Maybe that's a bit over the top, but it was a pleasure to see the E! sign coming down on the chch news last night.
Getting Canwest out of town is like getting rid of some noxious polluter.
Free At Last! CHCH is Free At Last!
Sat, 2009-08-29 15:22
#1
Free At Last! CHCH is Free At Last!
Mon, 2009-08-31 10:41
#2
Sandy47
The "sell line" reads...
CHCH: News and Movies All Day.
Sounds like they're still looking for an owner, or a direction, or something.
What was E! Montreal is still sort of up and running with wall to wall music videos, but E! Victoria (CHEK) has ceased operations.
Stupid deregulation. Is this a preview of what's going to happen in other areas where corporations have been allowed to push out smaller scale, but still profitable operations?
Wed, 2009-09-02 15:26
#3
The "sell line" reads...
CHCH: News and Movies All Day.
Sounds like they're still looking for an owner, or a direction, or something.
If they bring back Hilarious House of Frightenstein I'm tuning in!
Wed, 2009-09-02 18:55
#4
Oh bummer, I thought it said CHRC and hoped that Tzarina Lynch had outed the warweasel.
Sat, 2009-09-05 23:36
#5
So far the new owners are making all the right noises:
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/629386
I flicked the station on to see what was happening on the first day of the changeover. I caught a bit of Life With Father, starring the great William Powell and Irene Dunne. I recall seeing the same movie on the same station when my parents bought their first television set a little over forty years ago. A pleasant bookending of one's life. They've also featured The Strange Love of Martha Ivers with Van Heflin and Kirk Douglas in his screen debut, and The Outlaw, with the alarmingly pneumatic Jane Russell. I gather the b&w daytime movies will end once the news staff is finally in place, but it's been an enjoyable week.CHCH used to be famous for movies back when it was an independent station. Sam Hebscher, their movie buyer, was a legend in the business for his ability to get world TV premieres for Hollywood movies ahead of Canadian and even American networks. I can only hope some of that lustre returns now.
Sun, 2009-09-06 06:07
#6
I'm more curious about the news the station will be presenting.
Sun, 2009-09-06 09:52
#7
Sandy47
They're not going to make a long-term living running old movies though. That's already done around the clock on Silver Screen and TCM - without commercials. They should probably think about going back to what they were always good at; inexpensively produced local programming aimed at their regional core audience. If that doesn't do it, the people will have spoken.
Mon, 2009-09-07 16:14
#8
They should probably think about going back to what they were always good at; inexpensively produced local programming aimed at their regional core audience. If that doesn't do it, the people will have spoken.
I hope they will include one or more talking heads kind of panels, like the one Channel 14 has, or had - I haven't seen it for some time.
It doesn't have to be expensive to produce, as long as the talking heads are people who know the city and its problems, and as long as they allow the audience to call in and take part.
And I would like to see 'tv columnists' who are happy to give their biased opinions about the local scene. They don't need expensive sets and flashy graphics - just give us people who care about what they are talking about.
Hell, I would rather see a journalism student who is truly passionate about his subject than some old hack who has to pretend he is interested.
Get a couple of passionate people, even a youngster, add an old pro, even an old hack, to keep a lid on things, let the public call in, and you would probably have an interesting show.
And I hope the straight news is not the 'if it bleeds it leads' crap. It seems like the first 20 minutes of the six o'clock news this summer was one disaster story after another.
Mon, 2009-09-07 16:23
#9
If you're getting a solid 20 minutes of actual news, that's already an improvement. :)
Hmm.
Is Mark Hebscher any relation to Sam Hebscher? Just curious...cause it would explain a lot......
They should probably think about going back to what they were always good at; inexpensively produced local programming aimed at their regional core audience. If that doesn't do it, the people will have spoken.
I'd agree with that, but add that the attitude should be one of being the regional "specialty channel".
Mon, 2009-09-07 20:49
#10
Yes, Tommy, Mark is Sam Hebscher's nephew, which makes his presence on air nepotism in the strictest etymological sense.
Wed, 2009-09-30 18:20
#11
Sky Captain
If they bring back Hilarious House of Frightenstein I'm tuning in!
You can rent that on video, and see it on Dusk, Drive-In Classics, and MTV2.
Fri, 2010-08-27 02:01
#12
Looks like CHCH is making modest progress. This is one of these stories I'm afraid to believe simply because I want to believe it. At any rate, if the new ownership is whistling past the graveyard, it's a pretty catchy tune.
http://www.thespec.com/news/business/article/251528--chch-tv-tweaks-format
I think the new logo is pleasantly retro too.
Fri, 2010-08-27 03:41
#13
I haven't watched CHCH for a while so I don't know what it looks like now. I do have one question: Is part of tweaking the news a matter of ridding it of those sensationalist demagogues they call news anchors?
Fri, 2010-08-27 10:49
#14
Speaking of Mark Hebscher, does anyone remember this gem?
Fri, 2010-08-27 22:01
#15
Sky Captain
I haven't watched CHCH for a while so I don't know what it looks like now. I do have one question: Is part of tweaking the news a matter of ridding it of those sensationalist demagogues they call news anchors?
I'm not too sure, how demogogagic are they? Let's just see what the station has to offer first before we pounce on it, okay? Also try to remember that demogaugery happens on both sides of the political sphere as well.
Speaking of Mark Hebscher, does anyone remember this gem?
Yes, I do, and I remember how funny it was. Good to see that making a comeback too.
Fri, 2010-08-27 23:38
#16
Apparently CHCH is changing, or at least tweaking, their format in a few days.
Shame, I think the daytime local news content is a refreshing alternative to CP24 (they've given gavel to gavel coverage of several press conferences held at Queen's Park by NGO while CP24 only seems to cover pressers by senior cabinet ministers and politicians) and I like the night time and weekend movies - especially the obscure oldies that no one else carries but that CHCH runs because they're public domain and free:)
Fri, 2010-11-12 18:00
#17
Sky Captain
They're not going to make a long-term living running old movies though. That's already done around the clock on Silver Screen and TCM - without commercials. They should probably think about going back to what they were always good at; inexpensively produced local programming aimed at their regional core audience. If that doesn't do it, the people will have spoken.
That's not going to happen anymore, period. That ship sailed a long time ago. Plus, a lot of these shows weren't that great anyway (HHOF, [i]The Red Green Show[/i], and that Saturday night [i]Electric Circus[/i] clone excepted.) TV has to make money, and local programs don't really do that for most media owners.
As well, I'll bet the owner can't be doing things just like CHCH did half-century ago; he has to figure out something new that will work for today, not yesterday.
Though I'm also glad that E! is gone.