The old adage “stick with what you know” could be applied to a big part of CBC’s 2012-13 broadcast season. More specifically, it’s sticking with what’s proven.
While the public broadcaster announced it will be adding some new shows to its lineup at an event dubbed a “season preview”—not officially an upfront—at CBC’s Toronto headquarters on Thursday, it also put a lot of emphasis on its successful returning programming.
CBC also made it clear that it is serious about giving returning and new programming alike the multiplatform treatment. A recurring theme throughout the sizzle reels and on-stage presentations was the holy grail hybrid of TV/radio/online/mobile.
It’s a point Kirstine Stewart, executive vice-president of CBC English Services, mentioned at the top of her opening address to the crowd, referring to CBC as “your modern public broadcaster.”
With recent news of budget cuts still fresh, Stewart said “news of CBC’s demise is greatly exaggerated. We won’t be retreating; we are moving forward.”
The slate of new programming was used to help prove this at the event. Starting in September, for example, CBC Television will air the detective series Murdoch Mysteries—which is coming over from Citytv—on Mondays at 9 p.m.
Another September newcomer is Titanic: Blood and Steel, a period drama that tells the story behind the building of the ship. It will air Wednesdays at 9 p.m.
Also new to the primetime schedule is Cracked, an hour-long medical and police drama set to start in January.
One new show that got an extra dose of exposure at the preview is an eight-week series called Over the Rainbow. (Stewart did some fashionable foreshadowing by wearing a pair of red glittery heels during her opening remarks and using the phrase “there’s no place like home” in reference to the broadcaster’s Canadian programming.)
Over the Rainbow will follow the process of casting a lead to play Dorothy in an Andrew Lloyd Webber and Mirvish Productions’ stage production based on The Wizard of Oz. In addition to chronicling the auditions, the series will include results episodes in which the public will vote for their favourite Dorothy online. It follows a familiar concept for CBC, which previously partnered with Mirvish on How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?, which found a performer to play the lead in The Sound of Music.
In one of the lighter moments from the preview event, Kevin O’Leary, co-host of CBC business show The Lang & O’Leary Exchange (which will get a 6:30 p.m. slot on weekdays on CBC-TV starting in September in addition to its existing 7 p.m. slot on CBC News Network), came on stage decked out in a Glinda the Good Witch outfit. As the crowd laughed, O’Leary quipped, “You get a discount witch with austerity programs.”
The tone was kept light as Daryn Jones was introduced as the host of Over the Rainbow. Jones wrapped up his six-year tenure as host of MTV Live on Bell Media’s MTV Canada only the day before. He joked on stage that he wanted to tweet where he was and as he started to type on his phone said, “We’re going to see if Bell has cancelled my subscription yet.”
The spotlight put on new shows during the event was paired with a lot of love towards CBC’s tried-and-true programs. Among the returning series is George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight, but with a primetime twist. Starting in September, the half-hour interview-focused show will air at 7 p.m. on weeknights as well as 11:30 p.m.
Other returning shows include some of CBC’s comedic offerings, such as 22 Minutes, Mr. D, The Ron James Show and The Rick Mercer Report.
On the drama front, returning shows include Arctic Air, Coronation Street, Heartland and Republic of Doyle. Reality shows coming back are Dragon’s Den and The Big Decision.
Sports remains a substantial part of the schedule, with Hockey Night in Canada heading into its 60th regular season. Live and on-demand video streaming of each game can be found at CBCSports.ca. Upcoming sports programming scheduled this summer includes the 100th Calgary Stampede, Rogers Cup Tennis, FIFA Soccer and the Queen’s Plate.
Where do partnerships fit into the CBC’s overall picture these days? Speaking with Marketing after her presentation, Stewart referenced the cooking series Best Recipes Ever, the fourth season of which begins airing in September. Each episode features recipes from Canadian Living magazine, and the relationship with the magazine and CBC has existed since the beginning of the series, she said.
CBC also teamed up with Mirvish Productions for Over the Rainbow at the conception stage. “Mirvish had this great show that we could come together on; [these partnerships] have to be driven naturally,” said Stewart.
With a lineup that spans populist and more arts-focused programming with a mix of reality shows and documentaries, Stewart also addressed the industry talk about the broadcaster and its programming direction. “As media… we’re in this little kind of closed-circuit system where we spin things and talk about each other all the time… Sometimes it’s in self-interest that certain media outlets would like to portray the times at the CBC as a little disjointed. We are in competition with a lot of news agencies on digital and other platforms and I think sometimes that does come through in the way they portray the CBC.
“It is not by fluke that the last season of CBC has been the most-watched Canadian season ever in CBC history,” she said. “So this talk about ‘Does the CBC know what it’s doing?,’ well Canadians seem to think that it’s good… When people keep talking about ‘Is CBC distinctive?’ You show me another network that has all Canadian shows in primetime. That of itself is distinctive.”
