CBC, CCA plan meeting next weekWebPosted Fri, 25 Feb 2005 18:41:08 EST
CBC Sports
Deluged by angry e-mails and negative media exposure, the Canadian Curling Association and the CBC will meet next week to discuss the network's coverage of the sport.
It's been a long week for CBC, which has fielded thousands of complaints from disgruntled curling fans about the network's new four-year deal with the association.
The CCA has also felt the wrath of curling fans.
"I don't have any intention of pre-supposing the outcome of those meetings," Dave Parkes, the CCA's chief executive officer, told the Halifax Herald.
"All we are going to say is we will be meeting with the CBC in the coming days to address the situation."
The CBC and CCA angered many curling fans when they first signed the deal in the summer, but the real heat started when the network began its coverage of the Tournament of Hearts in St. John's, Nfld., last week.
Fans were disappointed they couldn't find any round-robin action with curling's other long-serving broadcasters, TSN, but were infuriated when they learned they had to subscribe to the digital cable channel Country Canada to watch the night draws.
CBC televises a live draw on the main network in the afternoon.
Negative reaction got worse for the public broadcaster when Country Canada left games in progress during tournament action.
Curling fans have taken their complaints to sponsors of the event, Scott Paper.
Tim Hortons, sponsors of this year's Brier, has also been threatened with boycotts. The Brier office in Edmonton had to be closed one day this week when its e-mail system crashed due to the number of complaints.
The CBC plans to show only morning draws of the Brier from Edmonton on the main network and night action on Country Canada.
There will be no round-robin coverage in the afternoons.
In previous years, TSN showed the round-robin of both the Brier and Scott, while the CBC came in to televise the playoffs.
That arrangement changed when time came to renew the television contract in July.
According to a CBC executive, the network was happy with the previous deal with TSN, but learned that the sports cable station wanted the whole package, including playoffs.
"When we first went into negotiations with the CBC and TSN, our intent was to construct a model we had all enjoyed historically," said Parkes. "That was taken off the table. It wasn't something we took off the table."
The CCA accepted CBC's package because it offered more live coverage – TSN planned to tape delay a number of draws – even if it was on a digital channel.
If TSN won, it was going to show only two draws as well.
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