Cue does not contain a Q - and neither does the future!

Well, hello there, once again! Here we are, a week later, with CBC anxiously awaiting our thoughts on what to do next with the tarnished Q brand now that the halo above its former host's head has not just been lowered, but effectively was forcibly dragged to the ground like Saddam Hussein's statue in Baghdad, back in 2003. We have heard more than enough about said host, and now the conversation turns to the future - and what that future holds for Q.

As firmly as the spotlight has been on #JG, CBC itself has been under increased scrutiny from both the public and governmental viewpoints, not least due to the claims that CBC, as a federally funded employer, enabled the host and/or ignored complaints made about him. As stated in our last post, Heather Conway's rather disastrous interviews on the subject did almost nothing to change that perspective, and in fact furthered the image of CBC management as a bunch of old conservative fuddy duddys; nowhere near as synonymous with "contemporary" or "modern" as their host's name was/is with "Q". 

The public were asked for their "insights and ideas" and there have been many comments but no apparently clear path forward. Social media do allow one to get one's personal agenda out there, of course, just as this blog allows me to do (!), and while the suggestions have been many, it's not obvious how various suggestions would actually be constructive in terms of reconstructing the cracked Q (and CBC) brand and building a new future for the team and the corporation. What we would put forward for consideration would be:

• As much as I am not a fan of positive-sounding clichés  in the face of adversity, it is in fact the truth that CBC has been presented with an opportunity here: what they will do with Q might go a long way to restoring a degree of public/governmental support for their funding and ongoing existence as part of the broadcasting zietgeist in Canada.

• One thing we don't want to hear is any more moaning about the level of that funding and any layoffs that occur due to cutbacks. Belt-tightening was already occurring prior to the Q crisis, and #JG himself was prone to criticising federal funding cuts on his various platforms. What I always found irritating was the sanctimonious tone of those bleatings, as if broadcasting was somehow holier-than-thou, and should never be cut back. 

• Even in the face of national unemployment and a recession, for example, we still need to ensure broadcasting is not impacted (?) - total nonsense! Radio and broadcasting should follow normal economics in that if your audience shrinks and you are no longer considered an essential part of the program (pun intended!), then you have to either improve or (be) move(d) on. So, now that the CBC is under intense scrutiny and their ROI is being newly evaluated, if further cuts come then just zip it and get on with the job. Or even better, get better at the job!

• As far as I am aware, Q is not American Idol. Ergo, and to wit, this "opportunity" should not be misconstrued as a chance to bring in a faded star (but one with a recognisable name) and allow them to rebuild their fame and derive a new career out of it. I heard a lot of buzz about a certain Jann Arden, and that is just not the way forward, even if she herself is rather shamelessly courting CBC to entertain the possibility. But why should they - Jann can go make another record to generate income, and CBC can go find an actual contemporary broadcaster - one who knows that job. Yes, I do know about "Being Jann" and in fact it is being Jann that effectively disqualifies her from the job, being older than even #JG, among other reasons (see below).

• I do think the CBC are smarter than we may give them credit for, but at the risk of stating the obvious, the last thing they need right now is a (social media) loose cannon the like of Jann Arden. Isn't she the one who had some kind of Twitter outburst over a much younger and more hyper-talented Nelly Furtado at some point? Isn't she the one who took to a Twitter tirade in defence of Paula Deen? And isn't she the one who was every bit "insensitive" when railing against a certain Steve Jones of Newcap Radio, including comments about his lack of a certain piece of male anatomy? Hardly appropriate for CBC.

• There were many comments in the media about her being a "cyberbully" and trust me, hitching the venerable CBC brand to her wagon is the last thing they need right now - a media disaster in the making if ever I heard one. Who would want her sitting in front of a laptop or smartphone at 3am after a hard day at the office and after a few too many cans of pop? Scaryyy! Her record on Twitter to date effectively precludes her from being in any way associated with the Q flagship show. I have nothing against Norm Macdonald (another popular choice), but he is just not the right fit for this show nor does he have the cultural savvy or hip factor needed to host a multifaceted emission such as Q.

• So, CBC, it's really rather simple. Get off your backsides, and find a broadcasting star-in-the-making.  I refuse to believe that #JG was one of a kind (at least not in a broadcasting sense, anyway!) and there has just got to be a talent pool out there to choose from, if not choosing to handpick from within the CBC empire itself. No, it should not be a rotating series of hosts, as many suggest - we ain't gonna start doing Peter Mansbridge and his rotating hosts, nor Rick Mercer and his series of co-hosts, so let's not start that nonsense with Q. Identify a new host, and roll with it. 

• Go to college radio stations across the country, or across North America, use your considerable network to reach out and source raw talent, look at CBC TV talent and see if anyone might work, or God forbid, look within the Q team itself - clearly the individual(s) who wrote the #JG essays is/are a talent worthy of consideration. It has to be someone who already knows who the coolest bands in Toronto (or Montreal, or New York, or even London) are today, and someone knowledgeable about music, film, books and contemporary culture. Let's not forget that even though he was in fact middle-aged, #JG was "preternaturally youthful" and he had strong appeal for the 21 to 35-year-old demographic, so the host should be young, not old. Someone who doesn't need a massive support team to tell him/her which bands they should be into currently, or to promote on the show. 

• We already dealt with the name of the show last week, but to reiterate, I think Q just needs changing out and returned to simply being the seventeenth letter of the alphabet, as far as CBC is concerned. The issue is not so much rebuilding a "Q" but actually relegating it to memory, while a brand new day and whole new brand is created as its successor. There is less to gain in some nostalgic continuation of a tarnished, dysfunctional brand than in reframing it and using the opportunity to wipe the slate clean and begin again. The fact that #JG's Twitter account has been removed and his website "jian.ca" is now offline both indicate that even he seems to think that evaporation is the way to go. New host, new name, new show - that's the path forward, CBC! 

• A new show does not mean that it cannot mirror the old show in terms of scope and ambition - it's just a 2014 upgrade to the old show. An upgrade that helps to slowly erase the bad taste left by the demise of the old version, and staff and public alike begin to see Q as memory only, stuck in the past where it now should belong. Change is as good as it is inevitable in broadcasting, and CBC should dive into that change today with relish; a relish they have not heretofore been associated with or known for.

• Finally, but by no means leastly, even though it is far from being essential, wouldn't this be a great opportunity to bring a female to the fore, for a change? Replace old #JG with a hip, cool, younger female host who is a fanatic about Canadian (if not global) arts and trends and one who has a great broadcasting voice that can help in part to reshape the future for not just what was once called Q, but for the CBC corporation as a whole. Replace a now fallen former golden boy who has been accused of abusing women repeatedly, with a sharp new golden girl - there would be something quite symbolic about that, I feel. 

Oki doki, those are my thoughts on the subject this chilly Saturday morning! Quite naturally, there will be those who may agree, and surely those who will passionately disagree, and isn't that the way it's meant to be when we are discussing something which we are all passionate about? Only CBC management know what's coming next, and we are waiting anxiously for the news - all I can say is that we truly hope that they get it right, the first time. Err, make that the second time! - Kevin Mc 

PS - Hmmm, speaking of Nelly Furtado.... ;)
#QtheFuture