I have a weird CBC story that happened a long time ago. I was between jobs, as they say, and was desperate enough to apply to the Corp. for what I believe was an opening on As It Happens.

I went downtown to their HQ and met with one of the producers. They were impressed by my experience with another show on another station and told me to go home, listen to the show and come back with criticism and what I thought they could do better. So I did. I listened for several days, took notes and wrote down a few areas that I was sure could be improved. Nothing terribly critical, but still room for improvement in my opinion. 

Well, I went back to meet the same guy seven days later and laid out the very faults he'd asked me to list. And he hated and rejected everything I said without even considering any of them. I quickly realized he didn't want to hear a single word of criticism about his precious show and he'd deliberately wasted my time. If I'd have come back and told him his program was so great, there was nothing to improve, I probably would have been hired. 

I'm glad it didn't happen. I ended up with a much better job in TV news, where I became pretty successful. It's just one of many reasons my opinion of the CBC as a bloated waste of money is so solidified. They get way too much and have far more people than the private sector and yet turn out so little that people want to watch. A cutback might be the best thing that ever happened to them. 

In Florida I always listen to WUSF, from the University of South Florida. I can't imagine Ron Desantis coming forward with any state funding.

Binson Echorec wrote:

I got a tour of 250 Front Street West once. A couple of things caught me off guard:

1 - the number of empty desks. There is no way they need that much space now and it's still got bloat.
2 - how quiet the place was. Nearly everyone sitting at a desk was wearing headphones and tending to their work. There was virtually zero kibbitzing or camaraderie evident. Rather odd for an open concept environment.

Every other broadcast office I'd been in was loud, boisterous, and generally gave off a positive vibe. That vibe was nowhere to be found at CBC HQ.

I had a tour with a friend who works at CBC a while ago and I noticed the exact same things.  One other thing stuck out at me though.  None of the desks I saw had pictures of anybody's families.  The whole place had a strange chill to it.

Dale Patterson wrote:

https://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/mark-bonokoski-legendary-columnist-dies

That's a great tribute full of stories I didn't know but remembering the events.    RIP.

https://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/mark-bonokoski-legendary-columnist-dies

Other late night talk show hosts react. Are they next?

"[Jimmy] Kimmel didn’t mince his words yesterday in his reaction to the Colbert news, saying “f*ck you” to CBS and “all your Sheldons,” a veiled reference to the number of Big Bang Theory spinoffs the network has made."

Insiders Lament “End Of An Era”

Aside from all of the politics involved with this cancellation, Variety reports that the three late night talk shows at 11:35 were down 50% in revenue in 2024 compared to 2018.  In 2018 the three shows brought in about $439 million and last year only $220 million.  Also there were reports that Colbert's show lost $40 million last year for CBS.  Stephen mentioned last night that the show had a staff of 200. 

It is interesting also that when David Letterman had his debut on CBS the first show in August 1993 had an audience of 23 million watching.  Bill Murray was the first guest and Billy Joel was the musical guest.  Colbert, Fallon and Kimmel average 1.5-4 million viewers each for most programs.

The Rookie and Will Trent are missing. January premieres I would suspect.

Several years ago I paid for a one year membership to WNED only because they were offering a prize that interested me. I received a dvd on the history of local Buffalo television. Great footage of Rocketship 7, Dialing For Dollars, Commander Tom, Meet The Millers, Bowling for Dollars, Strikes Spares and Misses and ch 2's Saturday morning show from Fantasy Island. Well worth my contribution.

But to be fair, an audience that comes to see Colbert, regardless of politics, is not going to cheer when he tells them he's been cancelled. Obviously, they're fans. What other reaction would you expect?

Hansa wrote:

Bill Carter, author of the Late Shift who covered late night for decades for the NY Times, on Colbert's cancellation

CBS Cites Costs in Colbert Cancellation—The Timing Tells a Different Story

https://latenighter.com/features/cbs-cites-costs-in-colbert-cancellation-the-timing-tells-a-different-story/

The CBS argument is that advertising has dried up in late night, and it’s hard to dispute that it has diminished substantially. At the start of the 2024–25 season, NBC reacted to the economic pressure by dropping one night of The Tonight Show and cutting the band on its 12:35 a.m. entry, Late Night.

But CBS did not try any of those cost-saving moves—or any cost-saving moves at all. It simply cut off the franchise at the neck. It seems especially abrupt considering that CBS earlier this year had quietly renewed its 12:35 a.m. show After Midnight—and only reversed course (execs insist) when Taylor Tomlinson quit the show. All of which is to say that as of just a few months ago, every indication was that CBS intended to maintain its two-hour late-night block into the foreseeable future.

Something happened to change that. Did the cost situation become completely untenable? Or was it Colbert’s Trump-centric comedy that become completely unacceptable?

If it’s the latter, it’s a dark moment not just for late night but for all of television. One of the signature achievements of America’s separation from rule by kings has been the freedom to mock its leaders without fear of reprisal.

The move is most reminiscent of a previous example of CBS caving to pressure when the network forced the cancellation of the very successful Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour under pressure from the Johnson administration because of anti-Vietnam sketches. At that time, CBS blamed some contrived contractual violation (and eventually lost a lawsuit over the cancellation).

How successful were the Smothers Brothers? For years CBS had no answer for

Unless they are in a rush... they should likely take the full 3 months.... once down to the last 30 days, run a loop to direct any leftover listeners to the new FM home.   Habit is a hard thing to break... and if they do it too fast, people will assume 560 just left the air... and not go looking for them.   Any of these moves typically go well with a transition period and looped audio to push listeners over. 

Bill Carter, author of the Late Shift who covered late night for decades for the NY Times, on Colbert's cancellation

CBS Cites Costs in Colbert Cancellation—The Timing Tells a Different Story

https://latenighter.com/features/cbs-cites-costs-in-colbert-cancellation-the-timing-tells-a-different-story/

The CBS argument is that advertising has dried up in late night, and it’s hard to dispute that it has diminished substantially. At the start of the 2024–25 season, NBC reacted to the economic pressure by dropping one night of The Tonight Show and cutting the band on its 12:35 a.m. entry, Late Night.

But CBS did not try any of those cost-saving moves—or any cost-saving moves at all. It simply cut off the franchise at the neck. It seems especially abrupt considering that CBS earlier this year had quietly renewed its 12:35 a.m. show After Midnight—and only reversed course (execs insist) when Taylor Tomlinson quit the show. All of which is to say that as of just a few months ago, every indication was that CBS intended to maintain its two-hour late-night block into the foreseeable future.

Something happened to change that. Did the cost situation become completely untenable? Or was it Colbert’s Trump-centric comedy that become completely unacceptable?

If it’s the latter, it’s a dark moment not just for late night but for all of television. One of the signature achievements of America’s separation from rule by kings has been the freedom to mock its leaders without fear of reprisal.

The move is most reminiscent of a previous example of CBS caving to pressure when the network forced the cancellation of the very successful Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour under pressure from the Johnson administration because of anti-Vietnam sketches. At that time, CBS blamed some contrived contractual violation (and eventually lost a lawsuit over the cancellation).

I would still put money on the merger not being approved. Trump et al are probably laughing at how they are getting CBS dance like fools.  It's amazing to watch a democracy die in front of your eyes.

Hansa wrote:

Buzzy Krumhunger wrote:

CBS no doubt thought they were getting the Comedy Central Colbert when they signed him.  The over-the-top right wing parody that actually was funny.  Sadly CBS got the earnest finger wagging scold who sniffed his own farts.
Mid 2020 during Lockdownpalooza Colbert inveighed against trusting any “cure” for the Wuhan Holocough that evil Big Pharma had in the works.  Less than a year later there he is with the hypodermic needle costumed Juul Haalmeyer Dancers shimmying to The Vax-Scene.

CBS also got a number one show for the past nine seasons.

Agreed. However, Colbert never ruled over his network rivals with an iron fist the way Carson did. Not even close.