Peasant vision part two, Channel 13

It was more than a decade ago I wrote “Peasant Vision – part one, Channel 7” where I described in detail what it was like watching TV back in the 1980s on the farm.

Somehow, I thought I would get back to the other two parts of these peasant vision trilogy, but never have.

Then earlier tonight, I was covering the Willow Creek Gospel Music Jamboree in Granum. The emcee for years has been Darrel Janz who, for so many years, was known as a TV personality, or news anchor, for CTV Calgary.

CTV Calgary was actually called CFCN Calgary and CFCN Lethbridge, and it was Channel 13 on the peasant vision dial.

Seeing Darrel Janz, who I watched for years read the news on Channel 13, brought back all sorts of memories of the channel I probably watched more than any other growing up on the farm.

Three channel universe
The biggest thing was that we only had three channels – Channel 7, an independent channel broadcasting from Lethbridge and loosely affiliated with the Global TV network; Channel 9, which was the nation’s broadcaster, that is the CBC affiliate; and Channel 13, which was the other national network, the CTV affiliate, also broadcasting out of Lethbridge.

Best on the box
Being the CTV affiliate, Channel 13 always seemed to have the best shows, or would get them. Every fall, I would anxiously await the fall preview issue of “TV Guide” to read about all the new shows. Invariably, most of the best ones were on Channel 13 – or would be.

A lot of shows in the 1980s that started on Channel 7 and had some success, would be on Channel 13 the next fall. It was like Channel 7 would test drive them for Channel 13 to see if they ran. Some shows I can think of off the top of my head were “Family Ties”; “Cheers”; “Knight Rider”; “Moonlighting”; “Knot’s Landing”; “Dynasty”; "Miami Vice" and “The Cosby Show”.

Home-grown shows
Where Channel 7 was part of a loose affiliation of independent stations that made a lot of excellent, hyper-local programming, Channel 13 was part of the CTV network. With that came more resources to make their own shows, beyond just news and sports.

They made a lot of drama and comedy and as I think on it, more shows kept coming back to me. There were comedies such as “Check It Out” and “Snow Job”; science fiction such as “The Star Lost”; drama such as “The Littlest Hobo” and “Swiss Family Robinson”; variety type shows such as “Circus” and “Stars on Ice”; game shows such as “Definition”, “Headline Hunters”, and “The Mad Dash”; news magazine shows such as “Live It Up” and “W5”; and so much more.

Some more really good, some were passable like much American TV, and some, like American TV, were brutal.

The difference was, CTV kept airing them over, and over, to fill space and fulfill Canadian content requirements. CTV still does the same thing today, airing “Corner Gas” over and over, after it went off the air years ago.

Sports connection
CTV carried a lot of American shows, as it still does today, and the same was true of sports. They carried ABC’s “Wide World of Sports”, but added some Canadian content as well. They also simulcast NFL Football, but only after the CFL season had ended in November.

That’s because they carried what they called “Canadian Professional Football” which later became something along the lines of the “CFL on CTV”. That’s where I first learned all about Canadian football, from announcers such as Pat Marsden, Leif Petterson, Frank Rigney, and Al McCann, who I discovered was actually from my hometown of Coaldale.

Sadly, CTV would abandon the CFL, creating a vacuum soon filled by TSN.

CTV carried “Blue Jays Baseball”, which was really cool when the Jays started winning at the end of 1982 season and into 1983. It was hosted by Don Chevrier and Tony Kubek, who did a really good job. Back then however, because the games started at 5 p.m. or 6 p.m., Channel 13 would join them “in progress” after they aired their local news. It was a bit frustrating because you could miss a third of the game or more and, with the announcers referring to earlier parts of the game, get a little lost. Still, it was all that we had.

For awhile, CTV also got into hockey, and started broadcasting NHL games on Friday nights. This was in addition to their broadcast of a lot of international hockey. They seemed to have the rights to the World Hockey Championship every year. Back then, in the three-channel universe, they would broadcast and re-broadcast some of those games days and even a week later. They also broadcast the Canada Cups of the 1980s. Although the CBC and "Hockey Night In Canada" is most associated with hockey, it was CTV who broadcast moments such as that epic Gretzky to Lemieux goal to win the 1987 Canada Cup for Canada.

When they got the rights to NHL games, CTV realized what all us fans already knew – they were weak in the broadcast booth. Ron Reusch and Bernie Pascall needed an upgrade. So CTV went out and got Dan Kelly, a bonified hockey broadcaster, and he vastly improved the quality of the games on TV. He was also the won who called the 1987 Canada Cup.

The other odd memory I have of CTV hockey was that they had Brad Park as a colour commentator. Then he got hired to coach the Detroit Red Wings, and was gone just as fast.

On the hot seat
CFCN Calgary also did some of their own programming. A show I used to watch on Saturday nights was “Sports Hot Seat”. It featured a panel of broadcasters who would interview a sports personality. Two of the journalists I recall regularly were Russ Peake and Ken Newins. There were also two guests I remember distinctly.

J.C. Watts had been a college star at Oklahoma, came north to the CFL, and came within a whisker of leading his Ottawa Rough Riders to one of the greatest upsets in league history in the 1981 Grey Cup against Edmonton. On “Sports Hot Seat”, he talked about finishing college and being a black quarterback. He had an offer to play with the New York Jets – at defensive back or running back – just not quarterback. That may have been one of the things that got me interested in the plight of the black quarterback, and the systemic racism in the NFL at the time

Ed McIlaney was a pass rusher with the Calgary Stampeders. He talked about the money paid players in the CFL, and how the league and agents could do more to find endorsement deals and other revenue streams for players. He cited the example of Kenny Stabler, a quarterback in the NFL, throwing a can of motor oil in a commercial.

It was an interesting show, but I honestly could not find a trace of it on the Internet.

Home Cookin’
Another local show, produced in Calgary, was one I wish I had paid more attention to. It was called “Home Cookin’” and it was hosted by Jim Ripley, a local radio deejay. “Home Cookin’” featured live music in studio, which was simulcast on C-JAY 92, the radio station Jim Ripley worked for.

Parting thoughts
Channel 13 was my favourite channel on peasant vision. It was just the most dynamic with a lot of the best American shows, some good home grown shows, and some really good sports.

In an era, when a channel had to try and cater to a broad audience, it had something for everyone.

It was a huge part of growing up in the 1980s, my pipeline to a lot of pop culture, and I will always remember it fondly.