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Who's better at covering our national sport? The Winnipeg Sun's Tim Friesen makes it clear where he stands.
CBC vs TSN for the Cup
By TIM FRIESEN/Winnipeg Sun, 5th May 2009, 2:06am
So far, the best NHL playoff match-up this year has been the slugfest between the broadcasters themselves.
CBC is still the favourite. After all, they brought hockey to the airwaves and have defined our national game, both on and off the ice.
But things can change fast in the playoffs, where momentum is sometimes more important than skill.
TSN started the year with some fancy stick-handing, snatching the Hockey Night in Canada theme song from the clutches of the CBC.
Then, the scrappy sports broadcaster secured the rights to more NHL games than ever before.
Finally, just as the playoffs rolled around, TSN managed to finesse a deal with the NHL leaving CBC broadcast rights to only one Canadian team per conference.
This forced CBC to choose between covering the Flames and the Canucks.
Suddenly Calgary was watching Don Cherry talk about their team between periods of other games.
But as they say, three goal leads are the hardest to hold, especially against a wily veteran team.
As I flipped between CBC and TSN, the difference in broadcast coverage because startlingly clear.
At first blush, TSN simply looked like a farm team full up-and-comers and aging has-beens.
After a few games, however, and the problem became much more clear. The difference between CBC and TSN is national pride.
CBC covers hockey because it's our national game. TSN covers hockey because it's a sport.
ON THE LINE
CBC covers players as they move from Carman and Cole Harbour to the big leagues. TSN covers players as they seek the most goals and highest salaries.
CBC broadcasts to the Canadian whereas TSN broadcasts to the sports fan.
There is a lot on the line here.
Private broadcasters like TSN have been salivating over CBC's lock on the lucrative Saturday night HNIC slot for a long time.
They argue it's unfair that a public broadcaster should get preferential treatment over private ones.
What they fail to mention is that it was CBC that carved the HNIC juggernaut out of the worst TV night of the week.
HNIC dates back to 1931, when hockey games were broadcast Saturday nights on the Canadian National Railway radio network. CBC started televising games in 1952.
HNIC was gospel long before studio executives were pouring over Nielsen ratings.
For many, Saturday night is even more patriotic than Canada Day. That means we want our hockey broadcast to tell us stories about our kids done good. We want to feel that the game is about more than just the players -- it's about the hometown fans as well.
Saturday night needs to do more than just tell us the score. We want each Saturday night to be a clinic on the game itself.
While TSN scored some big goals this season, they haven't seemed to figure out yet that when it comes to hockey, Canadians expect more than just stats and banter.
TSN may have made the highlight reels this year but if they ever want to make it to the Stanley Cup, they're going to need a lot more depth.
---
What do YOU think?
CBC vs TSN for the Cup
By TIM FRIESEN/Winnipeg Sun, 5th May 2009, 2:06am
So far, the best NHL playoff match-up this year has been the slugfest between the broadcasters themselves.
CBC is still the favourite. After all, they brought hockey to the airwaves and have defined our national game, both on and off the ice.
But things can change fast in the playoffs, where momentum is sometimes more important than skill.
TSN started the year with some fancy stick-handing, snatching the Hockey Night in Canada theme song from the clutches of the CBC.
Then, the scrappy sports broadcaster secured the rights to more NHL games than ever before.
Finally, just as the playoffs rolled around, TSN managed to finesse a deal with the NHL leaving CBC broadcast rights to only one Canadian team per conference.
This forced CBC to choose between covering the Flames and the Canucks.
Suddenly Calgary was watching Don Cherry talk about their team between periods of other games.
But as they say, three goal leads are the hardest to hold, especially against a wily veteran team.
As I flipped between CBC and TSN, the difference in broadcast coverage because startlingly clear.
At first blush, TSN simply looked like a farm team full up-and-comers and aging has-beens.
After a few games, however, and the problem became much more clear. The difference between CBC and TSN is national pride.
CBC covers hockey because it's our national game. TSN covers hockey because it's a sport.
ON THE LINE
CBC covers players as they move from Carman and Cole Harbour to the big leagues. TSN covers players as they seek the most goals and highest salaries.
CBC broadcasts to the Canadian whereas TSN broadcasts to the sports fan.
There is a lot on the line here.
Private broadcasters like TSN have been salivating over CBC's lock on the lucrative Saturday night HNIC slot for a long time.
They argue it's unfair that a public broadcaster should get preferential treatment over private ones.
What they fail to mention is that it was CBC that carved the HNIC juggernaut out of the worst TV night of the week.
HNIC dates back to 1931, when hockey games were broadcast Saturday nights on the Canadian National Railway radio network. CBC started televising games in 1952.
HNIC was gospel long before studio executives were pouring over Nielsen ratings.
For many, Saturday night is even more patriotic than Canada Day. That means we want our hockey broadcast to tell us stories about our kids done good. We want to feel that the game is about more than just the players -- it's about the hometown fans as well.
Saturday night needs to do more than just tell us the score. We want each Saturday night to be a clinic on the game itself.
While TSN scored some big goals this season, they haven't seemed to figure out yet that when it comes to hockey, Canadians expect more than just stats and banter.
TSN may have made the highlight reels this year but if they ever want to make it to the Stanley Cup, they're going to need a lot more depth.
---
What do YOU think?
