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Abstract:
This article focuses on the public debate surrounding the CBC as it began to program reality TV. It highlights the tension between a public broadcaster's popular programming and the expectations of a cultural nationalist public that seeks to hold the institution accountable. It argues for the existence of a "CBC effect" and questions whether the transnational format of reality television on Canada's national broadcaster augurs changes in Canadian public culture.
Keywords: Broadcasting (public/private); Cultural nationalism; Media publics
Résumé : Cet article porte sur le débat public entourant le CBC quand ce demier a commencé à diffuser de la téléréalité. Il souligne la tension qu'engendre la programmation populiste d'un radioditfuseur public à l'égard d'un public nationaliste qui s'attend à ce que celui-ci fasse des choix plus cultivés. L'article postule l'existence d'un « effet CBC » et se demande si le format transnational de Ia téléréalité telle qu'elle passe au radiodiftuseur national du Canada annonce des changements à venier dans la culture publique canathenne.
Mots clés : Radiodiffusion (publique/privée); Nationalisme culturel; Publics des médias
At the dawn of the twenty-first century, reality television became an ascendant force in network programming across the globe. In North America, private broadcasters flocked to the format. However, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) refused to join the fray. Even as critics bemoaned the glut of reality television on private networks, reality TV provided the CBC's competition with a high return on their investment, attracting large audiences and advertising revenue. Consequently, the CBC could not ignore the trend forever.
In 2003, the broadcaster created a "Current Affairs Redevelopment Group" tasked with incorporating "reality-type ideas" into its programming. However, Slawko Klymkiw, then executive director of network programming, was adamant that "[w]e don't actually use the term 'reality' television." Instead, reported Alexandra Gill in the Globe and Mail, "he prefers to call it constructive observational documentary, or counterintuitive programming" (Gill, 2003). Two years later, as reported by Toronto Star television critic Antonia Zerbisias (2005), CBC president and CEO Robert Rabinovitch told Parliament's Heritage Committee, "There are certain types of programming that we don't have to do, or shouldn't do. For example, we don't do reality television. . . . If we just were chasing audiences, or just were chasing rating points, we could...