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CBC catches second-round breaks

WILLIAM HOUSTON

Globe and Mail Update

Latest comment posted at 10:42 AM EDT 28/04/08

Network gets ownership of two Eastern Conference semi-finals; Raptors get bounced to the Score, reports William Houston ...Read the full article

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  1. W R from Stratford, PE, Canada writes: I would sooner see the Habs/Philly and Rangers/Penguins series on TSN. TSN knows how to cover a hockey game. Their between periods show beats HNIC hands down for both information and entertainment. On the CBC all we'll hear is how good/bad Montreal is playing (even on off nights they'll sneak a plug in) and little about their opposition. Hopefully at some point in the future TSN will take away the CBC's antiquated rights to Canadian teams.
  2. G S from Toronto, Canada writes: Is anyone going to step up and tell the CBC that Boob Cole died 15 yrs ago and is broadcasting from the gondola in the sky???

    It so comforting to have the voice of hockey in Canada (the leafs ARE the only team in Canada aren't they?) screw up the names and broadcast a game without having a clue what is happening on the ice.
  3. Kevin Dooley from Canada writes: This actually points to a bigger problem with the NHL. Roughly half of the viewing audience is here in Canada, but the way the divisions are structured the Canadian teams eliminate one another. And as soon as the last Canadian team drops out, the viewing audience suddenly drops by 50%. If the league had a clue they would change the current silly regional divisions around so that there is a Canadian team in every division, which would help to increase the odds of a Canadian team in the final, and that in turn would improve overall TV ratings. But asking the NHL to get a clue about its core audience is a bit like asking the WWE or Nascar to try to appeal to a more sophisticated audience.
  4. Alberto Bayo from Canada writes: Habs are best when it's the "RDS" experience...
  5. Paul Cooper from Winnipeg, Canada writes: Praise the Hockey Gods, I thought I was the only one who thought Cole was just a corpse without the common decency to lie down! It's bad enough the rest of Canada (and yes, there is one outside the Horseshoe) have to listen to the biggest Leaf homer every Saturday night, but to have him cluelessly meander through a series with players who aren't Leafs is more than I can bear. He almost sounded suicidal when the Habs took command of the seventh game.

    CBC! Get Jim Hughson to do HNIC. Let the Ghost of Cole rest in peace.

    Hey! Maybe Cole is the Leafs' curse! Until he has the sense to get off the air, the Buds won't win the Cup! It's as good an excuse as any...
  6. William Vander Wilp from Kingston, Canada writes: Paul Cooper

    It is, of course, your right to complain of homerism with the announcer who usually does the Leaf games. That said, I think anyone watching announcers for other teams will likely notice homerism whether it exists or not. The guys who do the Habs games (which I don't normally watch) are terrible for that as far as I can tell. Or maybe they're just announcing for a pro-Habs audience that cares more about Montreal than the other team and I, as a non-Habs fan, perceive this as homerism.
  7. Mike Mike from Canada writes: I think after shameful coverage that CBC provided during habs - bruins series most of montreal fans have long switched to RDS. I know I did about midway through game one.

    If CBC ever bothered to read comments on HIO site they would know exactly why.
  8. Posh Spice from Canada writes: Why is it that NBC forces the NHL to schedule hockey games on weekends in the middle of the afternoon???? Does anybody watch tv during the day on weekends? The media companies shouldn't have the right to determining scheduling of games it should be up to the NHL. Why does NBC have broadcast rights to playoff games when nobody watches it on that channel anyways???? most of the time they air on MSG or VS. Can NHL please replace Gary Bettman the man has no clue about hockey whatsoever, put a canadian in there instead with a brain!
  9. boom boom from Canada writes: Paul Cooper, great post! Made by day.
  10. J S from Canada writes: Mrs. Beckham, do you mean like the NFL, NBA and MLB all of whom draw infinitely larger audiences, all of whom frequently (or in the case of the NFL almost always) broadcast on weekend afternoons?
  11. D M from Canada writes: I'll be watching the Habs on RDS. Great play by play with Pierre Houde.........especially when he calls a goal.
  12. Proud Canadian from Canada writes: Agree with most posters, (and with our new HD programming on Bell), we have RDS, Id rather listen to it in French (which I can speak very well thank you) than listen to Cole, Neale, Millen, Cherry. All 4 deserve the CBC and the CBC deserve those guys.

    Can the CBC, Can the network, Can everyone associated with it.
  13. sonny l from toronto, Canada writes: I love the CBC's coverage. I see that sometimes they don't dumb down enough for some people's liking.

    Oh Snap!
  14. L.B. MURRAY from Canada L.B. MURRAY from Canada from Canada writes: D M from Canada writes: I'll be watching the Habs on RDS. Great play by play with Pierre Houde.........especially when he calls a goal.
    ___________________________________

    Hockey on RDSHD is great, ans so is Tennis on RDSHD with Helene Pelletier commenting... Better than Mary Carillo and John McEnroe on the US networks...

    I used to like Don Cherry's comments in between periods but he's now so full of himself.... Good bye CBC for me ... For sports, it's now mostly RDSHD...

    Thank you.

    -
  15. Neil no more last name from Mississauga, Canada writes: Hughson should do the Habs series.

    Cole the Pens - I'm sure he could easily channel some of his bias to Sid's Pens. I don't think there would be much complaining.
  16. Heath Johnson from Moncton, Canada writes: As a basketball fan, I am really annoyed when basketball games get relegated to digital cable channels, especially in the middle of a series. Thanks a lot, TSN, now I won't be able to see the Raptors games at all. Hopefully we won't face a repeat of a few years ago when the Canadian networks decided to pre-empt the NBA Finals coverage with hockey games.

    I appreciate the need for ratings, but not everyone in this country is a hockey fan. Stop screwing around with the basketball coverage.
  17. Paul Cooper from Winnipeg, Canada writes: Hey, a Raptors fan! Good for you.

    As is evinced by the Raptors' performance, no one cares about basketball. No one. At all.
  18. Terry Terry from Brantford, Canada writes: hey Paul -- Lots of people care about basketball. "Seattle Raptors" has a nice ring.
  19. Able Bodied Man from Canada writes:
    NEW SERIES

    If hockey goes south the CBC will still be able to run its new series "ANTICS OF PARLIAMENT" subtitled "How Canadians Are Being Screwed Over By Media Maniacs." In this series the Broadcorping Castration gets calls in the middle of the night to shoot video and embarrass the Government and Opposition members show their true colours by feigning indignity and openly chanting their sacred mantra: Votes are for buying.

    Then the Opposition surprises the Government by challenging it to a wager on which way Dion will vote and bets on itself at 250 million to 1 million odds... which surprises no one.
  20. David H from Calgary, Canada writes: Who cares about basketball. Seven footers dunking into a ten foot high basket, big deal. These guys don't even dribble the ball anymore, travelling is never called. Hey, raise the nets to fifteen feet, then maybe it might have some interest.
  21. Able Bodied Man from Canada writes:
    After "ANTICS OF PARLIAMENT" CBC will run another new series "LEAVING TORONTO" in which world-famous chefs come to Toronto, look around for a day, then head west to Dog River, Sask.
  22. Posh Spice from Canada writes: In response to JS, the NFL, NBA, MLB already draw large audiences because they already have a large following in the States. The only sports that do not fare well on major networks (ie. NBC, CBS, ABC) are hockey and soccer. The MLS has most of their games on ESPN or The Fox Soccer Channel and rarely appear on regular cable unless its the finals or the all star game. NBC messes around with the hockey schedule because could you imagine the uproar if they had to move Law and Order or Deal or No Deal to the afternoon to make way for hockey say on a Tuesday or a Thursday night??????
  23. Montreal Guy from Montreal, Canada writes: William Vander Wilp from Kingston, Canada writes

    The guys who do the Habs games (which I don't normally watch) are terrible for that as far as I can tell.

    William,

    You're referring of course to RDS I assume because they're the only guys who do Habs games throughout the season. So if you don't whatch how can you tell?
  24. Andrew Perry from halifax, Canada writes: I am hoping for a Habs Pens conference final for a number of reasons, Hab's fan, Nova Scotiian hence Crosby fan, the series looks like a thowback to the Habs Isles in' 79 when two true dynasties met with the Cup final almost a formality for the winner These two are not dynasties but both are young with terrific long term prospects......
    But the best part would be Don Cherry commenting on The Hated Habs and the equally Hated Crosby.
    It's been coming for years and we might finally get to see it: Krusty the Coach biting his own head off live on HNIC.
  25. J K GALBRAITH from Canada writes: While I don't get all the criticism about Bob Cole, I do agree about the comment regarding the intermission segments. It seems clear that absolutely no thought has been given on what to do. Even having a nightly or every other night Hot Stove Segment would be better than having to listen to too much analysis of the game and P J Stock go bonzo over the other playoff games.
  26. J S from Canada writes: Mrs. Beckham, you didn't really address my point. If NBC is indeed pressuring the NHL (which you are probably correct in saying) then they are just doing it to bring hockey in-line with the rest of the major sports in the U.S. While it may be inconvenient for Canadian hockey fans, if you want American viewers (which maybe you don't but are necessary for the long term success of the NHL) you have to make the broadcast schedule as close to the other sports as much as possible.

    If it's at the expense of a few inconvenienced Canadian hockey fans then so be it. Are you still going to watch the games during the day? I know I will.

    And it is more because soccer (and less so hockey) are fringe sports in the U.S. outside of a few major markets versus having an established viewership. They want Joe American who is flipping between their local MLB team and the NBA playoffs to see the hockey playoffs on a major network and maybe push the ratings up a few points. Makes perfect sense to me

    Or maybe it's just because I like sitting around on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon with a cold beer and watching sports...
  27. Verona Raven from United States writes: Funny subtle thing about Bob Cole: one will notice that when he has to cover another team outside of the Leafs...he'll often refer to a call like: "A good hit by the Montreal player". He doesnt do his homework and it shows...

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