“48 Years, 2 months and 27 days”

On February 2nd 2009, Dave Devall CTV’s long-running and charismatic weather man announced his retirement after working for almost five decades at CTV. It’s hard to find someone who doesn’t like Devall. He not only attracts adults, but young children, teenagers, and seniors as well. He is what you would call a class act.

Devall started his career at CTV, which was then CFTO, in 1961. [1] He quickly garnered viewer’s attention and became a hit. His simplified and approachable explanations of the weather attracted many people. It became his trademark to sum up the day’s weather by writing backwards on the screen provided. He learned to do this when the weather was done by hand. He worked as a meteorologist for 48 years, 2 months and 27 days, the longest ever according to Guinness Records. [2]

Although, CTV is based in Toronto and covers locally, it’s still a show that many people watch outside of the city. What’s interesting about Dave is his reputation. Rarely if ever do you hear him say anything controversial, he always appears happy and professional. He’s just neutral. Neutrality is something that all journalists are supposed to have. But let’s be honest so much of our media is mainstream, news channels included, is it possible to be too neutral?

The complete opposite of that, is journalists or broadcasters that are highly biased and represent only one side. Some examples include Rush Limbaugh (American radio broadcaster), and Keith Oberman (American broadcaster).

This begs an interesting question, should there be sides, or is common ground the best place. I personally get tired of watching the news, talk shows and other TV mediums with anchors, hosts and personalities that have no personality (no pun intended), opinions or emotions with the subjects. I enjoy people who accurately and fairly can defend their opinion.

For example, the ladies of The View are a perfect example to analyze. The talk show has been making many headlines in recent years. It accidentally went from being a mainstream show, to a heavily charged political show. The panel currently includes Whoopi Goldberg (the moderator), the liberal comedian Joy Behar, actress-comedian Sherri Shephard (undecided?), the conservative Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Barbara Walters (moderator). Barbara is one of the two creators and producers. Bill Geddy is the other creator but he works behind the camera, and is a registered republican.

There are many special things about The View. For one, they are all woman. Not just any woman though, they’re funny, good-looking, intelligent woman. This of course unsettles many people. To many, it’s still not possible for a woman to garner the same amount of respect as another male TV personality, or another male in general. But as time goes by, and for anyone who kept track during the recent American elections, you’ll know that those five women became one of the most talked about woman in television. Big companies like the New York Times began quoting them, skits about them increased in late night shows, politicians stopped by and there ratings sky rocketed. The day after the election they received a record 6.2 million viewers. [3]

Another point that makes The View stand out is the number of people. Anytime you bring people together that have been brought up in different ways, or are in different times in their lives you can have interesting discussions. Throw in five women and it’s a guaranteed excitement. Each one of those women is at different times in their lives. All of them have had to grow up in different circumstances, and all have different opinions and backgrounds. During discussions if you don’t agree with one of them, you’re bound to find one you agree with. It’s very interesting to see different sides being debated and makes The View stand out from other talk shows. For example, below is a common occurrence in which the ladies are talking about politics.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ug2oUG21hjQ

Things definitely can get uncomfortable and emotions run high but in the end it’s very entertaining. Not entertaining to watch and make fun of, but to actually listen to what they say and how they bounce off each other. A lot of people would never be comfortable to be so out there with their opinions and politics, and that’s understandable. Once you put your opinion out there, it’s always going to be out there for anyone to see and use against you. That is why a lot of people shy away from that and just focus on entertaining.
An example of TV personalities avoiding controversy is Live with Regis and Kelly. Regis Philbin and Kelly RIpa are often referred to as a dynamic duo. Kelly Ripa became part of the show, after the original female co-host Kathie Lee Gifford decided to leave. There is more than a three decade age difference, but somehow with these two it works.

They rarely discuss personal opinions about politicians, political events and entertainment scandals. If it is in the news, they will occasionally acknowledge it but quickly change the subject to avoid any trouble. Again it’s understandable why they would choose to do so. Regis has said on many occasions he wanted this show to be light hearted and provide an hour in the morning for people to forget real life and just enjoy some entertainment. Sometimes it would be nice to hear where they stand on certain issues, but it’s clear they have boundaries and they will not cross those boundaries. After 26 years on the air, it doesn’t look like they’re changing their game plan, nor should they. They hold a special place in North Americans lives and have become staples in morning television. Below is the link of the welcome Regis received after leaving the show to get a bypass surgery. It’s very evident how much he’s loved and respected in this clip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lCtLP_hINA

There are also hosts like Ellen Degeneres who garnered fame not by what the media was saying but for being themselves. The Ellen show has earned 25 Daytime Emmy awards since 2003, including Outstanding Talk Show Host for four straight years. [4]

Of course prior to the show’s creation Ellen faced a huge low in her personal life. After ending all speculation of her sexual orientation she confirmed to People magazine she was gay. There was a big backlash, and it became apparent that not only was society not ready, but neither was Hollywood to accept gays and lesbians.

After premiering in Australia, The Ellen Show started garnering great reviews and started appearing in North American homes. In no time the show received skyrocketing ratings and was given more time slots. Ellen became a hit and the most supported television host out there. She climbed her way up without using her personal life, but simply making people laugh. People fell in love with her all over again, and it became impossible to argue that she’s not funny and entertaining.

But in the past couple of years, using her fame for good causes, she has spoken out. She has spoken out about the treatment of her hometown New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, about the murder of a gay teenager, animal cruelty, and California’s Prop 8, the ban on gay marriage. She speaks out when it’s important to do so, and minds her own business with the smaller stuff. During the elections season, Ellen had a specific message for the Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin and her ideas about gay marriage. Ellen did not shy away, but did not make it look like she’s personally attacking her, she just delivered it in her own “Ellen” way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xW4M4t3ZdI

One last example is closer to home, CBC’s The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos. George one of the most creative, intelligent and original TV hosts out there nowadays. It’s hard to misshim, he’s usually wearing only black clothes and has extreme sarcasm.
For many people, he is remembered as the VJ on Much Music and the host of the Punk Show. But he has since graduated from that and runs his own one hour late night talk show at CBC. George is credited to saving the network. “The Hour is meant to bring sex appeal to a network not known for its smoulder”, and “…it’s dynamic, engaging, spontaneous” are all comments that are commonly given to George and The Hour. [5]

George interviews politicians, celebrities, athletes, environmentalists, and musicians. He knows what he’s doing and it’s very clear to the audience. He understands international relations and it a promoter of helping out locally. He brings charisma, which is his greatest advantage and refuses to be a typical mainstream anchor. He has been recognized for his originality with his 3 Gemini Awards for best host and 3 more for the show. [6]

With all the different talk shows out there and the few I have mentioned they all have different approaches, and different people running them. So which is better? Personally, I believe that The Hour is the best choice, especially for young Canadians. It provides valuable information, and entertainment. The host is very relatable, and it’s a very versatile show.

But if these shows were given a quick overview, they all seem to do well with ratings. That’s one similarity; the other is all the shows use comedy, which I think is an important point. People want to hear the news and what’s going on in the world. But when it is delivered with only certain people and the same structure it becomes very unappealing. It’s important to have versatility, variety and still deliver information. What’s the point of having so many forms of media if we’re all going to use it the same ways and play it safe?


[1] “Dave Devall, Weather Specialist” toronto.ctv.ca, April 18, 2009
[2] “Dave Devall, Weather Specialist” toronto.ctv.ca, April 18, 2009
[3] “’The View’ Ratings Higher Than Ever” Rick Kissell, March 9, 2009. huffingtonpost.com. April 18, 2009<>
[4] “About the Show” ellen.warnerbros.com. April 18, 2009
[5] “Rebel Rebel” Olivia Stren, January 2007. torontolife.com. April 18, 2009
<>
[6] “George Stroumboulopoulos” imdb.com. April 18, 2009
Pictures:
“Cool Devall” Online Image. Toronto.ctv.ca. April 18, 2009
< http://toronto.ctv.ca/gallery/html/dave_devall_20090202/photo_0.html>
“The View” Online Image. latimesblogs.latimes.com. April 18, 2009
< http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/photos/uncategorized/2009/03/08/the_view_500.jpg >
“Regis and Kelly” onling Image. msnbcmedia3.msn.com. April 18, 2009
<http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/040921/040921_rellyAwards_vmed_2p.widec.jpg>
“Ellen” Online image. realastrologers.com. April 18, 2009
<http://realastrologers.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/ellen_degeneres.jpg>
“George” Online Image. dailyseagull.com. April 18, 2009