CBC set for new reality TV debut with The One
CBC-TV is set to make its next foray into the reality TV genre with the debut on Tuesday night of The One: Making a Music Star.
U.S. broadcaster ABC's singing competition will be hosted by CBC-TV personality George Stroumboulopoulos, andsimulcast on CBC's main network Tuesday and Wednesday evenings this summer.
The premise of the Los Angeles-based show is similar to the Pop Idol franchise: singers are selected to competeagainst each other in a televised contest,with the ultimate prize being a recording contract.
However, The One also adds an element reminiscent of reality programs such as Big Brother, by giving viewers a peek into the backstage drama between the contestants as they live together and are coached by music industry experts for the duration of show.
All 11 contestants are from the U.S.
After watching the singersperform on the two-hour Tuesday editions, viewers will be able to vote for their favourites (by phone, text message or online in the U.S., and online only in Canada). One contestant will be eliminated each week on the one-hour episodes airing Wednesdays. The program wraps upSept. 20.
Criticism over simulcast decision
Over the past few weeks, CBC-TV's decision to simulcast The One has drawn criticism from a number of individuals and groups, including media watchdog Friends of Canadian Broadcasting, NDP MP and federal heritage critic Charlie Angus, and retired CBC journalist Knowlton Nash.
At issue is that CBC's simulcasting according to ABC's schedule means displacing CBC-TV's The National for a U.S. program.
The Tuesday night episodes will bump The National to an earlier slot in Atlantic Canada and a later one in Ontario and Quebec. The Wednesday night editions will also bump The National to an earlier slot in Ontario and Quebec.
The flagship evening news program has already been displaced several times this year, for events such as the Winter Olympics, the World Figure Skating Championships in Calgary and the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup playoffs.
CBC-TV has justified the simulcast as an attempt at new programming techniques and a means to launch a Canadian-made version of The One during its 2006-2007 season.
This spring, the CBC announced it was establishing a department focusing on "factual entertainment," a category that includes talk shows, game shows, and lifestyle and reality programs. (A separate department would continue to focus on documentaries.)
Soon afterward, CBC-TV introduced the series Code Green, in which homeowners across the country competedfor a hybrid carbymaking their homes more environmentally friendly.