There was a time when the TV listings provided in depth information. You could look up the names of actors and actress on this week's Fame, the list of guests on The Tonight Show. They even included far-away unknown channel numbers you wouldn't have even known existed otherwise. Nobody ever knew why there was a white (7) in the listings, but you took comfort in knowing it was there, just in case you ever needed it.
Today things are much different. Channel symbols like (12) are slowly being replaced by an idiot-proof (CTV) symbol because, heaven forbid, there should be anyone out there who doesn't know what channel 12 means. A recent look at two Montreal area listings reveals just how little information is provided and even if you live outside the Montreal area you will likely relate, as similar versions of these listings also appear in other cities.
Lots and Lots of Grids
To be fair, The Gazette's TV Times and La Presse's Voilà! do deserve credit for being clear, concise and easy to understand. How do they do it? Three words: grids, grids, grids. Wall to wall grids. If you pick up a copy of a TV listings, let's hope that you like your TV grids because they sure seem to.
In the January 9th issue of the TV Times, there were 12 full page and two half-page grids. The non-grid related stuff was limited to 3 pages of movie listings, a half page of sports highlights, a page listing this week's recommendations and a half-page crossword puzzle. Overall, the grids took up 72% of the total listings or a generous 65% if the celebrity photo and full page ad on the front and back covers count as content.
This is not to say that grids can't serve a useful purpose when used moderately in conjunction with a more comprehensive listings. But once you have to rely exclusively on grids, well that says something about how much information you'll be able to find. After all, you can't fit detailed program descriptions into tiny little rectangles.
Voilà! Très Très Tiny
La Presse's Viola! has even less information. Not only do their grids make up about 75% of the 15-page listings, not including the front cover, but their pages have become so tiny that it makes the TV Times look like an Encyclopedia. Plus the listings for US networks like Fox only start at 6 PM; they never list more than one station per network and it's not always clear which one is listed (Hint: think Montreal basic cable).
This alone isn't really a big deal, but Voilà! takes the approach a step too far by including a dumbed-down cable conversion grid, on the back page, which insinuates that their channel listings apply to all satellite and cable viewers from Ottawa to Rimouski. In other words, they're basically saying that Fox Vermont, Buffalo and Detroit all follow the same schedule. They don't.
Cyberpresse's Unknown Channel Symbols For Gatineau
To make matters worse, some of the numbers in the cable conversion guide don't make any sense. Check out the channel numbers for CTV Montreal and then scroll to the right till you hit Gatineau and Rockland. According to them, CFCF (CTV) programming can be seen on cable 71, channel 5 in those areas. Huh?
A bit of digging reveals that CFCF used to be on cable 71, but according to Videotron's own website, CTV Montreal is now on digital cable 88 only in Gatineau, 90 in Rockland. The channel 5 part is a bit more of a mystery, but it dates back to when CHRO-5 used to be a CTV station. Although they barely matched the Montreal line up, they did carry Canada AM, W5 and enough network essentials for it to qualify as a CTV station.
However, in 1998, that ended as CHRO went independent as the New RO and later as A Channel. So what it boils down to is that someone stuck a Channel 5 symbol in the cable grid, back in the '90s, and now they've forgotten why. True, their listings do come with the standard disclaimer about networks reserving the right to make last minute changes. Let's see, year 2010 subtract 1998 equals...not really last minute.
Other Problems and Factual Errors
The TV Times wasn't immune to factual errors either. According to them, Atlanta's Peachtree TV is still available on illico channel 115, even though Videotron dropped that channel just over a year ago. Also, like La Presse, they only list only one station for some networks, like Fox. But at least their channel conversation chart is simple and clear. No need for a secret decoder ring to figure out that Fox means WFFF-44.
So why have newspaper listings become obsolete? Maybe it has to with the reality of today's technology, what with on-screen, internet TV listings and other options now available. Yet, La Presse's erroneous conversion grid also appears online at cyberpresse.ca, La Presse's web site. On-screen TV listings aren't perfect either as they can sometimes spit out some rather interesting and unusual content.
What it really comes down to is a question of money. Bottom line, less people are willing to pay for a TV Guide or newspaper listings, as result of having access that same information right at their finger tips for free. There's an old saying you get what you pay for and that exactly what most of us are getting.
Sources:
Videotron.com, TVGuide.ca, Cyberpresse.ca, Jan. 9th issues of TV Times (The Gazette) and Viola! (La Presse)
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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