Canucks & Beyond
Next entry: Canucks Blowing in the Wind
Previous entry: Help Wanted: Superheroes Please Apply
Habs en Français
by Alanah McGinley on 04/17/08 at 03:30 PM ET
Comments (2)
From the CP via Yahoo:
In the excitement, French-language sports channel RDS has reeled in more Quebec viewers than CBC has nationwide with its Habs broadcasts. And even many English-speaking hockey fans are tuning in to the French coverage.
Some Anglos in Quebec say they’re choosing RDS over the CBC’s English coverage, and many believe the public broadcaster should stick to what it knows best - Toronto.
“The announcers are better, they’re not as biased and they don’t care who’s winning - they tell it as it is,” Pat Wychocki said of RDS…
This reminds me—as a kid out living out west, we almost always watched (or listened to) the Montreal Canadiens and the Quebec Nordiques on a French language broadcast, when it was available.
A mostly-Anglo family, but like a lot of Canadians, we knew our hockey French well enough to appreciate the game that way. (I wonder if other Anglos developed the same habit?)
But as I recall, the issue wasn’t rebellion against English CBC’s supposed Toronto bias, just the belief that the broadcasters were more familiar with the teams as a rule, so the coverage was better.
Whether that’s true or not, is another matter. But what the hell—those were most effective French lessons of my life. 
Update 1:10pm PT: From the CP:
The CBC hopes to give the Montreal Canadiens more ice time on Hockey Night in Canada next year, as the team heads into its 100th anniversary season.
The CBC executive director of sports told The Canadian Press the broadcaster is looking to air the Habs each week next season to audiences in Quebec and other regions outside southern Ontario.
Scott Moore says he spoke to the club and the NHL about bringing back English-language Canadiens telecasts every Saturday night.
This past year, the number of regional and national Habs broadcasts increased to 19 from 13 the previous year. It was a nice change for us who don’t live & die for the Leafs.
Filed in: hockey media, nhl general | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: cbc, media, rds,
Comments
Well, I’m just talking about when I was a kid… a bazillion years ago. And it wasn’t RDS that we watched back then actually, just the national CBC French broadcast.
I have no idea what the RDS coverage is like. I take it you’re not a fan?
Posted by Alanah McGinley from British Columbia on 04/17/08 at 07:24 PM ET
Add a Comment
Please limit embedded image or media size to 575 pixels wide.
Add your own avatar by joining Kukla's Korner, or logging in and uploading one in your member control panel.
Captchas bug you? Join KK or log in and you won't have to bother.
Most Recent Blog Posts
Wellwood Returning to Vancouver
In Defense of Dany Heatley (sort of)
Sedin’s Agent Not Optimistic About a Vancouver Deal, but is Anyone?
Mike Keenan Joins the Canucks?
GM Place Keeps its Name; Disaster Averted
What’s Trevor Linden Been Up To?
About Canucks & Beyond
Alanah McGinley has been blogging hockey since 2003, sharing opinions, rants and not-so-deep thoughts with anyone who will listen. In addition to writing Canucks & Beyond and helping manage Kukla’s Korner, Alanah is one of the founders and co-hosts of The Crazy Canucks Podcast, as featured at Canucks.com.
She has contributed pieces to FoxSports.com and the New York Times Slapshot blog, as well as other stray destinations in cyberspace.
Email:
Alanah’s Twitter: Not really hockey-ish. [LINK]
Other Canucks Blogs
Are you crazy?
Pierre and Yvon is.. brrrr, no I can’t tell this!
Posted by Jean-Luc on 04/17/08 at 04:22 PM ET