Big topic du jour in Canadian sports today is word that CBC Sports boss Nancy Lee has bailed to take a position with the Olympic host broadcaster for Vancouver/Whistler 2010.
The People's Network, so-called, keeps losing sports properties, on-air personalties and no-personality personalties (that would be Br-rrrr-i-an Wil-li-ams, who jumped ship to CTV/TSN back in June). The vultures are circling, the denials that this is the end are flying, yadda yadda yadda. The handwriting is on the wall, though.
It's hard to imagine the Grey Cup, the biggest sporting event that's purely Canadian, not being aired on the CBC. (Then again, some people will remember a split CBC/CTV crew working the game in the '80s, so nothing's sacrosanct.)
Hockey Night in Canada as we know it will likely end after the 2007-08 season. The timing and tide, not to mention the party currently in power on Parliament Hill, are all wrong for the CBC to keep the sweetest plum in Canadian sports television, especially when you hear about the figures for the right fees -- $1.4 billion Cdn over 10 years from Bell Globemedia -- being bounced around.
Back in the summer, Neil Acharya argued eloquently for HNIC staying on CBC, but even he admitted there may be "no logical reason that justifies dipping into the public purse to get into a bidding war with Bell Globemedia." So it goes.
Back with more later. Send your thoughts to neatesager@yahoo.ca.
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