Don’t panic redux: What you had to say about the CBC

Yesterday I gave my thoughts on what to make of CBC’s early season ratings slump. My theory is that CBC is changing but their built-in audience hasn’t yet, and to realize their vision, the public broadcaster will need some patience. Here’s what you had to say:

Some  offered other suggestions for why the ratings have declined besides fierce US competition, aging shows, and small marketing budgets:

And we all speculated on how they could build their audience, including patience:

What do you think – are you worried about your favourite show’s ratings?  Ideas for how CBC can attract more viewers … or if that should even be their goal?

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One thought on “Don’t panic redux: What you had to say about the CBC”

  1. Most people I know watch tv for one of three reasons: sports, news and CBC kids. CBC also has a reputation as a maker of historical dramas but in that regard, there’s almost an attitude that CBC is high-brow arts entertainment, good for those who love history but isn’t really considered to be a provider of mainstream entertainment in the same category as Global and CTV. Out West, there’s also mistrust of CBC as a Liberal (as in the party) loving channel and Ontario-centricness. I tried to sell the show to various family members. Here were some reactions:
    My husband said no thanks because it’s about a bunch of women. (His favourite shows are Swamp People, Timber Kings and Yukon Men)
    My mom watched one episode but said it didn’t interest her because she doesn’t like stuff set in olden times except for Dr. Quinn and she doesn’t like a bunch of killing. Knowing her, she would have liked it had there been at least one good romantic pairing or had there been more sentimental scenes. (Her favourite shows are Nashville, Parenthood and Revenge).
    My brother watched it and said he was bored because it was too slow-paced, (His favourite shows are The Walking Dead, Arrow and Agents of SHIELD).
    My female cousin said it looked boring (her favourite shows are all reality ones like The Bachelor and Survivor).
    My other female cousin said she would watch it cause it looks good but then didnt because her boyfriend didn’t want to watch it because all his shows were on that night.
    In conclusion, judging from the preformance of many female-centred shows I’ve liked in the past, I think many men automatically shy away from a show with female leads if there are no male leads plus Mondays have so many male-centric shows that in many households male-centric shows win out. As it is, last week, I watched Strange Empire after my husband went to bed and we watched The Originals and Sleepy Hollow on the dvr together after the kids went to bed. I watched Strange Empire the next day when he went on the computer.

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