the CBC is still obviously interested in working with one of their homegrown stars who they have invested much time and marketing dollars in. Whether they have the bench strength to replace him or have to go outside the mother corp. is another question.

Source: Toronto Star

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Headline, Industry News

Seeking Strombo’s replacement on CBC TV

Jian Ghomeshi, Rick Mercer, Russell Peters or how about Ed the Sock?

Who will inherit the sticky red vinyl thrones of George Stroumboulopoulos when he vacates his nightly talk show to host Hockey Night in Canada?

That is the thorny question being asked by CBC executives who are now scrambling to figure out how to plug a talk show hole that sucks up valuable real estate Monday to Friday at 7 p.m. with an encore at 11:30 p.m.

When CBC executive Jennifer Dettman convinced Stroumboulopoulos to jump ship as a VJ on MuchMusic to host his own talk show on the staid public broadcaster in 2005, no one knew that she was creating the start of an enduring franchise.

The counterculture vibe of Strombo was not an easy fit with the buttoned-up broadcaster. And few would have thought that he would end up being the public face of the most valuable brand in the world of Canadian sports television.

Strombo’s half-hour show faces tough competition from its scheduled prime time slot to its repeat segment against David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon. And it’s no secret that national Canadian talk shows are a dying breed. Just ask Mike Bullard. Or maybe Alan Thicke.

The show’s ratings are unimpressive, pulling in 245,000 average viewers nightly in prime time and an additional 96,000 viewers in the late night slot.

Compare that to The Marilyn Denis Show on CTV at 10 a.m., when most viewers are at work, which manages to capture 222,000 viewers. On a good day, Rick Mercer can pull in a million viewers for his weekly show.

But then again, that’s up from the sub-200,000 levels that Strombo saw for some of his much touted CNN show when he was a last-minute replacement in Los Angeles last summer.

The question is whether CBC should bother replacing Strombo with another talk show or devote resources to something else, such as a serialized drama.

Given that the perennially cash strapped broadcaster is facing budget cuts and the loss of Hockey Night in Canada revenue, talk TV may well be the cheapest route to go.

It also fulfils a Canadian content mandate. And it allows the CBC to promote its other shows. Talk shows add to the bottom line of the marketing department because invariably they will be used – whether you’re Letterman promoting a CBS show or Fallon promoting an NBC star – to promote viewership in the guise of entertainment.

The Strombo show strived to be more: it interviewed prime ministers as well as Oscar winners and tried to give a current events spin on subjects. But viewers expecting a host with the comedic chops of a Letterman or Jon Stewart were disappointed at the outset. The monologue was the weakest part of the early shows. Still, the interviews remained strong and above the usually celebrity banter, even if they would invariably meander.

Replacing Strombo is an interesting proposition. Ghomeshi already has a huge following with his CBC radio show and has the built-in cool factor to appeal to the Strombo audience. Rick Mercer would be a shoo-in, but he’s already got a successful show. Russell Peters would likely be way too expensive for a show on the taxpayer’s dime. But then again, what about Ed the Sock, also known as Steven Kerzner, who recently worked as a writer on the show?

Imagine: Instead of red seats, there would be a hot tub with babes in bikinis, while Ed interviews Stephen Harper on family values. A train wreck perhaps, but one can only dream. 

Other names bandied about have been Big Brother Canada host Arisa Cox, Sook Yin-Lee (like Strombo, a former MuchMusic VJ) and Daily Show correspondent and Canadian Samantha Bee.

So far the CBC is remaining mum about who or what they will replace Strombo with.

“More to come on that at our upfront in May,” says the cryptic email from spokesperson Chuck Thompson.

And while Rogers is building a new franchise with hockey, the CBC says it is still in talks to work with Strombo in the future after his show ends this season. The show is currently in production till the middle of April and new shows will continue to air in the spring and into the summer.

“Although this particular chapter is coming to an end, I’ve already had some conversations with George about new ways to work with him in the future,” said Dettman, executive director of studio and unscripted programming for CBC in a statement. “I really believe that over the last decade George has changed the landscape of Canadian talk television.”

It’s unclear what future programming Stroumboulopoulos could do, considering that he will have a full slate with hockey. But the CBC is still obviously interested in working with one of their homegrown stars who they have invested much time and marketing dollars in. Whether they have the bench strength to replace him or have to go outside the mother corp. is another question.

Source: Toronto Star

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Headline, Industry News

Seeking Strombo’s replacement on CBC TV

Jian Ghomeshi, Rick Mercer, Russell Peters or how about Ed the Sock?

Who will inherit the sticky red vinyl thrones of George Stroumboulopoulos when he vacates his nightly talk show to host Hockey Night in Canada?

That is the thorny question being asked by CBC executives who are now scrambling to figure out how to plug a talk show hole that sucks up valuable real estate Monday to Friday at 7 p.m. with an encore at 11:30 p.m.

When CBC executive Jennifer Dettman convinced Stroumboulopoulos to jump ship as a VJ on MuchMusic to host his own talk show on the staid public broadcaster in 2005, no one knew that she was creating the start of an enduring franchise.

The counterculture vibe of Strombo was not an easy fit with the buttoned-up broadcaster. And few would have thought that he would end up being the public face of the most valuable brand in the world of Canadian sports television.

Strombo’s half-hour show faces tough competition from its scheduled prime time slot to its repeat segment against David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon. And it’s no secret that national Canadian talk shows are a dying breed. Just ask Mike Bullard. Or maybe Alan Thicke.

The show’s ratings are unimpressive, pulling in 245,000 average viewers nightly in prime time and an additional 96,000 viewers in the late night slot.

Compare that to The Marilyn Denis Show on CTV at 10 a.m., when most viewers are at work, which manages to capture 222,000 viewers. On a good day, Rick Mercer can pull in a million viewers for his weekly show.

But then again, that’s up from the sub-200,000 levels that Strombo saw for some of his much touted CNN show when he was a last-minute replacement in Los Angeles last summer.

The question is whether CBC should bother replacing Strombo with another talk show or devote resources to something else, such as a serialized drama.

Given that the perennially cash strapped broadcaster is facing budget cuts and the loss of Hockey Night in Canada revenue, talk TV may well be the cheapest route to go.

It also fulfils a Canadian content mandate. And it allows the CBC to promote its other shows. Talk shows add to the bottom line of the marketing department because invariably they will be used – whether you’re Letterman promoting a CBS show or Fallon promoting an NBC star – to promote viewership in the guise of entertainment.

The Strombo show strived to be more: it interviewed prime ministers as well as Oscar winners and tried to give a current events spin on subjects. But viewers expecting a host with the comedic chops of a Letterman or Jon Stewart were disappointed at the outset. The monologue was the weakest part of the early shows. Still, the interviews remained strong and above the usually celebrity banter, even if they would invariably meander.

Replacing Strombo is an interesting proposition. Ghomeshi already has a huge following with his CBC radio show and has the built-in cool factor to appeal to the Strombo audience. Rick Mercer would be a shoo-in, but he’s already got a successful show. Russell Peters would likely be way too expensive for a show on the taxpayer’s dime. But then again, what about Ed the Sock, also known as Steven Kerzner, who recently worked as a writer on the show?

Imagine: Instead of red seats, there would be a hot tub with babes in bikinis, while Ed interviews Stephen Harper on family values. A train wreck perhaps, but one can only dream. 

Other names bandied about have been Big Brother Canada host Arisa Cox, Sook Yin-Lee (like Strombo, a former MuchMusic VJ) and Daily Show correspondent and Canadian Samantha Bee.

So far the CBC is remaining mum about who or what they will replace Strombo with.

“More to come on that at our upfront in May,” says the cryptic email from spokesperson Chuck Thompson.

And while Rogers is building a new franchise with hockey, the CBC says it is still in talks to work with Strombo in the future after his show ends this season. The show is currently in production till the middle of April and new shows will continue to air in the spring and into the summer.

“Although this particular chapter is coming to an end, I’ve already had some conversations with George about new ways to work with him in the future,” said Dettman, executive director of studio and unscripted programming for CBC in a statement. “I really believe that over the last decade George has changed the landscape of Canadian talk television.”

It’s unclear what future programming Stroumboulopoulos could do, considering that he will have a full slate with hockey. But the CBC is still obviously interested in working with one of their homegrown stars who they have invested much time and marketing dollars in. Whether they have the bench strength to replace him or have to go outside the mother corp. is another question.

Source: Toronto Star

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Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

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