Despite a strike by members of the Communications,
Energy and Paperworkers Union, which includes 2,000 CBC
technicians, CBC "plans" to air two NHL games during
Saturday night's "Hockey Night In Canada," according to
Chris Zelkovich of the TORONTO STAR. The broadcast includes
the grand opening of the Air Canada Centre with the
Canadiens-Leafs game. CBC will air that game, but there
will be no pregame show and no broadcast of the arena's
opening ceremonies. Just how CBC will televise the games is
unclear, as sources say neither TSN nor CTV were asked to
supply technicians for the broadcasts and that CBC "would
not risk" asking Radio-Canada technicians to cross picket
lines. CBC is left with two alternatives: Pick up the
entire ESPN game feed, complete with ESPN announcers; or use
ESPN pictures while asking CBC announcers to cross picket
lines (TORONTO STAR, 2/18). One "HNIC" crew member, on
crossing the picket lines: "It would be an individual
decision but one with potentially significant ramifications.
We have to work with these people all the time. They could
make life difficult in the future." CBC Dir of TV Promotion
Chuck Thompson: "We are going to do our very best to provide
the hockey game ... In terms of details, everything is day
to day" (TORONTO SUN, 2/18). Also in Toronto, Vanessa Lu
writes that union officials claim CBC has sold the game
rights to ESPN, "but no one is confirming that." If the CBC
tries to air the game "with an ESPN feed," the union says
strikers "will be out in full force" (TORONTO STAR, 2/18).
BOFFO RATINGS FOR FINAL GAME: CBC's broadcast of the
final game at Maple Leaf Gardens on Saturday received a
season-high rating for "HNIC." CBC's pregame show
registered 993,000 viewers, compared to the season average
of 435,000, while 1.94 million viewers tuned in for the game
itself, compared to the average 1.16 million. An audience
of 2.61 million watched the post-game show (TORONTO SUN,
2/17)....In Toronto, William Houston reported that the CBC
has reportedly landed rights to the World Track and Field
Championship for the next three years, beginning with this
year's event in Spain this August (GLOBE & MAIL, 2/17).
