ing Cana ‘Network’s Friday Night!, with Ralph Benmergui sucks Canada-dry HE CANADIAN Broadcasting Corpora- tion’s continuing in- sularity from the Canadian experience raised nary a sound bite during the federal election. By A.P. McCredie NOW REPCRT Yel the Mather Corps — as it is affectionately known within the cynic-filled halls of its Toronto of- fice — continues to stagger along, its intended agenda a mere foot- note to history. | The CBC was created in 1936 as an independent Crown Corpora- tion, with a mandate to provide national radio and television .. ~ broadcasts to English- and French- speaking Canadians. : _ ~ Today, the CBC is, fittingly for _ the Canadiar psyche, one of the most efficient public broadcasting systems in the world. In 1985, CBC Radio was available to 99.4% of the Canadian population; CBC TV to 99.2%. ‘ No arguments there. But in terms of quality Canadian programming, recent decisions in the higher echelons of the CBC braintrust are disturbing, if nat disturbed: The werst uffender to bedycheck any concept of Cana- dian contemporary culture over its programming boards is Friday Night!, with Ralpf Benmergui. Airing at 11 p.m. evey Friday night, the hour-long show is an’ ode to life on Toronto’s Queen Street West — an area that is cur- tently the cultural axis of the ever-changing Toronto nightlife scene. The only problem is the concept of the CBC is to promote Canadian talent and reflect Canadian sen- sibilities. Every major Canadian city has a similar club scene. Vancouver's bounces between Gastown, Rob- son Street and the Davie-Denman areas. .. But to spend $500,000 of public money each week, using an American-based talk-show format, _to chronicle the Canadian experi- ence as targetted at a 22-year-old Toronto hipster, is ridiculous. Imagine a national broadcast bas- ed from the Gastown club scene’s view on the world. Also, if you can manage to sit through a show, check out the list of production credits. A music- segment director, a producer and a floor manager. The same trio is needed, apparently, to run the comedy section; and another three get a crack at pulling off the forget- table guest section. Who said jobs weren't plentiful in Ontario? On a recent.10-day visit to Toronto, | sat through the first two episodes of the sophomore season of Friday Night! with my sister, a 20-year Toronto club-scene veteran. A one-hour lead-in by un- disputed Canadian treasures, Kids in the Hall, is as much help as any show on the CBC could ask for, yet Benmergui’s show never gets into gear. The result is a bunny- hopping stew of uninspired per- formances. An example: an absurdly short and inane interview with director David Cronenberg is cut off by the host to introduce a performance by a hard-working bar band: “Thank you, David, and now her2’s Montreal’s Doughboys.”’ One can just imagine Cronen- berg fleeing his seat, and the stu- dio, as the white din is unleashed. Not to mention producers falling all over each other to get out of the way of the next disaster. After enduring the second show of the season, all my sister could manage was to ask, in hushed tones: ‘I wonder what Tommy Hunter is up to tonight?” Indeed. The egocentric attitude of the show's producers is not surprising. The ebb and fiow-of life in downtown Toronto faps one into a mind-numbing reality that Canada is bordered by the core of the city. But the disservice done to EVERYBODY V US| WE HAVE 4 CROSSLEY CARPET SALE! Canada proper by unloading the house band -- The Look People, complete with a Kim Mitchell wanna-be guitarist — on our late- night senses is unforgivable. The most disturbing thing about the half-million-dollar show is that it ignores the bountiful artistic and cultural talent that seeths beneath the Canadian Shield. The fault cannot be faid at the feet of Ralph. He has had the un- fortunate label of “CBC Golden Boy” cast upon him. He must jump through the disjointed rings set up by bis taskmasters. But as an employee of aCrown corporation, it seems fikely that SPECIALTY Thee arn aie the television personality makes more than most CEOs of other Crown corporations. “Got to compete with the private sector, boys,’”’ the likely explanation from head office would bleat. If the private sector had the ad- vice to produce a show like Friday Night! | wouldn’t care. Ask Fox about Chevy. But to deplete public funding earmarked for Canadian content with this show is an insult to every Canadian. The Look feople in- cluded. . Tommy Hunter, where are you? 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