Uncle Knowltie isn't happy

The CBC has been taking some heat over a rather bizarre decsion this week to bump its flag ship newscast the National to 11 oclock on selected evenings during the summer. The CBC will be simulcasting the ABC reality show The One: Making of a Music star, which will air on Tuesday nights.

The One will end up bumping the National at 10 pm on those Tuesdays and so while that show goes on, Peter Mansbridge will just have to go, well go back an hour to 11 pm. While its not unusual for the CBC to bump the National around during the hockey playoffs, the Canadianna like quality of hockey gives the CBC a bit of breathing space, but to move the news for an American entertainment show! That's the thing of cultural revolution!

The reaction has not been what the CBC might have hoped for, Canadian culture groups, unions and the NDP have all weighed in calling the decision strange and a sell out of its mandate.

The decision came hot on the heels of a Senate report that suggested that the CBC should get out of the commercial television business completely, abandon all sporting activities and reflect Canada more to Canadians.

Safe to say they probably didn't have The One in mind when they cobbled together their report.

While they suffer the barbs of the public and critics at large, the biggest blast came from within the family, or in this case from a favourite uncle who it seems isn't very happy with the way the kids are running the business these days.

By far the most crushing blow to the managerial egos at the CBC would be the blistering reply issued by Knowlton Nash, a long time fixture at the CBC and one of the nations most respected newsmen. Nash who is suffering from Parkinsons Disease had his wife read his treatise and she held back no punches as she attacked on Nash's behalf the short sighted ways of the CBC.

The most telling remark in his speech was a short line that was like Mothers milk to the audience assembled, reflecting on the sudden desire of the CBC to tap the reality televsion veing, Nash issued the following bit of advice.

"If the CBC really wants reality TV, let people get the reality of what's happening in the world by turning on The National at 10 p.m. every night."

A pretty good line and even better advice for a network that certainly seems to be losing its way in the multi channel universe.