CTV Cuts 4,800 Across Canada

CTV blames the federal government for the 4,800 cuts and the loss of noon hour and weekend news shows. They received $40 million from the federal government just last year. They cited uncertainty in the regulatory system. What they wanted was to get out of the news business for the network except for Toronto while holding onto their licenses across the country. To be clear, the company is reporting hundreds of millions of profit in the last quarter and an increase in dividend for the 20th straight year.

Last year, CTV gutted their evening news broadcast and cut reporters in London, Washington, Los Angeles and in Ottawa. In Winnipeg they shuttered AM radio station 1290 which was presenting comedy and titled Funny. It was ranked last in the ratings. No radio stations lost this time in Manitoba but 45 sold across the country. More on that later on.

Now, CTV isn't the only one making cuts. CBC and Global have also cut. Newspapers as well like Toronto Star. Postmedia too which includes Winnipeg's Sun newspaper. The cuts in Winnipeg are such that they don't send a reporter to cover the Jets or Bombers when they are out of town. Is it is no wonder teams hire their own reporters now?

Some critics are saying that Bill C-11 and Bill C-18 which try to get online companies like Facebook and Google to pay into a system that supports journalism are to blame. Google will pay $100 million and Facebook has opted out and blocked Canadian media. Assuming a new Conservative government ends these bills and dissolves the the CBC and allows CTV, Global and others to drop all news in favour of U.S. programming, what will we actually have in Canada? In all likelihood, no Canadian programming at all in news, sports, music, drama, comedy or weather. 

It is highly probable that the Canadian companies would ask to be sold to U.S. or international players since their argument is their is no economic basis for anything Canadian to exist. Is Canada economically not viable? In our quest to have products from all over the world in Canada including cultural, does this mean Canada really produce anything that Canadians and the rest of the world wouldn't like?

It should be pointed out that all over the world, digital giants are changing every cultural industry. Companies are merging over and over again, often to the detriment of workers, other industries and countries themselves. Monopolies have been broken up over the decades because by their very nature they are not competitive. In some cases they are anti-democratic. There likely would not have been an Internet as we know if AT&T had not been broken up.

CTV wants out of the news business. In two years they have cut nearly 10,000 workers. If capitalism can't be part of the grand bargain of providing a public service then government has no choice but to intervene. It goes back to the point above about whether there is a business case for Canada's very existence. And if there is, what is the consensus on that?

For the government, the question is how to support journalism without it becoming state journalism? If it is radio or TV, listen to or watch it. The advertisers will support it without you having to pay for it. If you can afford it, subscribe to a newspaper or magazine. The government can support directly or indirectly. Directly, by money to media or indirectly by tax supports to advertisers to buy ads locally.

Winnipeg is lucky in that it has one of the last large independent newspapers in the country in the Free Press. They have at least one reporter travel with the Jets and the Bombers which is now unusual in Canada. Sadly, they don't have an Ottawa-based journalist now. The Winnipeg Sun makes it a two newspaper town. The city has a digital news service with ChrisD.ca. There are a number of ethnic newspapers. CJOB remains largely a news, sports and information station. CBC Radio and Television have fair sized newsrooms. CTV has quite a few reporters in Winnipeg although they no longer cover sports or have a national correspondent. Global and City have smaller units but do their part on covering the city. And let's not forget the APTN News team based in Winnipeg. The Athletic has a Winnipeg-based NHL reporter.

The podcasts from sports to news such as Illegal Curve, Hustler's Winnipeg Sportscast, The Great Canadian Talk Show are covering Winnipeg in detail. All of those reporters once worked in radio in Winnipeg. There are a few music podcasts as well. And Tik Tok has a few influencers out there who cover things in the city.

However, where do young people get their news? When it comes to local stuff, it seems probably Tik Tok. Or other social media such as Discord, Telegram, Instagram or many others. Those social media sites can be hit and miss and for those that do have news in them, they probably source it from other news gatherers and only do a little research themselves on it or express an opinion on it. While this is useful and interesting, it may put you in algorithm that reinforces that point of view.  It is hard to know what is true since deep fakes in music, politics seem to be first tested out on social media. And now AI has got everyone scared since it can cause outright harm equivalent to shouting fire in a crowded movie theatre.

CTV's cuts hurt when the level of talent, loss of regional and international correspondents and variety of areas journalists cover is taken into consideration. I like a number of choices for news and information. But how do we ensure Canadian voices get heard and how do you monetize it? Most of the industrialized nations have some form of public broadcasting support. Even NPR and PBS in the U.S. receive over a billion in direct federal support through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The support rises if the 100% tax-free savings donors get from their donations by the U.S. government is counted. Even Manitobans donating to Prairie Public (Manitoba) receive a tax deduction although many other jurisdictions of Canada have lost that ability. About 1/4 of Prairie Public's budget comes from Manitoba. 

The Conservatives under Pierre Poilievre have said they want to end the CBC. They haven't indicated if they support a PBS Canada model either. If they end all public support for CBC, for news of any kind, it is possible we see most if not all radio and TV collapse in Canada? In comparison to 20 other industrial countries, Canada ranks near the bottom for public broadcasting as well as cultural spending. Ending public broadcasting would put Canada below the U.S. is spending.

This could politically backfire for the Conservatives if Canadian media groups become absorbed by U.S. or international interests who might not want to spend money on hockey broadcasts or Canadian Olympic coverage. This isn't a wildly speculative thought. If Bell Media is angling to be sold outside of Canada decisions will be made outside of Canada. ABC/ESPN and Turner  do not cover as much of hockey as Canadian channels do. What happens when there are no Canadian channels? I can't imagine that would be too popular in Canada. 

Bell Media and CTV have to figure out how to turn things around. Becoming a pure play streaming company to escape Canadian regulation seems doubtful if even big companies like Paramount can't make money at it. Seems radio and TV and cable are more profitable by far. And Bell Media knows this because they keep increasing the dividend each year.

Sherbrook Inn and Vendor Closed

The announcement that Sherbook Inn had closed their vendor and lounge in the last weeks has been met by stony silence from the owners. The pawnshop and other businesses located in the building have as much information as the public does. The Tallest Poppy closed sometime ago.

The hotel sits in an area that has seen some spark of business but for decades, it has been the proximity to violence and perhaps even the source of problems in the area. It remains a question of whether parts of the neighbourhood are the problem or the hotel is the problem. Perhaps they feed off each other.

In the 1990s the area was suffering over a good part of the west end. Arson was a major problem as was rooming house murders. The hotel itself was scene of a murder back then and the reputation was a rough one. Since then we have seen part of Sherbrook and Maryland have new housing built, assisted living by the hospital and some new restaurants and shops.

The last few years have seen a return of arsons and nearby there were four people killed in a shooting. In another recent murder, the victim's truck was found in the hotel parking lot. The possible killer died after a police interaction. Drugs and alcohol have always played havoc in Manitoba. The harder drugs are hurting the entire continent. 

The province has been very slow on supporting rehab programs and supportive housing. Mental health supports have been just as challenging. The one thing that people in the West End all seem to agree on is that the Sherbrook Hotel has been scary and despite the efforts of some in the community to put wrestling in and Tallest Poppy, it has gotten worse, not better. 

The Free Press article ripping Sherbrook was one of utter contempt and disgust. The big question is: Will this compel the owners to sell? And if they sold, would it be another hotel operator to own it? At this point, the building may not be worth anything whereas the land might be. There is potential to turn this site into something that might enhance retail on Sherbook as well as provide housing. There have already been a few hosing projects along Sherbrook as well as Maryland that show developers are interesting in investing.

One thing for certain is that each block of an area has to be part of the solution to a vital neighbourhood. If the hotel is a no go zone then whatever success you have near the hotel or across from it is blunted by the feeling of danger.  A hotel by itself doesn't have to be a bad thing. The Osborne Village had at times been a vital part of the business and culture of the area. It remains to be seen whether its demolition and what is coming will contribute to a real street life presence on Osborne. Perhaps with some of the developments down the street, we might see Osborne be reborn again. But the rent for commercial and residential people has to be more sensible.

The backlash against high costs has hit even McDonald's which has taken hits for $3 hash browns in the U.S. The company has declared they will be looking at the affordability issue. This was major news worldwide as the CEO said the complaints have the company looking at this issue. This can be said of so many industries where they have kept increasing prices.

It is always somewhat amazing sometimes that commercial space goes unrented for so long. One of those reasons often is that some owners refuse to sell or bring down the price or subdivide. It will be interesting to see if the owners of the hotel will sell it as a hotel or for the land. Or maybe the wait goes on forever as we sometimes see. 

As with the 1990s, Wolsely is on the edge on either a slide downward or a turn for the better. In the past, a revival of property values, people investing in property and security, a downturn in crime helped west of Maryland become a favoured community to own a house and some businesses thrived. The hotel closure and something new happening on the land might help change things extending down Sherbrook and spread to surrounding streets.

At the moment no one knows what's happening. It can be a slow burn of empty properties just siting and doing nothing. Even on major roads like Portage Avenue it is surprising how many places remain idle year after year. Former hotels have been converted at the Clarion and now the Balmoral for medical visits from the north. By all appearances they seem to be a practical solution for a need that is growing with an aging population. In Minneapolis, some older hotels have been converted for local income housing for those who have been homeless.

The mayor and the premier have both said they want faster solutions to the housing crisis in our region. An old hotel on Sherbrook might be what is needed.

Richardson Family Re-acquires Fairmont Hotel Winnipeg

The Fairmont Hotel Winnipeg was originally the Winnipeg Inn and part of the Richardson family led development of Portage and Main. It was a long delayed grand presence on the corner that the family had held off on till better times. It was striking that the corner had long had a gas station on the site for many years. A testament to just how much a car city we were even at the historic corner.

Between 1968 and 1970 the Richardson building and the then Winnipeg Inn were constructed. One became the tallest office building and headquarters to Richardson operations across the world and the other became one of the grandest hotels in the city.

The buildings are closer together than people realize. And the Richardson family has spent the last number of years improving the outside with public artworks and doing their part to ensure safety on their corner by moving the much feared entrance to the concourse into the secure are of their building.

From 1970 to 2000 the Richardsons owned the hotel but sold it that year. As a private company, it was probably just asset management. In 1996 they had sold Richardson Greenshields to Royal Bank for cash and shares and owning a singular hotel that needed upgrades probably seemed a poor use of resources. Certainly, in 2003, Richardson was back in the brokerage business and it was likely cash heavy as an investment initially. Today, Richardson Financial is a heavyweight again in the industry.

While the hotel might have been sold, the Richardsons invested $10 million back in their concourse connecting to the former Bank of Canada building at 161 Portage. Upgrades went into the building as well.

In 2020, the Richardson Innovation Centre was completed in the middle of the pandemic and really didn't get the big splash it ought to have gotten. The 62,000 square foot building is sleek and modern and the heart of the research and development side of what the company does in agriculture.

The Richardsons have a campus thinking for their area of Portage and Main and having a hotel in the middle of the property that they no longer own did not fit well with that thinking. They have major upgrades planned according to the exec in charge. In fact, they have stated they believe the business case for owning and upgrading makes sense in the post pandemic era.

Given the Free Press story in the last day stating that office workers are going to continue to work hybrid schedules. Local restaurants are saying that Mondays and Fridays are low points. Some of the workers coming in just two days a week are resentful thinking there is no need for coming in any days.

This is likely up to the companies and workers to sort out. If productivity remains good, they might be right. At its high point, the Richardson Building had 3000 people working in it and 150 support staff. It is possible it might have that many people again but it will be a process. One thing is up though and that it is the hotel and convention business and the Fairmont figures to be part of that.

In 2024 the Richardsons seem to want to make a splash in Manitoba. Their foundation has just helped donate 193 acres of peatland in the province this week. This and supporting the arts over the years has ensured vital aspects in Winnipeg and surrounding areas.

In terms of supporting downtown, it is better the Richardsons own the Fairmont than not owning it. The investment talked about is not idle chatter either. This year will have some substantial building and renovations going. It will be difficult to see how it all meshes together. The gaps between projects in terms of space is always problematic. It will be interesting though to see a number of downtown hotels get built or spruced up in the next year.

Babylon 5 TV Series Turns 30 Years Old

The pilot for the Babylon 5 series was aired in 1993 and the first season of 22 episodes aired January 26, 1993, thirty years ago. I remember in frustration that I could not see locally in Winnipeg. It was a syndicated series on channels that were not shown on cable as far I could tell. And I looked. I used to try and watch any time we headed to Grand Forks or Fargo for shopping trips. 

I could get all the Star Trek series but some of the syndicated shows that were emerging from the 1990s world of independent owned TV stations just didn't make it on to the Winnipeg dial. Wasn't the first time the struggle of having to find shows I had heard about and not being able to find them occurred.

Doctor Who was something I didn't get to see until PBS aired it and it was only one doctor! Not anything before and not anything after. I didn't get to see Blake's 7 from Britain until the 1990s until a friend who had recorded in Los Angeles sent them to me. She died this year along with her husband. Quite sad as she was such a fan of Servalan. 

The explosion of independent stations or small groupings of stations sharing content in the last 1980s and early 1990s made it possible for a syndicated Star Trek and for Babylon 5 to emerge on the sci-fi front. Baywatch was one of the other popular series of the syndicated drama period. Alas, today the advent of streaming has pretty much been eliminated original drama syndication.

Syndication was a good format for guaranteeing a full season order of 22 episodes. And with the story based at one location and with visual effects using CGI, it had a budget less that Star Trek Next Generation's which was tens of thousands higher. Next Generation was episodic with a general narrative whereas Babylon 5 was seeded with developing storylines that could take the entire series of five years to pay off.

The creator of the series J. Michael Straczynski had gotten his start on animated series that appeared on Saturday morning cartoons but by the 1980s was writing on Murder, She Wrote. As an experienced writer and producer, he was able to convince Warner Bros about the merit of a sci-fi series and the studio was looking to follow in the successful path of Paramount with their Star Trek revival in film and TV.

Straczynski had shopped the idea to Paramount before Warner and shockingly, Paramount created Deep Space 9 which they pushed quickly to get on air before Babylon 5. I personally liked both series but there was no doubt that they both followed long story arcs, had politics, religion and space battles galore. I was not much for the Internet sniping between the two series. There was even a bit of that among the performers on both series. I guess there is no such thing as bad publicity only no publicity.

The considerable changes in actors from first season to second season in Babylon 5 might have tripped up many series but the writing was adjusted and seemed seamless in the "novel" that was the intent of the show. In fact, the loss of some of those characters for a time allowed for an even more layered series.

In 2023, an animated re-visit to Babylon 5 was made and it was nice to see after all these years. Warner Brothers hasn't said whether they intend to make more. They were late to the streaming party with Max (formerly HBO Max) but original content that the company owns has been part of their objective. Babylon 5 is a property that could be Warner's Star Trek in terms of the future. Set aside the rumour that Paramount and Warner might merge because then the combined companies would own Star Trek and might not see a need for a Babylon 5.

The rumour has cooled recently. Warner is still adjusting to its merger with Discovery so Paramount might just not be on. In fact all the studios are trying to figure out the future of their assets. The thing about Star Trek is that they began a movie re-boot only a dozen years after the original TV series. And that TV series had been a consistent performer in syndication. Many (and I do mean many) of the original actors on Babylon 5 have passed away.

As for the 30 year old series, it still holds up well when you can find it. It never seems to last long on any TV station or on sale on DVD. It seems to sit in a library and doesn't even get put on a streamer anywhere. The talk of a renewed series on CW went no where. 

In terms of seeing where the future of mankind is going, the series seemed more point on with the politics of earth than Star Trek. The slide to authoritarianism, the continued role of religion, the military aspect of space exploration were more accurate than anyone might have guessed. However, the communications device attached to the hand is likely not going to supplant Star Trek's communicator. But I feel the pockets on the uniforms of Babylon 5 are more likely to be in the future than Star Treks's onesies.

Looking at 2024, there are very few series that would qualify as space opera. It seems to go in cycles. Star Trek continues to produce series. Foundation has a bit of that element. Dune would likely make a good series but will continue on the film route a while longer. Star Wars has done some really good stuff for TV series and there are more to come. I hope one day that Warner will dust off the series for one more round across the galaxy.