[DIV class=headline]CBC cancellations blamed on lockout[/DIV][DIV class=subheadline]Wonderland, Da Vinci, Tournament axed CBC says viewership
`in steady decline'[/DIV][DIV class=pubdate]Feb. 14, 2006. 06:14 AM[/DIV]
[DIV class=articlebody][!-- icx_story_begin --]Cancellation of three CBC series without naming replacements is a short-sighted decision that will cost hundreds of jobs and imperil Canadian English-language TV drama, the union representing Canadian actors said yesterday.
The public broadcaster announced yesterday it is chopping two critically praised, but low-rated, one-hour dramatic series, This is Wonderland and Da Vinci's City Hall, and one of its comedy series, The Tournament.
"CBC management is punishing these shows for a decline in ratings — a decline clearly brought on by its own brutal decision to lock out 5,000 professional workers last fall," Stephen Waddell, executive director of the 21,000-member Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists, said in a statement.
ACTRA condemned the cancellations as "a startling display of incompetence by irresponsible CBC brass."
Da Vinci's season finale is scheduled for Feb. 28 and Wonderland's on March 15. The hockey comedy The Tournament has already wrapped up its second year.
CBC spokeswoman Ruth-Ellen Soles, who said Da Vinci had been averaging 394,000 viewers, Wonderland 376,000 and Tournament 268,000, disputed the claim that low ratings resulted from the lockout. She says the numbers decline had started well before that.
"These are three programs that CBC believed in and attached significant resources to," she said. "Unfortunately the audiences for all three have been in steady decline and did not resonate with Canadians. These decisions are always difficult, but they had to be made.
"It's a shame because they're terrific programs. It just doesn't seem to be what Canadian viewers want to watch," Soles said. "We're in continuing discussions now regarding all of the arts and entertainment programming, everything."
Sources told the Canadian Press that the cancellations were not the work of the English network's new programming executive director, Kirstine Layfield, who was brought in from the private sector recently to replace the departed Slawko Klymkiw. Klymkiw had championed the two drama shows.
Sources said the decisions to cancel were made by executive vice-president Richard Stursberg.
"It was just a year ago that ... Stursberg proclaimed that `only the CBC can be the cornerstone of a solution' to the crisis in Canadian drama,'' said Waddell. "I'd like to know to how Mr. Stursberg feels his cancellation of three acclaimed series without naming replacements is going to end the drama crisis. One has to ask whether there can ever be responsible decision-making with the current regime."
The CBC has reportedly ordered 13 episodes of a new series called Intelligence. In addition, negotiations are underway for a TV movie spinoff of Da Vinci, similar to what happened when the North of 60 series was cancelled.
staff/canadian press[/DIV][DIV class=articlebody] [/DIV][DIV class=articlebody] [/DIV][DIV class=articlebody] [/DIV][DIV class=articlebody]And It gets worse taken from dv.[/DIV][DIV class=articlebody]CBC is cutting CBC Sports by 2010 (No more hockey, curling, or CFL)[/DIV][DIV class=articlebody][A href="vny!://www.canucksource.com/news2.php?subaction=showfull&id=1139869680&archive=&start_from=&ucat=9"]vny!://www.canucksource.com/news2.php?subaction=showfull&id=1139869680&archive=&start_from=&ucat=9[/A]&
