jon wrote:$105 million to produce content to fill the gaps in air time left open free of ads.
Having been a manager at CKUA's parent when Access TV was founded, and visiting TV Ontario during that period, I understand the problem, but I also know that how little or how much you spend on this fill programming has next to no impact on overall viewership.
A cheap and better alternative is to follow the example of KVOS-TV in the late '50s and what was originally planned for CHAN-TV before they signed on: Newscasts as filler, in their case, when you have a lighter commercial load.
The CBC has the
embarrassment of riches when it comes to choice in News content. Simulcast their local CBC Radio Newscast, in French or English, when one is available. With a disembodied voice and CBC News slide.
When no local Newscast is being aired on Radio, there are several choices:
- Get local radio staff to do one just for TV, but from a radio studio, voiced behind the CBC News slide;
- Simulcast the Regional or National Newscast being aired on the local CBC Radio One station; or
- Re-jig CBC Newsworld's schedule to allow simulcasting of their programming at top of hour.
The radio simulcasts on TV would require that CBC-TV air Newscasts at the Top of the Hour and delay TV shows so that they time out to the top of the next hour. For example, for two half hour shows, each created with space for 5 minutes of commercials, i.e. - 25 minutes long: Show One would begin at 10 minutes after the hour and Show Two at 25 minutes before the next hour.
Otherwise, radio simulcasts could be adapted to have Newscasts just before the top of the hour, either Live or Prerecorded. CHQM used to do this to strictly follow the CRTC's Simulcasting rules: CHQM-FM News would be recorded by the Newsman at 10 to the hour on cart, and it would be run at the top of the hour from the automation machine, while the Newsman would read the CHQM-AM News live at the top of the hour.
Given the above, I really think that the CBC is asking for 50% more "new money" than they need to eliminate ads.