The Southern Ontario/WNY Radio-TV Forum » RIP Canada AM

ShaneAlexander · June 2, 2016 10:24 am

Ugh, Bell..

http://www.ctvnews.ca/entertainment/ctv-s-canada-am-to-sign-off-on-friday-1.2928008

After more than four decades on the air, CTV's Canada AM will broadcast its final episode on Friday, June 3.
The morning show's farewell episode will acknowledge its long history and pay tribute to hosts Beverly Thomson, Marci Ien and Jeff Hutcheson. Fans are invited to participate in the show's final broadcast by sharing their memories and best wishes on the Canada AM Facebook page.
"We are incredibly thankful to our viewers from coast-to-coast-to-coast who have been with us on this journey and a heartfelt part of our TV family all these years," Thomson, Ien and Hutcheson said in a joint statement on Thursday. "We are extremely proud of Canada AM. It has been our privilege to be part of this historic Canadian series that brought us the opportunity to work with such an incredible team."
RELATED LINKS
Statement on Canada AM's final episode
Canada AM first hit the airwaves on Sept. 11, 1972 as Canada’s first morning television news program and ran for 43 seasons.
Jeff Hutcheson joined the show on a full-time basis in 1998, followed by Bev Thomson and Marci Ien.
Hutcheson announced last month that he will be retiring this summer.

RadioActive · June 2, 2016 11:03 am

I find three things about this interesting:

1) I often wondered how it actually lasted this long, since I believe strictly local works a lot better than a national/local hybrid in that daypart. I really don't care what's going on in New Brunswick when I'm getting ready for work in the morning. And I doubt they care about Toronto in that province. Plus I'm sure it was expensive and Bell hates spending money. Still, they're throwing away a brand that's been established for more than 40 years.

2) I will be very curious to see what replaces it and whether it's substantially cheaper to produce. According to reports, a new show will eventually be taking its place, but until then, they'll be simulcasting CTV News Channel in that time slot.

3) They surely must have known about this at CTV for a very long time. You don't just suddenly cancel a show like this and then take it off the air the very next day. They could have made a lot of promotional hay out of the farewell, similar to the build-up that greeted Johnny Carson or David Letterman's departure. "The last two months of Canada AM start this week! Don't miss it, as we review 43 years of morning magic!" I'd love to know why they waited so long to announce this - and the one thing the breathless press release doesn't address: how many people it's going to throw out of work.

Toronto Star: CTV cancels Canada AM

Last edited by RadioActive (June 2, 2016 11:05 am)

Here2day · June 2, 2016 11:10 am

RadioActive wrote:
I find three things about this interesting:

1) I often wondered how it actually lasted this long, since I believe strictly local works a lot better than a national/local hybrid in that daypart. I really don't care what's going on in New Brunswick when I'm getting ready for work in the morning. And I doubt they care about Toronto in that province. Plus I'm sure it was expensive and Bell hates spending money. Still, they're throwing away a brand that's been established for more than 40 years.

2) I will be very curious to see what replaces it and whether it's substantially cheaper to produce. According to reports, a new show will eventually be taking its place, but until then, they'll be simulcasting CTV News Channel in that time slot.

3) They surely must have known about this at CTV for a very long time. You don't just suddenly cancel a show like this and then take it off the air the very next day. They could have made a lot of promotional hay out of the farewell, similar to the build-up that greeted Johnny Carson or David Letterman's departure. "The last two months of Canada AM start this week! Don't miss it, as we review 43 years of morning magic!" I'd love to know why they waited so long to announce this - and the one thing the breathless press release doesn't address: how many people it's going to throw out of work.

Toronto Star: CTV cancels Canada AM

I wonder if they'll just simulcast CP24 breakfast for the Toronto market, or create a CTV morning live and simulcast that on CP24.

rawkgurl · June 2, 2016 11:29 am

Employees just found out this morning, that's what I heard from someone I know who works there. I'm sure "some people" knew but not everyone.

RadioActive · June 2, 2016 12:35 pm

Another odd anomaly: I just watched the first half of CTV's noon newscast. They didn't mention the cancellation of Canada AM anywhere in the show. For a company that endlessly tubthumps everything Bell is involved in and manages to work self-produced programs like "The Amazing Race Canada" into the body of their newscasts every chance they get as if they were real stories, this seems an especially strange omission.

Why wouldn't they want to publicize the historic last episode of a supposed national institution that's been around four decades on their own flagship station? This was obviously a deliberate decision. Curioser and curioser, said Alice.

Last edited by RadioActive (June 2, 2016 5:25 pm)

Here2day · June 2, 2016 1:04 pm

RadioActive wrote:
Another odd anomaly: I just watched the first half of CTV's noon newscast. They didn't mention the cancellation of Canada AM anywhere in the show. For a company that endlessly tubthumps everything Bell is involved in and manages to work self-produced programs like "The Amazing Race Canada" into the body of their newscasts every chance they get as if they were real stories, this seems an especially strange omission.

Why wouldn't they want to publicize the historic last episode of a supposed national institution that's been around four decades on their own flagship station? This was obviously a delberate decision. Curioser and curioser, said Alice.

Because they only like bashing other companies. If City cancelled BT, they'd be all over that

June 2, 2016 2:59 pm

grilled.cheese wrote:
Another show gone that no one under 80 watched

Enjoyed by the three men I admire most; Old Codger, Uncle Fester & the Wholly Ghost

June 2, 2016 3:23 pm

Sorry...I didn't have time to watch it over these past many years...at least not very often. ALL nice people. There was talk of this about 6 years back but Canada AM survived til now. I know Marci best of all but Bev is aces too. I worry for them both. Jeff's safe as he'd already decided to retire.

It's like the Wildwood Weed. All good things gotta come to an end. The sooner it happens to Bell the better.

unclefester · June 2, 2016 5:13 pm

Like Old Coger I never really watched it that often...

Didn't have much of any connection to the staff there...

About the only thing I can say is I watched Jeff "fully mature" on air as I remember back in his much younger days at C.K.C.O. as a sports announcer in Kitchener...

Kilgore · June 2, 2016 5:20 pm

unclefester wrote:
I watched Jeff "fully mature" on air as I remember back in his much younger days at C.K.C.O. as a sports announcer in Kitchener

Who does sports at CKCO channel 13 better than Tom Rafferty?

unclefester · June 2, 2016 6:01 pm

FWIW there is an excellent article by John Doyle of the Globe and Mail on todays announcement...

Well worth the read...

RadioActive · June 2, 2016 8:57 pm

unclefester wrote:
FWIW there is an excellent article by John Doyle of the Globe and Mail on todays announcement...

Well worth the read...

Here's the link:

Abrupt cancellation of Canada AM is typical Canadian TV cruelty

Radiowiz · June 3, 2016 7:05 am

Toronto Star poll:

Are you sad to see the cancellation of Canada AM?
Thank you for voting!
Yes. I've always started my day watching it! = 65.32% (6,399 votes)
I've never watched it. = 16.66% (1,632 votes)
Does anyone still watch TV? = 9.27% (908 votes)
No. It's time for a new morning show. = 8.75% (858 votes)
Source: https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/television/2016/06/02/ctv-cancels-canada-am.html

Last edited by Radiowiz (June 3, 2016 7:10 am)

tvguy · June 3, 2016 7:22 am

Perhaps others know the answer to this question. On Bell satellite, I noticed that Canada AM is not listed on the CTV Winnipeg, Vancouver, Calgary - or other stations. In fact they're running "CTV Morning Live - (name of city)" in those other markets.

Had Canada AM just become a "regional" show running in Toronto and cities east of Toronto? Is that a reason for its demise.

June 3, 2016 8:15 am

Are you sad to see the cancellation of Canada AM?
Thank you for voting!
Yes. I've always started my day watching it! = 65.32% (6,399 votes)
I've never watched it. = 16.66% (1,632 votes)
Does anyone still watch TV? = 9.27% (908 votes)
No. It's time for a new morning show. = 8.75% (858 votes)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

One of the many gigantic mistakes broadcasters have traditionally made is they ignore the wishes of the audience [and potential audience] That they just don't care what viewers and listeners think, want and need is, indeed, a small part of the problem as to why 'it's' all falling apart. [at an even more rapid rate for TV.] The fools inhabit the ivory tower. Shareholders should be watching THAT. Your shares are being turned to dust...albeit in slow motion. Dust yields no money.

dieter · June 3, 2016 8:24 am

Scuttlebutt has the replacement show this fall to be hosted by Ben Mulroney and Ann-Marie Mediwake.

zed · June 3, 2016 8:54 am

An uninspired final show, quite fitting I suppose.

Interesting to note that CTV News Channel programming will replace Canada AM in the interim... but Canada AM has been simulcast as the morning show on News Channel for years. Will there be just dead air? or deader air? LOL

RadioActive · June 3, 2016 9:20 am

I watched the last 10 minutes - first time I've ever actually seen Canada AM for a large number of reasons - and they showcased the musical acts they've featured over the years (without actually letting the audience hear a single note from any of them.) They then went to the three hosts who said their understandably tearful farewells.

It was very emotional, until the show ended and CTV Toronto immediately aired a spot for "Harold The Mortgage Broker." The very first line of the commercial was a stentorian announcer asking, "Is It Time To Move On?"

I laughed out loud at the ironic but somehow appropriate juxtaposition, which couldn't have been planned but couldn't have come in a better place.

June 3, 2016 10:56 am

tvguy wrote:
Perhaps others know the answer to this question. On Bell satellite, I noticed that Canada AM is not listed on the CTV Winnipeg, Vancouver, Calgary - or other stations. In fact they're running "CTV Morning Live - (name of city)" in those other markets.

Had Canada AM just become a "regional" show running in Toronto and cities east of Toronto? Is that a reason for its demise.

Correct. In bigger markets west of Ontario it was only available on News Channel.

Last edited by Don (June 3, 2016 10:56 am)