"CTV’s boardroom battles provided better and certainly far more original Canadian drama than anything the network aired for its viewers," Gittins writes.
The idea of CTV as a cooperative was to encourage diversity but it backfired. There was tension between the various affiliates who wanted to control the network, and the owner of CFTO Toronto, Baton Broadcasting, would eventually do just that by buying up as many other stations as possible.
A lot of the book’s information comes from public records, including a funny quote on page 247 from Doug Bassett at a CRTC hearing where he defines a network as "a group of people quarreling." But the vast majority of information, according to Gittins, originates from personal interviews conducted over the course of one year. Other sources used include books, magazines and newspapers.
Perhaps too Much Information
Some may find the reading to be a little dry. On page 124 alone, there were over 30 references to network or station call letters. Yes, the book is about television, but to the average reader, a set of call letters is just about as exciting as a license plate number.
Also, there are just too many network and local owners, CEOs businessmen and other players mentioned to be able to keep track of who everybody is. But that may be the point. CTV has had a very complicated past and Gittins is showing us just how complicated it was. You can write a 350-page book about just one of CTV’s affiliated stations, let alone the whole network.
Another problem is that the author tends to not reveal information in chronological order, which sometimes leaves the reader with the impression that he or she already knows the plot twist.
Gittins Should Have Fact-Checked
You may also be disappointed to find a few factual errors and typos including a reference to NBC’s Frasier as a Fox sitcom on page 342, and The Andy Griffith Show spelled with an "s" on page 73. On page 96, CHFD Thunder Bay is misidentified as CHFO.
Yet overall, the book is still very interesting to those who happen to have a profound interest in Canadian media. Those in the industry itself could say that it is a must read.
One of the book's best quotes comes from Gittins herself on page 345 when she says that Global and CTV are "part of a privileged class of Canadian broadcasters, protected by legislation from direct American competition and American ownership, and licensed to make money from a public resource (the Canadian airwaves) by rebroadcasting American shows, meanwhile contributing as little as possible in the way of Canadian programming in return."
About the Author
Gittins has contributed to Saturday Night, Report on Business Magazine, and Canadian Business, as well as London’s Sunday Times and New York’s Newsday. She is also a former staff writer, a former Bay Street columnist for the Financial Post and the author of Behind Closed Doors: The Rise and Fall of Canada’s Edgar Bronfman and Reichmann Empires. Today she's a producer at the CBC.
Look For CTV: The Television Wars at used book stores, at your local library and at Amazon.ca.
Additional Sources:
Caslon Analytics profile: media groups - Vivendi Universal
Stoddart Publishing: Susan Gittins’ profile
Amazon.ca
Steve Hatton - Steve Hatton is a Montreal-based freelance writer and journalist who covers the television industry, including TV show reviews and media ...
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