Foxymoron

CBC and the Olympics

If you're a fan of the CBC's Olympic coverage like me, you might be sad to learn that the CBC, who has been broadcasting the Olympic Games to Canadians since 1996, lost their bid to broadcast the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver to a joint bid between CTV and Rogers worth $153 million (U.S.). The bid gives the Bell Globemedia company to broadcast both the 2010 Winter Games and 2012 Summer Games.

It looks like it just came down to money. "In preparing our bid to the IOC, we knew, and we know still, that competing to win the rights to broadcast the Olympic Games at any cost is simply not a reasonable proposition for us," CBC president and CEO Robert Rabinovitch said in a statement to CBC employees.

Via David Akin, (who unfortunately wrote the 2010 Games are in Calgary). Also, Fox News Australia writes bad headlines.

I guess I'm just used to the CBC's coverage of the Olympics. I like Ron McLean, Mansbridge and the woman I can't remember the name of. But since the Olympics are so obviously more about money now, the CTV, I'm sure, will do a fine job. The games are in in five years. I'm making plans to work the Olympics...

The Ron McLean Fan Club

Over a week into the Olympics and I haven't written a single thing about the games. This doesn't mean I haven't been paying attention. In fact, I have spent many hours glued to the CBC. Yesterday, was no exception.

I thought, I hoped it was going to be Golden Tuesday, as soon as Lori Ann Muenzer advanced to the gold medal cycling match. There was Alexandre Despatie who was in first place going into his springboard final, the baseball team was playing the Cubans for a birth in the gold medal game, and of course, Canada's track and field sweetheart, Perdita Felicien was to run for gold in the 100 m final.

But we all know how that turned out.

I watched it live. A shocking horror of flailing limbs from the one person we thought of all people, would bring athletic glory to Canada. Then, within a twenty minute timespan, not only did Perdita fall, but Despatie missed a dive and the baseball team gave up six runs. Everything came undone.

It had to be a historic hour for Canadian sports and thank God it was Ron McLean at the helm, guiding us in and out of the sports. Although sometimes unpredictable, and frustratingly without a concrete schedule, CBC has impressed me with their programming. McLean did a wonderful job of interviewing Felicien this morning.

She is a class act and I really wanted her to win. But like all true class acts take things in stride, she may be right, it just wasn't her night. Perhaps we'll meet in Beijing. She the 28-year-old gold medal hurdler, and I the 28-year-old journalist reporting for the CBC. Hey, we all have our dreams.

Links: Aaron Wherry writes "Why TV is best served live: CBC brought home the gold, the silver and the gasp" in today's National Post.