O O Ø O O O O
Da da da da DA!
For our American viewers, I am having trouble finding the appropriate analogy for CBC’s latest gaffe. The corporation’s failure to re-licence the Hockey Night in Canada theme song from composer Dolores Claman is a mismanagement of corporate goodwill on the order of magnitude of Coca-Cola abandoning Merchandise 7X.
There are Canadians—and I am one of them—who would happily exchange our crummy national anthem for a rousing rendition of Hockey Night. Imagine: stadia packed with sports fans intoning da da da da DA.
Let me amend the Coke analogy. It’s like Coke changing the formula when the only thing everyone in the country had in common was their love of that recipe.
In the early nineties, at the height of Canada’s 125th birthday celebrations, the country was twisting through a fit of self-examination. What did it mean to be Canadian? What was our identity? What defined us as a nation?
In recent years there has not been so much hand-wringing and navel-gazing, because we’ve generally made peace with the reality that hockey is the warp and weft of Canadian-ness.
The Hockey Night in Canada theme song is not the game. It is, however, shorthand for the game. As a symbol to Canadians, it is more important than beavers, Mounties, and—for those of us who live in parts of the country where the damn thing doesn’t grow—the maple leaf.
Picture the Catholic church deciding not to re-license Christmas.
There are not words to describe the stupidity of CBC’s mistake. Future generations however, when they sit down on a Saturday night to ritually watch another installment of the Battle of Alberta can reflect on the generations-long series of blunders that lead to the eagerly-anticipated demise of the CBC.
Bravo to TSN for jumping on the opportunity of a nation.
Evan Spence
June 10, 2008
OOØOOOODCCCLXXVII
June 12th, 2008 at 5:49 am
Well-said.
June 12th, 2008 at 11:55 am
CBC execs - what a joke.
that song is very special to me - my wife and I walked down the aisle at our wedding to the theme for HNIC (game 6 stanely cup finals, Tampa vs Calgary) - everybody love it.
Now that TSN has the song, the next coup will be to sign Mclean and Cherry, and then HNIC will be on TSN……
Don’t worry - CBC can replace HNIC with Wheel of Fortune or maybe Bowling Night in Canada?
June 16th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
Dolores has been getting royalty cheques since 1968. Cheers to Dolores Claman! Let me add the “Hockey Night in Canada” to the list of songs I wish I had written.
June 19th, 2008 at 8:05 pm
If only Dolores Claman HAD been getting paid properly since 1968. Her court case shows she was not getting her due.
CTV paid market value - after CBC Sports made the Canadian media/marketing mistake of the century to date.
June 23rd, 2008 at 7:27 am
By my napkin calculation. Dolores received a nice annual salary (since 1968) for her efforts—not bad for what I presume amounts to a few days work.
There’s getting paid, and then there’s getting PAID.
Yes, the CBC blew it. But seriously folks: it’s a jingle. How much can the Skippy-peanut-butter song really be worth?