Industry criticism prompts CTV to air Juno broadcast earlier in Eastern Cda
21 minutes ago
By Cassandra Szklarski
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TORONTO (CP) - The Prairie city set to host Canadian music's biggest night will have to wait four hours to see a pre-taped version of the Juno awards Sunday after organizers rearranged the entire production in order to broadcast live to Toronto and points eastward.
The change came Wednesday after show organizers scrambled to address complaints from the music industry that the Saskatoon production was being bumped by U.S. reality show "The Amazing Race" and would air too late in many parts of the country.
Organizers with CTV and the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences said they received "overwhelming feedback" from artists, record labels and managers encouraging them to air the Junos before the reality series, instead of afterwards.
"They were feeling that ... it really looked as though we were treating Canadian music in a way that made it look like second-class citizens," CARAS chair Stephen Stohn said late Wednesday in a hastily arranged teleconference.
"We reacted immediately to that and said, 'No, the important thing is: Canadian music comes number 1.' "
Originally, the Junos were to air pre-taped in eastern provinces following a two-hour episode of "The Amazing Race." It would have hit airwaves at 10 p.m. in Ontario and Quebec and 11 p.m. in Atlantic Canada. Eastern viewers could also catch the Junos at 10 p.m. on the CTV-owned channel ASN.
CTV had suggested the Juno show was no match for "The Amazing Race" and would be better served by airing after the ratings powerhouse, which draws more than two million viewers weekly. But the plan drew immediate ire from music critics who suggested desire for advertisers had trumped support for homegrown talent.
Stohn admitted that the reaction was not entirely unexpected.
"You look back and sometimes it's an art, not a science, and you make a decision and then you wonder, 'Did I make the right decision?' " said Stohn, adding that CARAS and CTV decided on the timeslot together.
"We felt that the original decision would in fact maximize the audience for the Junos. We are, however, hopeful that this alternate scenario will be good."
CTV says the awards show will now air live in Ontario and Quebec at 7 p.m. local time, and live in Atlantic Canada at 8 p.m.
Unchanged are CTV's plans for the rest of the country. The show will be tape-delayed, as in previous years, and broadcast at 7-9 p.m. in Alberta and 9-11 p.m. in B.C., Saskatchewan and Manitoba (all times local).
In order to accommodate the earlier air times, Saskatoon's massive production at the Credit Union Centre had to be shifted to 5 p.m. from 7 p.m., and as a result Saskatchewan residents will watch the broadcast four hours after the ceremony actually begins.
Organizers said airing the show live in Saskatoon would have been far too early a broadcast, and insisted that Prairie residents will still be treated to a great night of television.
"You're going to start with the red carpet show, you're going to go into a couple hours of 'Amazing Race,' and you're going to have the Juno Awards," Stohn said. "It's going to be spectacular."
Organizer Randy Lennox of Universal Music suggested the tape delay would actually work in Saskatoon's favour.
"The show is going to be so good we wanted 15,000 people to get home and be able to watch it again," Lennox quipped.
Susanne Boyce, CTV's president of programming, stressed that the network was committed to supporting homegrown talent.
"We're here to support and celebrate the music community," said Boyce. "The artists have spoken and we've listened. This is their showcase and we're proud to be part of it."
The gala is to be hosted by pop superstar Nelly Furtado, and feature performances by Alexisonfire, k-os, the Tragically Hip and Gregory Charles.
