Coming to your small screen, again and again

MONTREAL • Stunned by the boffo ratings for the wall-to-wall coverage of Trudeau's funeral, Canada's television executives have been huddled in strategy sessions all week. The race was on to see who would be the first to capitalize on the potential revenue bonanza from a series based on the event.

CBC fans will be proud that their network was first out the blocks to announce a new "reality-based" series called "Death of a Prime Minister." It will premier on the network next spring-- just under the wire before the next round of Liberal-imposed budget cuts can cancel it.

CBC Head of Programming, Shal Lowe, promised the new programme will be a "current affairs, reality-based, ratings coup. We will be sellebrating Canadian values, history and identity with a truly, uniquely, deeply Canadian masterpiece."

"The premier installment will feature Canada's moving and monumental tribute to Mr. Trudeau every night during Spring sweeps week. And we fully expect this programme to become the crown jewel of Canadian Content for a renewed and revitalized CBC," Lowe enthused.

Even CBC critics are impressed, not only by the speed with which the corporation was able to approve this sure-fire winner, but that the network will finally be making a long-called for and much belated move into the reality-based television arena.

Industry analyst, Com Mercial, applauded the CBC's plan as a guaranteed financial success. "The funeral coverage produced olympic-pool sized ratings for bathtub costs. The true beauty of this type of programming is that you can recycle hours and hours of old news footage that doesn't cost you a penny.

"And there are always line-ups of forgotten cronies and has-been pundits who will talk for free about their 'fallen comrade' just to get their face on television and access to the wet-bar in the green room," Mercial added.

Audience participation will play a major role in the new reality-based series, as viewers will be able to vote for which prime minister's death they want to see on the show next. Apparently, Canadians are already warming to the concept-- no sooner had the show been announced when a flurry of calls nominating Brian Mulroney for the second episode were received at the CBC switchboard.