That's The One.

If you remember the early '70s, and are a Canadian, you may remember this.  Canada AM, CTV's national morning show, debuted in 1972.  Its theme song was an instrumental version of the Moody Blues' 1968 single "Ride My See-Saw."  And now I've found the actual version used, which was by Ronnie Aldrich.

I'd never heard of Aldrich before, but it's a nice version.

This version was replaced at least once with another cover.  I'm not sure when they stopped using "Ride My See-Saw" as a theme, but it was the late '80s at least.  Canada AM was cancelled in June of 2016, after 44 years on the air.

Finally, The Original And Greatest.

For years I've tried to find this one on YouTube.  Finally it's turned up.  Possibly the greatest Canadian PSA ever, the story of the Old Lady Who Lived in a Shoe and what happened one fateful night.  The later ones in the series are cute, but don't have the weight of the original.

Byebye Retro, Hello CN Canada.

I've never watched Teletoon Retro, their channel for old cartoons, much.  So I was surprised to see it listed as "Off Air" on my Shaw cable box this morning.  But programming was running when I turned to the channel.  It turns out that Corus, the owner of Teletoon Retro, has folded the channel in favour of Cartoon Network Canada. CN Canada hadn't been previously available from some major Canadian providers, such as Shaw and Rogers, for reasons known only to them.  Teletoon Retro had wider carriage, so replacing it with CN Canada instantly increased the latter's coverage.  So if you've been waiting for CN Canada to appear on your cable package check out your local listings.  It should be noted that some systems have had Teletoon Retro replaced with Corus's new Disney Channel Canada.

Generic Can Be A Problem.

I've been on a bit of an '80s and early '90s nostalgia kick of late, having spent a lot of time looking at old TV commercials on YouTube.  And this morning I was thinking of the days when music videos were the hot thing, and there were who knows how many video shows on both network and local TV.  But one I remember is kind of hard to look up.  To the best of my knowledge the title, or partial title, was Rock and Roll Video.  As you can imagine it's pretty hard to find something like that when it's such a generic phrase.  Of course CBC's long running daytime video show was Video Hits, another generic title, but it's much easier to find when you know the broadcaster.

Watch It Now!

Before Big Brother declares it doubleplusungood!.



(Warning, ads are put in annoying places.)

Not A Canadian Trend.

As anyone who pays much attention to the US entertainment industry knows, they like to remake things.  This includes the TV side of the business.  Some are highly successful, such as the 21st Century version of Battlestar Galactica.  Others last about as long as a carton of milk, such as last fall's Ironside remake with Blair Underwood.  And of course some never make it to production at all, like the new version of Murder, She Wrote that was under consideration of late.  (That also seems to be the fate of the new, American made revival/reboot of Space: 1999 announced a couple of years back.)

Strangely we don't see the same thing with Canadian TV, which kind of surprises me.  You'd think someone would decide to revive hit TV shows of the past, like The Beachcombers.  It was the longest running Canadian dramatic series, with 387 episodes, so it would seem a perfect candidate for another attempt.  Yet we didn't even see something done for its fortieth anniversary in 2012.  Or SCTV, which would allow a new generation of comics to cut their acting chops.  The only Canadian series that I can think of that was remade was The Littlest Hobo, which originally aired in the mid '60s, and was revived in the late '70s.

The small size of the Canadian TV industry, and the pressures it faces from being next door to the American industry, doesn't seem to have made it risk adverse enough to go the remake route.  Instead Canadian TV producers tend to go for new concepts.  Well, as new as you can get with TV, where it seems like everything has been done before.

What We're Watching.

Alex Strachan of Postmedia has written an article on the state of the current TV season.  This includes what Canadians are watching, and the current winners are all veterans.  For example The Big Bang Theory is pulling 3.5 million viewers an episode.  Strachan notes those are Stanley Cup finals viewing numbers, and given that Canada has a market roughly one tenth of the US would be like a show on a US network getting 35 million viewers an episode.  Any US network or show runner would kill for numbers like that.  And The Amazing Race is more popular in Canada than the US, drawing the equivalent of 20 million viewers per episode, while in the US it draws 10 million or less per episode.  (Presumably that's why CTV aired The Amazing Race Canada over the Summer, and it will be back for a second season.)

I doubt anyone will be surprised that NHL hockey is a major ratings winner in Canada.  But some Americans will be surprised that Arrow is a top 25 show in Canada.  That's because Arrow is on CTV, one of the main broadcast networks in Canada, versus its originating US network The CW, which doesn't reach all US viewers. 

Of new shows Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and The Blacklist made the top 30 in Canada.  I haven't watched Agents, despite being a comic book fan as a kid.  I watched the first couple of episodes of The Blacklist, and should go watch a couple more online.  But frankly my initial impression is that it's trying to be too clever for its own good, and some of the dialogue was cliché and predictable.  At least James Spader seems to be having fun.

One thing that has changed for Saskatchewan viewers this year was the provincial educational TV network becoming an outlet of Toronto based City.  As a result some shows acquired by City now have a chance at higher Canadian ratings.  Interestingly one of City's 2013 acquisitions, Super Fun Night, has surprised me by being granted a full season.  I haven't seen it, but the promo ad City aired pre-season looked awful.

I personally don't watch much scripted TV anymore.  At the moment the only scripted show  I'm sure I'll watch is Total Drama All Stars, which Teletoon has stupidly not aired yet, even though Cartoon Network has been.  As a result it's been partly spoiled for me, as no doubt it has been for other Canadian viewers.

Redundant.

One of the channels we get with our current cable package is Fight Network.  I find it amusing that they have disclaimers that the programming has scenes of violence, and that viewer discretion is advised.  Seems redundant to me.  If you didn't realise a channel called Fight Network, and programming such as the Glory kickboxing tournament I was watching last night, contains violence you probably shouldn't be watching TV.

Odd Choice.

One of the Canadian Bravo channel's weekday offerings is Flashpoint, a series about members of a Toronto Police emergency response unit.  I caught part of yesterday's episode, and was a bit surprised it was aired.  In the episode "Attention Shoppers" a bullied teenage girl shoots one of the girls assaulting her in a crowded shopping mall, leading to a lockdown of the mall and further violence from the injured girl's fellow gang members. 

It's less than a month since the June 2nd shooting at Toronto's Eaton Centre shopping complex.  Two people died as a result, and several others were injured.  The shooter and the two dead men were all alledgedly connected to the Sir Thugs gang.  So it seems a bit odd to me that Bravo would air an episode with obvious parallels to a real life tragedy so close to the event.  The central characters in the TV episode may have been all women, and the reason for the shooting different, but it still revolved around a shooting in a mall.  You'd think Bravo would be worried about offending or triggering viewers.  On the other hand Bravo airs the series five days a week, so it may be hard to skip an episode without causing problems for your schedule.

Incidentally if you're a fan of Fresh TV's Total Drama and Stoked! cartoons you may want to catch this episode when it airs again in a few weeks.  The leader of the gang girls is played by Kristen Fairlie, the voice of Bridgette and Emma in the two series respectively. 

Analog Today, Digital Tomorrow.

A final reminder for Canadian visitors:  Today is the last day of analog over the air TV transmissions for most TV stations in Canada.  Tomorrow they will begin transmitting in digital format.  If you receive TV via an old fashioned TV antenna you will need a recent TV that contains the necssary circuitry or a coverter box to watch the new format.  Cable and satellite TV viewers are not effected.  It should also be noted that if you use a radio to receive TV audio for some reason it will not be usable to receive the audio from digital TV stations.  I haven't been looking for them, but I haven't seen  any sign digital capable TV audio portable radios are available in Canada.

In Saskatoon specifically CTV and Global's Saskatoon transmitters will go digital.  CBC's English and French TV stations will remain analog.  As noted before the transition has been a bit of a mess as far as which stations will and which won't switch over to digital tomorrow, so consult with the stations in your area if you have any doubts.

Digital TV Update.

Time to follow up my previous post on the transition to digital TV.  Today's Star Phoenix has an article about the switchover, including the fact that CBC may no longer be available over the air after August 31st in Saskatoon.  If you watch TV via cable or satellite this won't effect you, but if you do need a CBC signal via antenna reception you may be out of luck.  And as I previously mentioned if you do wish to watch Global and CTV in the Saskatoon area via antenna you need to go out and buy a digital capable TV or converter box before the deadline, or those stations will be lost to you as well. 

Switching Over...Or Not.

If you're a Canadian TV viewere you may have noticed ads about the upcoming changeover to digital TV transmission.  Canadian TV stations must switch their over the air TV transmissions over to the new digital transmission format by August 31, 2011.  Sounds simple.  But it isn't.  The Wikipedia article on the subject shows what a mess it's going to be.  Some transmitters will be changing over or already have done so.  Others wont.  For example the CBC English and French transmitters in Saskatoon aren't scheduled to switch over because they are retransmitters only, with the studios located in Regina.  Regina's CBC transmitters on the other hand will go digital.  Some transmitters may leave the air entirely.  This is on top of the confusion that is likely to result because many viewers won't understand they need to acquire equipment capable of receiving the new digital ATSC standard.  In the United States nearly 2 million people still didn't have digital TV receivers when analog signals ended in June of 2009.  So some viewers will suddenly find their local TV station gone from its old analog channel and not know why.

If you have cable or satellite you won't have to worry.  But if you need to receive signals with an antenna you'd better get cracking at getting the right gear.

The Refresh Button.

It's time to refresh your poker lineup, GameTV.  You're playing Premier League II for about the 30th time since I first started watching poker on your network.  I'm sure there are a few viewers who have memorised every hand by now.  A lot of your other poker programming is equally tired.  You've got your money out of those progams, now it's time to move on.

Heat Without Light.

If you're in Saskatoon and subscribe to Shaw digital cable you can see the new Sun News Network channel on channel 177, and apparently this applies in other markets as well.  A press release indicates the channel will be free for the first six months.  I won't be watching it given the stupid BS about "political correctness run amok" in one of their ads.  Funnily they played this promo right after a Liberal Party campaign ad, but presumably they have to play campaign ads no matter who offers them.  It will be interesting to see how well this channel actually does, as Conrad Black's attempt to create a right wing national newspaper, the National Post, has never made money.

An Old Teacher Of Mine.

Okay, not really.  But as with The Undersea Adventures of Captain Nemo this series was a staple of my childhood, being played over and over again on local TV.  Frankly I remember it being called Professor Kitzel and His Time Machine, but as you can see it was actually called The Wonderful Stories of Professor Kitzel.  Of course given that Kitzel showed us the stories with his "time machine" that confusion is really no surprise.  The voice work was done by Paul Soles, just one of so many roles he has played in the Canadian TV business.  Interestingly Paul Kligman is listed as one of the writers.  Kligman was the voice of J. Jonah Jameson on the '60s Spider Man cartoon alongside Soles, who voiced Peter Parker and Spider Man, and was a long serving member of Canadian comedy legends Wayne and Shuster's supporting ensemble.  This was obviously made on even more of a budget than Captain Nemo that didn't allow for the story segments to be given proper animation, but it still entertained a generation of kids.  It's also an ancestor of the modern Canadian animation industry that produces a lot of programming.

What Would Mr. Verne Think?

Jules Verne's classic 19th Century novel 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was one of the first examples of what is now considered the science fiction genre, and introduced the world to the character Captain Nemo.  There have been various variations on and expansions of the Nemo saga, including Verne's own The Mysterious Island.  One of the (presumably) lesser known ones is  The Undersea Adventures of Captain Nemo, a 1975 Canadian made cartoon that also aired in the US and elsewhere.  Set at some vague point in the future the series chronicled the adventures of Captain Mark Nemo, commander of the submarine the Nautilus, and his young charges Robbie and Chris.  The episodes were only five minutes each and included infornation abut the oceans and environment in their quick paced plots, being intended as educational programs. 

I'm not sure what got me thinking about the series tonight but a quick trip to YouTube turned up the episode above and several others.  These got played a lot on local TV stations when I was a kid in the '70s, but I'm not sure when the last time I saw one was. It's especially nice that the quality of most of what has been posted has been very good.  Surprisingly some of the episodes have been released on DVD, which is something I wouldn't have expected.  Presumably this is where these episodes came from.

Billie Mae Richards did the voices of the kids, Robbie having the typical "little boy" voice that she used in several variations for numerous characters over the decades, ranging from the Canadian made Spider Man cartoon of the '60s to the Carebears franchise of the '80s.

Like a lot of kids shows as an adult it's not hard to wonder what the parents of these kids were thinking.  Nemo's adventures weren't always safe.  Apparently mom and dad never heard about some of the things Robbie and Chris went through.  You'd also think Nemo's bosses would want him concentrating on his work, and not babysitting children.  Of course this being a '70s kids TV show no one actually put much thought into such weighty issues.  And the kids who watched it certainly didn't.

Missing A Selection.

A new TV channel has hit the cable scene in Canada.  It's Global Reality Television, a channel devoted to showing reality TV programming.  But looking at the programming offered I see one home grown example is missing.  It's the Total Drama Island franchise.  Teletoon probably holds the exclusive Canadian rights at the moment, but it would interesting to know if the channel would carry a cartoon spoof of reality shows.  Whether this channel will last long enough for them to consider adding TDI is another question.

Get Friendly.

Feeling down? There's a good chance this will cheer you up, especially if you're Canadian and remember CBC kid's programming of days gone by. No overactive running around or overly sweet pandering here. Interestingly it seems to me some of the dialogue here might actually have been improvised. Cool if true. Seriously, how can you not dig a pair of swinging cats like those?

Here's an interesting opinion piece by John Doyle of the Globe and Mail above the arrival of
Fox News on Canadian tv. He thinks many Canadians will find it funny. He may be right, at least about those that can see it that is. Fox News is going to be on the digital cable channels, which means you'll need to be a digital cable subscriber and have to specifically subscribe to a package that includes Fox News. I can't help but wonder if this won't lead to whining in some circles that Fox News is being "censored" since it won't be on the analog cable channels like CNN and MSNBC are.

Just as a followup to my last post about the new series 6teen I see that one of the characters is named Nikki Wong. First of all, tv writer folks, there are other Chinese surnames besides Wong and Lee/Li. Would it hurt you to use them? Of course given that last name I can't help but jokingly speculate that the character is in some way related to Maria Wong on Teletoon's long running teen comedy Braceface, a cousin perhaps. A more real connection is that the character of Nikki is voiced by Stacy Depass, who took over the role of Sharon Spitz, the title character of Braceface, after Alicia Silverstone found herself unable to continue doing the role.