There’s a lot of noise coming from the keyboards of the Canadian blogosphere today.
Everyone’s up in arms about the report the theme from Hockey Night in Canada has been played for the last time.
They’re even blogging like it’s a fait accompli.
It’s a sad day today. Aren’t the CBC supposed to protect Canadian culture? Pure & utter destruction of culture, I’d say. [Slaw]
It’s as Canadian as beaver pelts and Bruni Gerussi [sic] and more people can keep up with its tune than our National Anthem. However, the CBC announced recently that it will not be renewing the Hockey Night in Canada theme. [Miss 604]
CBC ditches Hockey Night in Canada theme! THIS WILL NOT STAND. Sign the petition! [Nunc Scio]
Imagine the mentality of the idiot who thought it was a swell idea to dump the Hockey Night In Canada theme. If it wasn’t an arm’s length agency, I would swear this was a Tory ploy to take the heat off of them. [Mr Sinister]
It seems Canada is down one National Anthem now. This is not good news and my only hope is that public outcry will continue to rise and sanity/patriotism will prevail. [James Kingsley]
Goodbye, Hockey Night in Canada theme [The Gazette]
Really, though, to borrow an American bastardization of our accent, it’s much ado aboot nothing.
It’s posturing. Negotiation. Floating a trial balloon.
Politicians do it all the time. You know when there are policy leaks weeks before announcements are made? They’re trying to gauge public reaction.
You know how the unions threaten all sorts of doom and gloom when they’re about to go on strike? It’s all part of the game.
Dolores Claman is the source of the original story. She wrote the original theme, and has been paid $500 per episode of HNIC under the last agreement, which has since expired.
Check out the juicy piece of meat she threw at the major Canadian news outlets to publish today.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s iconic Hockey Night in Canada theme song, known for decades as Canada’s “second national anthem,” will no longer be used in hockey broadcasts, according to the song’s composer. [source]
See, it’s that last bit of news that everyone forgot to pay attention to - “according to the song’s composer.”
The CBC hasn’t pulled anything yet.
“We’ve been reaching out to [Claman] and her representative, and haven’t heard back.We’re prepared to do a deal, we’re prepared to talk, but we’re not prepared to do a deal at all costs.” [source]
Dolores Claman is just playing the p-r game. The Mother Corp is playing hardball with the licensing negotiations and she’s just playing the ace stuffed up her sleeve - public opinion.
We ALL love the Hockey Night in Canada theme. Actually, we ALL love Hockey Night in Canada.
Remember a couple of years ago when Ron Maclean and Don Cherry’s contract negotiations hit a snag? Yeah, all of a sudden it was all over the press and public chatter. How could we have HNIC without Maclean and Cherry??? The public spoke, the CBC listened.
The same thing is happening again.
That said, if this all backfires and they really don’t use the theme again, my vote is to toss $500 a week into Stompin’ Tom’s retirement fund and use The Hockey Song.
Win-Win.
The Blog According to Buzz. Spread the word, ya heard?
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Even if the CBC got the music for free, it would save them less than $50,000 a year. It would be dumb to jeopardize such an important, beloved, and iconic brand identifier for pocket change.
Claman has not changed her rates in a decade, suggesting she has no interest in gouging. If the CBC pisses her off, however, and she sees that there is fervent demand by the fans (and perhaps politicians) to keep the music, she just might raise her rates. A lot. And I wouldn’t blame her.
And then there’s the risk that they lose the rights forever.
In other words, if this is a negotiating strategy, it’s a bad one. You don’t muck about with something which is working well. That’s not good business.
Claman is the one stirring the pot in her favour, of course it’s a good strategy.
She’s already said she doesnt want to raise the rate.
It’s the Ceeb that’s stonewalling, by leaking the impasse in bargaining, Claman GAINS public support and puts pressure ON the CBC.
You suggested that the CBC is “playing hardball with the licensing negotiation”.
But why would they do that? Claman has apparently already made them a good offer. To play hardball is to risk a lot for little in return. There’s nothing to be gained from it.
[...] Update: Buzz Bishop has a blog post on the subject that points out that nothing is official yet, and maybe we as a nation should just take a pill [bb]. [...]
@rabbit .. I’m sorry .. who were the blogs and media and talk show hosts calling out today? Dolores for being greedy, or CBC for being cheap?
I’d say her strategy worked pretty much perfectly.