Time to fire CBC brass - or can the CBC altogether?

So let me get this straight... the CBC wouldn't pay an extra 15% to secure the song rights to the holder of the iconic theme song played before every Hockey Night in Canada show? A news report last week reported that the contract that recently expired saw the CBC pay a measly $500 per show and a new contract could easily have been signed had network brass agreed to a small 15% increase on cost.

This after the head honcho came out asking for hundreds of millions of dollars in additional subsidies from the federal government and its taxpayers.

If this wasn't enough to get your knickers in a knot when it comes to CBC in the news recently, how can one reconcile the two above stories with yet another bizarre CBC move? I was watching live television the other day (as opposed to watching taped shows on my PVR where I get to skip commercials) when an ad proudly announced that Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy were moving from their existing Canadian television homes.............

TO THE CBC!!!!

What in tarnation do American game shows do to further CBC's role in promoting Canadian culture? What does the addition of these programs do for the airing of Canadian content? It doesn't get more American than Wheel of Fortune at 7:00pm and Jeopardy at 7:30pm. How much is this going to cost Canadians who pay dearly for coast to coast Canadian broadcasting giant CBC?

And the genius who runs the joint couldn't come up with a few thousand dollars a year to keep the rights to what has to be one of the most well-known, and one of very few entities that so clearly reflect what is Canadian?

This doesn't make sense. And don't increase my federal tax deductions that I have to pay every two weeks to increase government contributions to this network's bottom line, Mr. Harper. Geez.

Well, this just in - CTV GlobeMedia, owner of TSN has snapped up the rights to the song. Yep, when hockey is on TSN next season, they'll be playing the song that we've been hearing on CBC for 39 years. What a way to usher in the 40th anniversary, eh?! Way to go, TSN - good to see there's someone over there with business sense, common sense and a good old fashioned horse sense - one that can see when one has (or can acquire) a good thing.

What's CBC thinking? Some stupid contest cannot come close to replacing a song that has inspired generations of hockey players and fans from coast to coast since the sixties.

Saturday night will never be the same again. Thanks a million, CBC. Maybe it's time for the Harper government to look into divesting itself of the so-called people's network. It ain't the people's network no more... at least, the Canadian people's that is. Let's all get ready to watch Vanna White in September... wow - I can't wait.