What Happened to the Hockey, eh?

Apparently Hockey Night In Canada, which has been on CBC, the Canadian version of PBS (minus the suck) for 55 years, will be no more after the 2007-08 season. CBC currently pays about $60 million a year (no word on whether that's American or Canadian dollars) for broadcast rights and, as a result of the profits from hockey games, the station can afford to air all sorts of independent programs and doesn't have to rely on pledge drives just to support third-rate hacks like Tucker Carlson.

Bell GlobeMedia is apparently offering $1.4 billion over 10 years for the rights to hockey games up north, and has already begun hiring away talent from American and Canadian hockey broadcasters (request to Bell GlobeMedia: take Steve Levy and Mike Emrick. Please.).

According to the Sporting News:

"Hundreds, if not thousands, of jobs will be lost. Important documentaries and educational programs will not be financed, purchased or aired. Sooner than later, the CBC will become PBS...

Indeed, when we talk about NHL broadcasting rights and whether or not CBC's legendary Hockey Night In Canada program will become mere legend, what we're really debating is the nature and focus of Canada's national broadcaster.

Some believe the CBC is a tax-wasting propaganda tool of the country's political left and deserves to be privatized post-haste. Others believe the network provides a vital public service by keeping the population informed and should be protected from advertiser pressure by fully bankrolling it via government funds.

We're squarely in the latter group. And that's not because this writer has been paid to appear on CBC programming for the last few years.

All you need to do is look at some of Canada's other private broadcasters, such as the one that decided against airing live coverage of two separate provincial elections in favor of Friends and Survivor episodes, to see what bottom-line economics and ratings fixations can do to a newsroom. The CBC's relative independence means it can afford to avoid Brangelina, Vaughniston and other symptoms of our celebrity-smitten culture, and instead pursue stories of real and lasting civic consequence."

Who knew that hockey was not just Canada's national game, but also the lifeblood of its body politic? I'm all for keeping the NHL in business, and I reject the charge--leveled at the Carolina Hurricanes, in particular, of late--that Canadians and their teams have a special claim on the sport that entails greater emotional experience and a deeper understanding of tradition. But I do believe in the desireability of regional variation, and I think going to Canada (or failing that, getting a satellite feed and tuning in CBC and HNIC) to see a game or two is a cool experience that any real fan should try to have; just as a fan of baseball should see a game in the DR, or a fan of high school football should see a game in one of the Colosseums of the Texas wasteland.