Canadian Idol… Maybe Not

After the finale of Canadian Idol aired this summer, everyone was patting themselves on the back for another successful season. Series producer John Brunton promised he had more twists to come, and that planning meetings for the new season were imminent. The future of Canadian Idol looked very rosy, indeed!

Mere months later, the economy tanked and all bets were off. The impact of the current world financial situation has been felt in every aspect of life, and, Winter Baseball Meeting signings notwithstanding, the world of entertainment is not immune. The CTV network has announced, “As a result of the current economic climate, production of Canadian Idol will rest for the 2009 broadcast year.” The word “rest” is TV-speak for “go on hiatus.”

CTV made it very clear that the show has not been cancelled, and it may return in 2010. However, it may not. It is noted that Idol versions in Russia, Germany, and the Netherlands (twice) have “rested” in the past, and they returned to the air in each case. So there is hope – degree unspecified – that our version will return whenever the economic climate improves.

To that end, CTV has retained Idol rights for Canada, and if we ever see the show again, it will be on this network. However, it remains to be seen if any or all of the faces we’ve become familiar with are still willing and available to return if/when that time comes. So even if the show returns, it may have quite a different look to it.

The announcement has caught a lot of us by surprise. With the exception of the recently completed So You Think You Can Dance Canada, Canadian Idol was the network’s most-watched show of Canadian origin. However, the number of viewers is down significantly, to about a high of 1.5 million viewers weekly. It used to draw in excess of two million. Idol is an expensive show to produce, so even with this decent level of viewer support, profit margins are small. CTV’s press release indicates that the main issue is a severe decrease in advertising revenues.

In a comparison of viewer numbers from the most recent seasons of the two North American versions of the show, it seems that Canadian viewership of American Idol was almost double that of our own show. No, I cannot explain that! However, I can point out that the 2009 version of American Idol will again be simulcast in Canada on CTV. Lucky us, we can keep watching those dorky Ford commercials and be reminded that taxpayers all over North America are making them possible!

One wonders if all avenues were explored before the decision to pull the plug was made. To that end, here are a couple of unsolicited ideas of my own to reduce costs. I don’t have access to the books, so I can’t be sure where the biggest expenses are and where big savings may be realized, so I’m limited to making some educated guesses.

My only guidelines were to keep the number of episodes somewhat consistent to avoid further loss of per-episode ad revenues, and to limit changes to the look and feel of the Idol experience. However, to make significant changes means that some inconveniences would be felt, and not every idea is easy to swallow… just so long as they don’t make any cuts in the Media Relations Department!

Here are some ideas about the cross-Canada auditions:

1. The cross-Canada auditions that span from Atlantic to Pacific to Arctic are great in a flag-waving principle sort of way, but it has to be admitted they are impractical. Having fewer audition sites has to save significantly on production, travel, and transportation costs. I suggest six locations: Vancouver, Alberta, mid-Prairie, Toronto, Montreal, and a Maritime locale. I see the sixth location, which potentially could be omitted, too, as one that would vary location every season and provide some variety.
2. There are too many of these episodes already, but to keep from dropping the size of the season too much, just have two less. Increase content (and therefore, quality) in the rest with additional focus on back stories, judge reactions, and performances from the more talented applicants. Seeing the “almost good enough” is almost never done – let’s see if we can tell the difference! However, also decrease the number of “bad” applicants – they’re just wasting resources and need not be encouraged. Zero is a good target number, in my books.
3. Are Ben and Jully both required at this point? Ben can always voiceover later, but having both present seems unnecessary.
4. Only send two or three judges to each audition. Four is nice, but it’s a luxury whose time may have passed.

I’ve always felt the Toronto rounds are horribly underutilized. It seems to me they take a lot of effort for little reward. Except for the painfully deliberate “reveal” episode that closes out this round, I’ve always thought these episodes were “rushing” me, and I never felt that the true experience of the Toronto rounds makes it onto my TV set. Since these are the ones who can actually sing a bit, let’s milk the entertainment value to its potential!