The Comedy Network is one of the only Canadian channels not covering the 2010 Winter Olympics. Well, if you discount Stephen Colbert's coverage on The Colbert Report. But given our esteemed Olympic Broadcast Consortium’s comedic proclivity, it would have been wise for them to include a station that has proficiency in the funny business. Clearly, the CTV group doesn’t.
To fill the frequent gaps between Olympic events, CTV and their Games affiliates have relied heavily on humour. So far, this tactic has worked about as well as Apolo Ohno’s goatee trimmer.
Take Olympic Morning for example. The program airs each day, six hours before competition gets underway. That leaves a solid 360 minutes of airtime that resonates like open-mic night at your college bar.
Host Jay Onrait’s satirical SportsCentre shtick usually leaves fans in stitches. Not so during the Olympics. He’s simply overdone it with his constant goofiness. Without Dan O’Toole alongside to play the obligatory straight man, Onrait’s outlandish expressions seem oddly inapt (although co-host Beverly Thomson has done a commendable job in performing such authentic laughs day after day).
Then there’s MTV personalities Dan Levy and Jessi Cruickshank (try to count how often they say “Absolutely!” during a segment). CTV couldn’t have selected a pair any less suited to sports – yet these two were chosen to interview former Olympians like Elvis Stojko and Ross Rebagliati. The athletes did their best to keep smiling through a torrent of pointless banter, while the expert analysis they could have provided was neglected by the oblivious hosts.
Daryn Jones, also from MTV, seems to be the only correspondent with comedic experience. It hasn’t helped much. His taped skits and on-the-street interviews elicit a few chuckles every now and then, but he’s a long way from attaining Colbert-like levels of amusement (Why didn’t CTV hire Colbert to climb inside their fake fireplace like he did, hysterically, on NBC?).
Ironically, the most genuine Olympic broadcast hilarity has originated from primetime spots that weren’t intended to be comical at all. Who didn’t giggle (and maybe cringe) when Darren Dutchyshen served alcohol to Alex Bilodeau’s 16-year-old sister on live TV? Even the camera guys were laughing when Brian Williams forgot which network signs his paycheques, announcing, “Later tonight on CBC ...” And when Jamie Campbell exclaimed, “This event is totally rad!” during the snowboard cross heats, well, Canada collectively peed a little.
Behind all the joshing and jesting, the CTV group has provided unparalleled Games coverage. They’ve carried every event live – which is more than can be said for NBC (whose viewers watched Rachael Ray while American Lindsey Vonn skied to gold). Serious features like “Super Bodies,” “How Tough Are These Sports?” and “The Difference Makers” have been both informative and entertaining during breaks in play. TSN-groomed hosts James Duthie and Jennifer Hedger have done a commendable job engaging in honest conversations with athletes like Russian skater Evgeni Plushenko and Canadian skeletor Jon Montgomery – the latter ended up auctioning off a pitcher of beer to himself after a memorable victory stroll through the Whistler crowd on live TV.
This is what the dozens of TSN, Sportsnet and retired-Olympian commentators that comprise CTV’s broadcast team do best. Authentic sports talk is their strength. CTV should let them play to it and leave the comedy to Colbert. Dolefully unwitty VJs, eTalkers and caffeine-crazed morning hosts just don’t cut it at the Olympic Games.
For a daily list of scheduled Winter Olympic events, and where you can watch them, check out our complete guide here.
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