Oppression of Animation for Canadians

[Pepperidge]

Does anyone know the exact reasons why Canada's government-funded "equivalent" channel Teletoon blows so bad?

I mean, it's bad enough that Cartoon Network and Nick are banned in Canada, but it's just downright mortifying to know that they're being kept off legal airwaves to support this dreck. I've heard that Teletoon has actually gone bankrupt several times. Is there any truth to this, because it would certainly explain why they refuse to buy the licenses for any good shows aired on Cartoon Network, or any anime at all (despite the fact that they could air just about anything completely uncut) and instead air cheap French animated shows and cartoons dumped by other networks before 13 episodes could air.

Of course, they do show Family Guy every night. I'll give them, like, half a point for that.

But please... can anyone here explain this injustice to me? Or at the very least, what we can do about it?

[Conan-san]

tele me somthing, do they show that old Donkey Kong Country cgi cartoon.

if not outch, then it does suck

[Pepperidge]

They used to.

It was really, really bad.

... why doesn't anyone ever care about this issue? It's worse than you think, you know.

[TimTwoFace]

I'm also Canadian...and British Columbian, actually - and I don't think Teletoon is a terrible channel. It's not great, either. Just...average. Teletoon and YTV share the load of most of the cartoons on the Canadian channels, and honestly, for the most part, they do a rather decent job.

You're right, though - CARTOON NETWORK and/or NICKALODEON (sp?) should be carried in Canada. Then again, don't most of their programs appear on Teletoon or YTV anyway?

-Tim

[Pepperidge]

No. We never got Zim, for one thing.

And those that are aired up here generally come late and are poorly scheduled.

And as I said, and we dont' have any anime. At all. Which is tragic considering that anime DVDs are more expensive in Canada than it is in the US, even when you take the exchange rate into consideration.

[livingfruitvirus]

Originally posted by Pepperidge
No. We never got Zim, for one thing.

You poor deprived souls. (seriously)


And those that are aired up here generally come late and are poorly scheduled.

At least they're uncut. Hell in the USA there is no government funded TV.


And as I said, and we dont' have any anime. At all. Which is tragic considering that anime DVDs are more expensive in Canada than it is in the US, even when you take the exchange rate into consideration.

That sucks. It's more expensive up there? Seriously? Just buy off Amazon.com or Amazon.ca. The US and Canada are both region 1 NTSC.

Keep tuned to Tech TV Canada though. They're trying to get Anime Unleashed added to the programming, and are asking for the help of fans.

[TimTwoFace]

Originally posted by Pepperidge

And as I said, and we dont' have any anime. At all. Which is tragic considering that anime DVDs are more expensive in Canada than it is in the US, even when you take the exchange rate into consideration.

Really? I could've sworn that Vancouver had the cheapest DVDs, CDs, and VHS videos on the continent. Seriously, I remember there was an article in the Sun saying so. At $10 for a DVD, how can you not go wrong?

-Tim

[Pepperidge]

I'll assume that you're referring to American prices, because I've never seen a DVD for less than $10 Canadian outside of bargain bins.

But unlike most movies which are redistributed by Canadian branches of production companies, anime DVDs all have to come over the US border, which means they have tariffs attatched which brings retail prices way up. Essentially, the Canadian government slaps them on there to punish people for buying American products.

When I ordered my Evangelion DVD boxset, I got charged an extra $30 in border fees! What a rip-off!

Apart from some movies that were redistributed by Canadian companies, most anime DVD cost $50. $30 is the absolute cheapest I've ever seen. And besides, most Canadian stores don't stock 1/4 the amount of anime most US retailers do. Most of the titles we get are just leftovers from American stores.

[Andy Mancini]

Okay, I'm confused. Why is Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon banned from Canada? That one really doesn't make any sense at all.

[RZetlin]

Originally posted by dj_gir
Okay, I'm confused. Why is Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon banned from Canada? That one really doesn't make any sense at all.

From what I read about Canada, all Canadian stations must have at least 50% original Canadian programming.

Since Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon have American material these stations are banned.

Canadians don't want "evil" American culture clogging up the airwaves.

[RZetlin]

Originally posted by livingfruitvirus
That sucks. It's more expensive up there? Seriously? Just buy off Amazon.com or Amazon.ca. The US and Canada are both region 1 NTSC.


If you go to the Amazon.ca, a Love Hina DVD cost $59.98! :eek:

That is very expensive in Canadian dollars considering a Hollywood movie like X-Men (Widescreen) cost $ 21.59 (Cdn.).

[Psycho Fox]

Originally posted by dj_gir
Okay, I'm confused. Why is Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon banned from Canada? That one really doesn't make any sense at all. Simple the CRTC is the body of goverment that says who can broadcast and who can't. And they won't let them in becouse

a)They are American owned

b)Most of their content is American

c)Teletoon, CRTC thinks one 24hr cartoon network is enough for Canada.

[RZetlin]

Base on the schedule on the teletoon website, teletoon is nothing but a poor imitation of the Cartoon Network.

They seem to be out of touch of what the audience wants.

[The Landstander]

i just checked the teletoon schedule, and...not that good. i noticed the only adult swim shows you get are the mediocre 30-minute ones. no home movies or williams street. that sucks.it is cool that you get family guy, though.

i agree it's a bad cartoon network rip-off. and that cartoon network/nickleodeon banning thing just seems really stupid.

[TimTwoFace]

I agree with the 50% Canadian Content thing...the radio stations have employed that rule (though I think they go by 30%) for years and you can hardly tell the difference any more.

Thing is, a huge chunk of the shows on CN and Nick are recorded, animated, and produced in either Vancouver, Montreal, or Toronto, so if that doesn't count as "Canadian", I don't know what does.

Technically Superman and anything Todd McFarlane touches is Canadian too, I suppose...but you don't see the CRTC saying that.

-Tim

[Pepperidge]

Family Guy barely makes up for what we miss out on and have to put up with in return.

The fact that CN airs in over 145 countries world-wide makes the idea of banning it in Canada seem all the more absurd. I'm willing to bet that even Afganny-stan gets CN.

Canadian DVD prices make me want to protest. I'm assuming that in the US, anime DVDs don't cost much more than most mainstream films.

[RZetlin]

Originally posted by Pepperidge
Canadian DVD prices make me want to protest. I'm assuming that in the US, anime DVDs don't cost much more than most mainstream films.

Comparsion between Canadian and American DVD Prices.

Amazon.ca
Love Hina Vol. 1 DVD with Box: $59.98 :mad:
X-Men (Widescreen): $21.59

Amazon.com
Love Hina Vol. 1 DVD with Box: $26.24
X-Men (Widescreen): $16.99

BTW if the Cartoon Network was allowed in Canada, I think Teletoon would be gone within a month.

[Pepperidge]

Yeah, that's pretty much the idea of banning it.

You'd think that AOL Time/Warner of ALL companies would be able to get past this. They're probably more powerful than our government, anyway!

And I believe it's 30% Canadian content that TV stations have to air. But that's still a lot.

[livingfruitvirus]

Originally posted by Pepperidge
The fact that CN airs in over 145 countries world-wide makes the idea of banning it in Canada seem all the more absurd. I'm willing to bet that even Afganny-stan gets CN.

Actually if I remember there used to be a Cartoon Network Canada. But since YTV and Teletoon were picking up their programming it was phased out.

3 people I know in Canada do have Cartoon Network and a lot of the American stations. Satellite?

[Pepperidge]

Illegal satellite, yes. There is no legal way to broadcast the Cartoon Network in the privacy of my own home.

[TimTwoFace]

Are you sure? I thought that if you had a strong enough satellite dish, you could pretty much tune in to any channel out there. I bet I could find the CN feed out of Seattle if I had a dish - but I don't - and that's fine. I never really watch Teletoon, anyway.

-Tim

[Ms. Kitty]

TimTwoFace

Thing is, a huge chunk of the shows on CN and Nick are recorded, animated, and produced in either Vancouver, Montreal, or Toronto, so if that doesn't count as "Canadian", I don't know what does.

I agree. This is so stupid! I am so tired about this "canadian content stuff", just because we don't have a biiiig part in the animated community dosen't mean that the CRTC has the right to go all whiney baby-like and ban out all the other great stuff that's out there :( We DID have a canadian animated short Strange Invaders nominated for an oscar, and what about He-Man and The 60's Spiderman cartoon? AND the X-men shows, ect. :) DANGNABIT! Dosen't that say anything to them? :( :p

RZetlin

...They seem to be out of touch of what the audience wants.


Well here's what Ms. kitty wants :cool: :

KITTY WANTS HER CARTOONS!!!! :mad: :moon2: :D

[Good Ol' Batmanuel!]

The only time that Teletoon really dropped the ball, in my opinion, was when they advertised for weeks that they were getting Space Ghost: Coast-to-Coast, then didn't get it! I've never gone so fast from being so excited to so disappointed before. :mad:

They have played some good stuff, though, like 2 Stupid Dogs, Jonny Bravo and Space Goofs. So, I'm not totally disappointed with them. :p I agree with Tim and say it's "average."

[Pepperidge]

I remember hearing that they had been hyping the show, I even remember it being listed in TV Guide, but it never aired.

Does anyone know why?

[Good Ol' Batmanuel!]

I wrote to them about not getting SGC2C a while back, and their answer was about some legal issues that they didn't go into detail about (of course). Musta been a last minute thing! I remember putting it on the first night it was supposed to air, but it was Looney Tunes instead. No explanation was ever given to the general public, as far as I know. I should ask them about that!

[Pepperidge]

I've constantly written them, asking why they don't air any anime programs, and have never once gotten a response.

[Good Ol' Batmanuel!]

Typical. :rolleyes: You otaku get no respect. Haha.

[Pepperidge]

Nah, just us Canadian otaku. We all hate it, but apparently we don't complain enough.

[Hatter]

Yeah, I often get annoyed when I read about Americans talking about all these great shows on CN that they take for granted. DO they realize that no Canadian has ever, legally, seen SG:CTC??

Bah, I'll take the original Space Ghost anyway. ;)

[livingfruitvirus]

Originally posted by Hatter
Yeah, I often get annoyed when I read about Americans talking about all these great shows on CN that they take for granted. DO they realize that no Canadian has ever, legally, seen SG:CTC??

Bah, I'll take the original Space Ghost anyway. ;)

then do what these other Canadian viewers are doing and get an illegal satellite feed.

BTW, Space Ghost has never aired on any non-Turner station on the planet ever (every station that has aired it is a Cartoon Network branch, or CNX in the UK who just recently dropped it).

[RZetlin]

Originally posted by Pepperidge
I've constantly written them, asking why they don't air any anime programs, and have never once gotten a response.

Since I am a curious person, I sent them an email about this issue more than two years ago.

This was Teletoon's response:



Hi there,

Thank you for your comments and suggestions, we really appreciate getting feedback from our viewers.

Since the beginning of our network, we have received many requests for shows from fans who want TELETOON to best reflect their interests; and we certainly do get many requests from viewers who feel very nostalgic about their favourite shows.

Although we do agree that anime and Japanese cartoon are an important genre of the world of animation, TELETOON doesn’t offer a large selection of those cartoon for the moment because we are very limited in the amount of foreign content we can include in our programming.

Let us explain one of the details that regulates our network… As you already know, as per one of our CRTC condition of license, the amount of Canadian content on our channel must be maintained at 55% for this year. Unfortunately, most of the requested shows from the 80's and all animes are not Canadian and we are not always able to get the rights to air certain programs. Whenever we can, we do our very best to acquire requested series. As you may have noticed, our station's motto since the beginning has been to provide our viewers with first class UNREAL! Programming. However, we cannot put 45% of anime because we would need to eliminate certain shows that other people like. Our audience have different taste and we need to offer a large selection of cartoons. Not only 2-3 kinds of cartoons.

All of the programs on our network are leaders in their respective genres; they are interesting in different ways and cater to different tastes. Although we cannot fulfil your request at this time, we would like to invite you to have a look at some of our newer animated series:

Butt-Ugly Martians (Sunday at 4:00PM and Tuesday at 6:30PM)

Braceface (Wednesday at 7:00PM and Saturday-Sunday at 9:00AM and 5:00PM)

What’s With Andy, with new episodes in January (Wednesday at 6:30PM and Saturday-Sunday at 8:30AM and 6:00PM)

Martin the Warrior: A Tale of Redwall (Launch Monday, December 3rd at 6:30PM)

Cardcaptors! The series is on Monday to Friday at 5PM, and as of November 5th you will be able to follow Sakura’s quest in its original sequential order. Enjoy!

And don’t miss our 13 Days of Halloween special from October 19 to 31, from 5:00PM to 7:00PM. Click on <http://www.teletoon.com> for more information.

We thank you for your comments and suggestions. Do not hesitate to write us again if you have any other ideas! We invite you to click on www.teletoon.com <http://www.teletoon.com> for more details about our programs.

Stay TOONed with TELETOON!


I hope this brings more light into the situation.

Teletoon is really run by a bunch of small companies. They don't have the same buying power as the Cartoon Network.

[Good Ol' Batmanuel!]

Originally posted by livingfruitvirus
Space Ghost has never aired on any non-Turner station on the planet ever (every station that has aired it is a Cartoon Network branch, or CNX in the UK who just recently dropped it).
That's not quite true. Around six or seven years ago, WSBK, which runs out of Boston, aired two hours of Coast-to-Coast then never showed it again. I remember staying up until 2am just so I could tape it without commercials. This is the only time I've ever seen Coast-to-Coast on my television. :( I used to watch Cartoon Planet on TBS for a couple of years, then it was yanked. Thankfully, I have around 5 or 6 hours of it on tape.

As far as what was said about illegal satellite feeds, some friends of mine had Cartoon Network here and I can assure you, it was totally legal. I don't know how, though. They had one of those huge old school dishes. I remember wearing my Coast-to-Coast t-shirt at a bar-b-que one day and their cousin and neighbor came up to me and said "I've seen him on tv! He's funny!" This got me curious, so I asked one of the kids about it and he told me they had it. I was so jealous! :p (though now they have a new, small dish and don't get it anymore)

[RZetlin]

Originally posted by Good Ol' Batmanuel!
As far as what was said about illegal satellite feeds, some friends of mine had Cartoon Network here and I can assure you, it was totally legal. I don't know how, though. They had one of those huge old school dishes. I remember wearing my Coast-to-Coast t-shirt at a bar-b-que one day and their cousin and neighbor came up to me and said "I've seen him on tv! He's funny!" This got me curious, so I asked one of the kids about it and he told me they had it. I was so jealous! :p (though now they have a new, small dish and don't get it anymore)

From my research, Satellite Television is not illegal in Canada, but there's only a few legally licensed ones. (Star Choice, Bell Express Vu).

I looked at this site (http://www.canadian-tv.com/) and the Cartoon Network is not listed as one of the channels provided.

Do you which satellite provider your friend has?

[livingfruitvirus]

Originally posted by Good Ol' Batmanuel!
That's not quite true. Around six or seven years ago, WSBK, which runs out of Boston....

Is that a PBS affiliate? If so that's ok because PBS can run any programming they want to since it's only for their area (except when the main PBS station beams out programming to their affiliates).


Do you which satellite provider your friend has?

He has some kind of hacked DirecTV card or dish or something.

[Good Ol' Batmanuel!]

WSBK (http://www.upn38.com/) has nothing to do with PBS. It's a Boston UPN affiliate. I guess maybe they just ordered a few episodes to see how it would do. If not, then who knows? Not I.

As far as my friend's old satellite, I could ask them, but really, who cares? No matter what I say, you'll think I'm lying, anyway. They're good people who would never knowingly use an illegal hookup and that's all I know right now.

[Gary L Thompson]

Originally posted by Pepperidge
I've constantly written them, asking why they don't air any anime programs, and have never once gotten a response.

Frankly, this was a rather sad thread to read.

I remember Canada used to be a viewers' paradise for American border viewers who couldn't get their favorite shows on their native stations.

I remember our local CBC affiliate had a seven-day-a-week early evening "Popeye Show." It not only showed Popeye (originally the Fleisher and Famous cartoons, and then replaced them with the 1960-1961 cartoons Kings Features made), but other shows like Mighty Hercules, Super Car and various fantasy serials that I suspect were made by Rankin Bass (plus various live-action shows like Long John Silver, William Tell and old Hal Roach silents). In the late 60s, this program was succeeded by Jerry Booth's Funhouse, which featured: Astro Boy, Thunderbirds, Eight Man, Hector Heathcoate, the Marvel superheroes, Marine Boy, Hashimoto, and some other esoteric material that I've forgotten.

In the 1980s, Can-West Global showed cartoons and more cartoons, including the color Astroboy series, Sailor Moon (which was slotted in a way that allowed it to become a hit, which it wasn't here prior to Cartoon Network), and--talk about nostalgia--even Mighty Hercules for a time. Now Global shows hardly any animation at all. French CBC (now Societe-Radio Canada) was even richer with two weekend mornings of cartoons (and occasional weekday), featuring anime classics like Catseyes, Monkey Punch's Three Musketeers, Mysterious Cities of Gold, Candy Candy, Alice in Wonderland, Astroboy, Sherlock Hound, Anne of Green Gables, and Time Bokan.

The latter is still airing cartoons--but it seems like they're content like all the other programmers north of the border with just imitating American cartoon lineups, abandoning a rich heritage of showing quality shows that you just couldn't get in the U.S. (Teletoon, where is your pride? Why not have Nelvana do a domestic Canadian version that would be faithful to the Card Captor Sakura original, instead of meekly accepting the dictates of misogynous Kids WB executives?). I think Canada needs to seriously rethink its programming standards.

[Pepperidge]

Whoo, thought this topic had died for a minute there. ^_^

Canadian network stations (CBC, CTV, Global and a few others not worth remembering) don't air any programming targetted at the 6-16 demographic. I've e-mailed CityTV (a network station in Toronto and Vancouver) about the subject of airing anime. I had managed to get several written (and sympathetic) responses, but they insisted that the Vancouver branch had no control over what they could and couldn't show, and they had run into problems with trying to aquire anime programming in the past.

If I ever find the CRTC main office, I'm bombing them.


Teletoon, where is your pride? Why not have Nelvana do a domestic Canadian version that would be faithful to the Card Captor Sakura original, instead of meekly accepting the dictates of misogynous Kids WB executives?

I think that's one of the main problems: Canadian broadcasters just don't have any balls at all.

[TimTwoFace]

Oh, I think Canadian broadcasters are a lot gutsier than their American counterparts. Look at all the shows on the cable channels - not to mention the three big ones (CBC, CTV, and Global) - that are rather...well...restricted. This sort of stuff doesn't appear on American non-cable networks nearly as often.

And the CBC is very gutsy; aside from sports coverage most of their original programming is terrible. The CRTC is very gutsy in considering this stuff is actually watchable. :) I guess being funded directly by the feds helps in promoting "Canadian content".

:D

-Tim

[Good Ol' Batmanuel!]

Originally posted by TimTwoFace
Oh, I think Canadian broadcasters are a lot gutsier than their American counterparts.
Yup! They're just not keen on anime, I guess. :p They show stuff on Canadian channels that would make NYPD Blue fans blush. Especially on Radio Canada, the French station. I was watching a game show at around 7pm once and one of the commercials they showed had a topless woman in it! :eek: I was........somewhat shocked. (gotta say somewhat, cuz I've also heard the "f" word around the same time on CBC before. Yikes.) This doesn't even take into account all the racy stuff they show on Showcase and City TV.

I think I'll just stick to my 'toons. :)

[RZetlin]

There's another Canadian TV station called YTV and they air anime.

Base on their TV schedule on their site (http://www.ytv.com) they have aired the following anime series.

-Sailor Moon
-Beyblade
-Dragonball Z
-Hamtaro
-Medabots
-Pokemon
-Digimon Frontier
-Yu-gi-oh!
-Zoids
-Transformers: Robots in Disguise


They also have Powerpuff Girls and Samurai Jack.

Forget about Teletoon, YTV is the real "Cartoon Network".

[livingfruitvirus]

Hey. Teletoon's gonna begin airing Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law as part of Teletoon Unleashed now. That's good news if I ever heard it.

[Good Ol' Batmanuel!]

If Canucks really need an anime fix, I suggest going to the local video store. I'm not sure what all stores carry, of course, but my local Rogers Video has tons of anime, like Bubblegum Crisis, Cowboy Bebop, Akira, Patlabor, Metropolis, Robotech, and lots of others that I can't think of. :p

[Pepperidge]

My local video store has a few Eva DVDs and some recent movies. That isn't exactly a fix.

RZetlin... I'm fully aware that YTV airs all of those shows. And I could care less. Not only are they all butchered kiddie shows, but they're all on Fox anyway (which we do get in Canada).

YTV is "Youth Television". They're not going to air any uncut anime programming targeted at a mature audience. Teletoon would, but don't seem to have any desire to do so.

Teletoon picked up Harvey Birdman. Okay... why didn't they pick up Cowboy Bebop instead? I mean, I'm sure Harvey Birdman is good and fine, but people haven't exactly been screaming and hollering for them to air it.

Canadian broadcasters don't have balls in the sense that they aren't brave enough to air programming that isn't in the US (ie: uncut anime that US networks haven't aired). However, in terms of content, you can get away with just about anything on Canadian television.

Which is a good thing.

[RZetlin]

Originally posted by Good Ol' Batmanuel!
If Canucks really need an anime fix, I suggest going to the local video store. I'm not sure what all stores carry, of course, but my local Rogers Video has tons of anime, like Bubblegum Crisis, Cowboy Bebop, Akira, Patlabor, Metropolis, Robotech, and lots of others that I can't think of. :p

But doesn't anime DVDs cost about $50 a piece?

If your renting, video stores rarely carry a whole series.

[Good Ol' Batmanuel!]

Originally posted by RZetlin
But doesn't anime DVDs cost about $50 a piece? If your renting, video stores rarely carry a whole series.
Depends on the store, of course. Don't ask me why the local one gets so much! :p I'm surprised, because I don't really see them as being hot commodities. I guess they're just trying to be different, which is great for local otaku! And yes, a lot of video stores don't carry a whole series and I'm not sure if they do or not, but it seems like it for some things. I'm probably going to rent the Robotech series at some point (they have 3 DVD sets of it. I don't know if that's the whole thing or not.)

[SpaceCowboy]

$50 for an anime DVD and no adult anime on TV. It's tragic that you Canadians have to put up with the government crap.

[Pepperidge]

And 14.5% taxes. Damn socialism...

[jrh31584]

At least they're uncut. Hell in the USA there is no government funded TV.
Except for PBS.

And 14.5% taxes. Damn socialism...
Is that a VAT (Value Added Tax) or some other sort of a sale tax? Or is it your income tax rate...the lowest rate in the USA is 15%.

[Pepperidge]

Sales tax.

PBS is funded by its viewers, not by the government. "Viewers Like You" is not an organization. ^_^

[FEENXFIRE]

God bless Ted Turner, Bill Gates, Walt Disney and free enterprise...;)

[Pepperidge]

I was going to say something about free medicine, but I know that if I did this entire thread would go to hell.

In any case, do you guys think that some kind of petition is in order? Both through traditional mail and e-mail, of course. It wouldn't be making any huge demands, just something small that could trigger a change.

If we made a convincing petition requesting that Teletoon obtain the rights to, say, Cowboy Bebop and Neon Genesis Evangelion, two extremely well known, accessable, and easily obtainable series' which I can't see not being hits if advertised and aired in the right timeslot, we could probably get a lot of people to sign. If it somehow did work, it may make Teletoon change their mind about what their audience wants, and maybe even convince the CRTC loosen their grip on the station's neck a little.

Of course, if someone did start that it would have to be done very formally and spread to different parts of the net as fast as possible.

Comments?

[Hatter]

I will give YTV credit, in that they aired Gundam Wing a few years back. We didn't get the uncut version late at night, but we did get something else...


Right before the series premiered on YTV, they aired the Gundam Wing movie, Endless Waltz... uncut! Yes, aired in the evening, I believe, complete with swearing (damn, hell) and violence/blood/death (people getting shot in the chest and head, including a child, quite graphically)! Not even Cartoon Network got to air the uncut movie.

I'm sure it must have been an error on YTV's part... they most likely thought they were getting the edited version. I should email them about that...
But it's probably the most extreme thing YTV's ever shown.

Also, I will say that on the French version of Teletoon (out of Quebec) used to air CardCaptor Sakura in French, nearly totally unaltered! It was amazing... the only changes, as I remember, were the names (changed to better suit French pronounciations, I suppose) and the voices, dubbed into French. Also, the opening & ending themes were intact, except for French singing, which was done quite well. The voices were also excellent, as close to the original as you could get, and better in some cases. The background music was also untouched. And scenes during the show that featured Japanese singing, either in the background or by a character, were unaltered. The episodes played in exact order, as well, with no deletions.

Makes me wonder why CardCaptors was such an ungodly mess...

[Pepperidge]

Mind you, the Gundam Wing movie takes place AFTER the series. They aired it before they aired the series.

I'm sure they'd have had no problem with airing the series uncut but, as this one move had demonstrated, they just didn't know what the hell they were doing. I don't think they were even AWARE of the fact that anything was cut.

[Gary L Thompson]

Originally posted by RZetlin
There's another Canadian TV station called YTV and they air anime.

Base on their TV schedule on their site (http://www.ytv.com) they have aired the following anime series.

-Sailor Moon
-Beyblade
-Dragonball Z
-Hamtaro
-Medabots
-Pokemon
-Digimon Frontier
-Yu-gi-oh!
-Zoids
-Transformers: Robots in Disguise


They also have Powerpuff Girls and Samurai Jack.

Forget about Teletoon, YTV is the real "Cartoon Network".

Well, I'm afraid that only bolsters my point. All of these shows are airing in the U.S. now, or have aired recently (when Global aired Sailor Moon, for example, it kept the show on for a second season while the show was dying in syndication in the U.S.). I think if Canada stopped worrying about native-content percentages, and instead concentrated on offering what Americans aren't getting, I think they would actually present a threat to the ratings of American border stations (CBC's coverage of the Olympics generally kills American coverage on Detroit stations, because the Canadian actually try to cover the events live instead of packaging it out of recognition). It's not just a question of offering anime that American networks (and even U.S. anime video providers) are ignoring, but with Canada's ties to the British Commonwealth and Europe, Canadian programmers really ought have a much broader selection of animation than they do.


Originally posted by Hatter
Also, I will say that on the French version of Teletoon (out of Quebec) used to air CardCaptor Sakura in French, nearly totally unaltered! It was amazing... the only changes, as I remember, were the names (changed to better suit French pronounciations, I suppose) and the voices, dubbed into French. Also, the opening & ending themes were intact, except for French singing, which was done quite well. The voices were also excellent, as close to the original as you could get, and better in some cases. The background music was also untouched. And scenes during the show that featured Japanese singing, either in the background or by a character, were unaltered. The episodes played in exact order, as well, with no deletions.

Makes me wonder why CardCaptors was such an ungodly mess...

That makes two of us wondering the same thing (hope CLAMP is far more careful in who they allow to handle Angelic Layer). French Canadians have gotten a lot of great anime down through the years.

[Pepperidge]

That's because French-Canada is, essentially, an isolated culture. ^_^

The thing about Canadian networks is that they don't WANT to compete with American channels. They Simulcast US programming on network stations so that they can survive, and then block out American programming so that they can convince themselves that Canadian content is successful.

[Psycho Fox]

Originally posted by Gary L Thompson
Well, I'm afraid that only bolsters my point. All of these shows are airing in the U.S. now, or have aired recently (when Global aired Sailor Moon, for example, it kept the show on for a second season while the show was dying in syndication in the U.S.). I think if Canada stopped worrying about native-content percentages, and instead concentrated on offering what Americans aren't getting, I think they would actually present a threat to the ratings of American border stations (CBC's coverage of the Olympics generally kills American coverage on Detroit stations, because the Canadian actually try to cover the events live instead of packaging it out of recognition). It's not just a question of offering anime that American networks (and even U.S. anime video providers) are ignoring, but with Canada's ties to the British Commonwealth and Europe, Canadian programmers really ought have a much broader selection of animation than they do.
I aggree. CN and a Canadain Cartoon network can coexist if said Canadain Cartoon network simply focuses on tring to provid as much quality content not on CN as possible via Euro, Canadain and even American (that is not on CN) animation.

[Pepperidge]

That's the thing-- Canadian broadcasters DO have a large variety of programming to select from. But instead, they choose to take the cheap and easy way out by airing cheaply animated French Canadian programs. All of which suck.

This really is ridiculous. I mean, exactly how much "Canadian Content" do Space and Comedy Network air? Not much, from what I've seen.

[Pepperidge]

I got a response.

Hi Jesse!

Thank you for taking the time to write to us! We have forwarded your comments to our programming department. We invite you to call us Toll Free Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm (EST), at 1-888-884-8666, to discuss many of the issues you address in your email.

Please know that 60% of our content must be Canadian, which is a condition of our license with the CRTC. Furthermore, 60% of our Canadian content must be aired between 6pm and 12am. As well, the ability to acquire a series is often based upon broadcast availability (the license) of a series.

Often times, people will associate animation with children's entertainment, when really, like any other form of entertainment, there are shows that are made for younger audiences and there are ones directed at adults and teenagers. This is why we make sure to have 18+ [18+ = TV MA] ratings to clearly indicate to viewers that certain series are intended for an adult audience.

The TV section of our website provides great scheduling information. By entering a show into the search, you can find out when that show is scheduled up to two months ahead of time. We invite you to click on www.teletoon.com <http://www.teletoon.com> for more details about our programs.

Stay TOONed with TELETOON!

Emily Kilfoyle
Audience relations coordinator/Coordonnatrice aux relations à l'auditoire
TELETOON Canada Inc.
BCE Place
181 Bay Street
P.O.Box 787
Toronto, ON M5J 2T3

416-956-2060, ext. 6424
1-888-884-8666

-----Original Message-----
From: Jesse Betteridge [mailto:pepperidge@graffiti.net]
Sent: Saturday, January 18, 2003 4:08 PM
To: suggestions@teletoon.com
Subject: Feedback Concerning Mature-Oriented Programs


To Teletoon,

I have been viewing your station pretty much since its debut in 1998, and have recently come into the posession of some feedback that simply needed sending. This is not a message of complaint as much as it is one of concern.

Teletoon, for all intents and purposes, is a replacement for the US cable station, Cartoon Network which is essentially banned from Canadian broadcast basically on the grounds of being an American station. (Of course, I don't blame you for this-- I blame the CRTC and Canadian government.) Therefore, it should be your station's obligation to offer Canadians the same quality (or higher quality) programming as well as presentation of that programming as its American counterpart. If that were the case, there wouldn't be an issue. But, though it GREATLY pains me to say this, I don't feel that Teletoon is offering anywhere NEAR what avid and mature fans of animation such as myself expect or deserve.

Though issues involving advertising, suggestive scheduling, and one too many French animated shows are all valid and quite apparent, the main concern I wish to address is that of your station's severely obvious lack of Japanese animated programs, which is wholly a bigger problem than many people think. The impact of Japanese animation through theme, style and staggering creativity cannot be ignored. Yet I am deeply unsettled to see that Teletoon has ignored it.

In the US, shows like Gundamn, Tenchi Muyo, Inuyasha, Lupin III, Trigun, Outlaw Star and, most notably of all, Cowboy Bebop alone have literally sent the Cartoon Network's ratings through the roof! Their mature audience-oriented block, Adult Swim (which I'm sure you've heard all about) is simply staggering with a huge reception from the 18-24 demographic and astonishingly positive feedback ever since the block debuted last year.

And if that weren't enough, even citizens of the UK (a place you would expect to be deprived of a medium translated and distributed in the US) are given great quality programming on their version of the Sci-Fi network, and even some local channels in the form of Neon Genesis Evangelion, Martian Successor Nadesico and movies. Lots of movies. As in, more than four movies being played over and over continuously until they lose the rights. Both the US and the UK get more than their share of Japanese animated programming... why not Canada?

After all, not only are anime DVDs surprisingly hard to come by in Canada, but they cost at least 10% more here than they do in the United States, due to most titles not being distributed by Canadian companies and having to be imported. Programs aren't difficult to license, and Canadian television broadcast standards would allow just about any anime to be aired uncut on a cable station such as Teletoon (which would be received VERY positively, considering home video versions are so hard to obtain). Yet, apart from mainstream children's series being aired on YTV, no Canadian cable station airs any anime programming at all. This is quite unsettling, seeing as how the Vancouver and Toronto areas are two of the biggest markets for Japanese animation in North America.

Over the past year, Teletoon has been trying to wring in the 18-24 demographic through its "Teletoon Unleashed" and "Detour" programming blocks. Though the station has more than redeemed itself by airing Family Guy (which, rather irnoically, happens to be one the best American animated shows ever), the fact that almost every show targeted at a mature audience is an animated series dumped by another network before thirteen episodes were even aired is all too obvious. And I personally find it quite strange that the station's managers feel that the mature audience they're trying to target won't be intelligent enough to see through the needless 18+ ratings given to harmless shows like The Oblongs and Mission Hill simply to boost ratings.

Though I know it's ultimately ineffective to suggest something like this... I'm going to do it anyway. Is there any chance that your licensors could look into obtaining the rights to Cowboy Bebop of the Neon Genesis Evangelion series and movie (the End of Evangelion)? I guarantee you that those are two of the easiest licenses to obtain for televised broadcast. I can also more than guarantee you that uncut versions of these shows will be massive successes for mature audiences.

I know that someone at your station has to be capable of reading this letter and giving me and honest and opinionated response that will answer my questions for better or worse (which is a terrible show, might I add). It truly pains me to know that a station that could so easily be superior to its American equivalent simply, in my opinion, isn't trying.

Thank you very much for your time.

-- Jesse Betteridge

Well, at least they're more cooperative than YTV.

I might actually call them...

[livingfruitvirus]

it's 60% now? hoooo-leeeee jeez!

[RZetlin]

60% Canadain content?! :eek:

Where does Teletoon get that much Canadian shows? I didn't think Canada produce can so much Canadian cartoons.

Do other Canadian TV stations require such a high standard?

How come YTV can air so much non-Canadain content like Powerpuff Girls, Pokemon, Samurai Jack, etc.?

What is Teletoon doing to lower this quota?

[StarScream64]

Wow. Canada doesn't get Cartoon Network? You mean no Justice League??
I'd move...

[Psycho Fox]

Originally posted by StarScream64
Wow. Canada doesn't get Cartoon Network? You mean no Justice League??
I'd move... Y-TV has Justice League

[Pepperidge]

We get Justice League on YTV. But the whole idea of having to wait for a Canadian channel to pick up the rights to a show and place them into their ridiculous schedule is extremely annoying. I swear, the UK gets a lot of shows faster than we do.

The main problem, as I've pointed out, is that many shows (or many seasons of shows) never even wind up getting aired in Canada.

Perhaps the highter your ratings are, the more the CRTC will let you slide?

[Lucky Bob]

60% Canadian programming?!?!

*sniff*

*snort*

*snicker*

*chuckle*

*audible laugh*

*guffaw*

*ROTFLOL*

*wipes eyes*

I'm sorry, that's just so sad. First off, and this might show my abyssmal ignorance and I do not mean to be insulting, but how in this or any other world do they find enough (strictly) Canadian cartoons to fill the quota? I mean, how do they do it? Do they show the same one over and over?

That's just a bit too much. The networks should be able to show what they want to show. Over here in Belgium, they have no qualms about showing American or Japanese TV shows of any kind. I'd say it's a safe estimate that 85% of all the programs and movies they show on Belgian television stations are American. And of those, 95% of the are subtitled, not dubbed. And they have no trouble with their culture.

I don't know, this is when government goes mad, in my eyes.

[Pepperidge]

To think that this is our tax dollars at work.

No wonder Health Care is failing...

[RZetlin]

Originally posted by luckybob1985
60% Canadian programming?!?!

I'm sorry, that's just so sad. First off, and this might show my abyssmal ignorance and I do not mean to be insulting, but how in this or any other world do they find enough (strictly) Canadian cartoons to fill the quota? I mean, how do they do it? Do they show the same one over and over?


Looks at Teletoon schedule on the net.

That is exactly what Teletoon does. They show the same shows twice a day, six days in a row.

[Pepperidge]

Reboot was the only good Canadian animated series.

Teletoon doesn't show that.

[jrh31584]

PBS is funded by its viewers, not by the government. "Viewers Like You" is not an organization. ^_^
True, but the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, founded in the late 1960's, is funded by taxpayers. However, there have been calls to either disband or privatize the CPB.

[Pepperidge]

I remember when my local PBS cancelled Red Dwarf to air a full hour of Antiques Road Show without notice. Since that day, I've loathed that show on an entirely new level.

Anyway, the only hours the Teletoon offices are open are when I'm at school. However, I have Friday off this week, so hopefully I can ring them up by then.

Has anyone else tried calling? I'd like to know if it will be worth my time or not.

[Pepperidge]

I called Teletoon. I'm busy, so I'll post details later tonight.

[Lucky Bob]

Originally posted by RZetlin
Looks at Teletoon schedule on the net.

That is exactly what Teletoon does. They show the same shows twice a day, six days in a row.

That's sad. And there are so many good toons out there....

[Pepperidge]

Okay, as I said yesterday, I called Teletoon. Though I didn't uncover anything mind-boggling, I did learn a few interesting tidbits about this situation.

The woman I talked to was very cooperative and at least tried to give a decent answer to all of my questions. She told me that the station didn't get very many calls from viewers who want to voice their opinon.

So, if you are Canadian and want to make sure Teletoon hears your opinion on their current programming strategies, call them at 1-888-884-8666 Monday-Friday 9am-5pm EST. I'm sure if more people actually called them up rather than e-mailing them, they'd start listening.

I talked to the woman at the station for about half an hour. As it turns out, it isn't EVERY Canadian cable channel that has to air 60% Canadian Content-- only Teletoon. Apparently their original broadcasting license with the CRTC agreed that their station would show an unusually high amount of Canadian content. However, the station is getting their contract renewed sometime later this year, so there could be a change made to that.

I mean, if they have to repeat shows just to make up that quota, they should at least consider it.

For the most part, I talked about the station's severe lack of anime. The main reason Teletoon doesn't want to air anime, it seems, is because despite the fact that they know anime series have been runaway hits on US and UK television, the station still views it as a relatively cult audience and are unsure that obtaining the rights to a show would be worth the investment. Apparently they feel they can ensure a larger audience if they fill their foreign content privileges with American shows rather than anime. I questioned picking Harvey Birdman to air rather than Cowboy Bebop (which I'm sure would be in much higher demand), but she wasn't able to explain that one.

She also told me that there is a possibility that other stations may have obtained the rights to certain shows, but aren't showing them. I, personally, find that quite unlikely.

However, she wouldn't tell me anything about Space Ghost Coast to Coast. Be suspicious.

In any case, Teletoon will apparently have a "suggestion box" on their website sometime this year in which you enter the name of a show you'd like to see on the station. If that does come to be, then I'm sure we can all use it to our advantage.

[Nick Biped]

60% Canadian content?! That's ridiculous! And I thought radio with its 30-35% CanCon regulations was a bit much.

I knew that there were some necessary quota of CanCon for Teletoon. I just never realised it was that much. :eek:

It's kind of interesting since I was talking to someone not too long ago about the anime (or lack thereof) that's shown on YTV and Teletoon. The funny thing is, I think like back when Teletoon first started, they aired shows like DBZ and the occasional movie like Wings of Honnenaise (sp?). So why can't they do that now?

Well, hopefully things will change on Teletoon, if even just a little bit. I mean, one can only watch so much Mega Babies and Bad Dog (or not watch it, in my case :rolleyes: ).

P.S. Anyone remember that kinda-sorta anime CyberSix? Sure, it wasn't completely anime, but I found it better than most of the other dreck Teletoon shows.

[Nightflower]

Originally posted by Nick Biped
60% Canadian content?! That's ridiculous! And I thought radio with its 30-35% CanCon regulations was a bit much.

I knew that there were some necessary quota of CanCon for Teletoon. I just never realised it was that much. :eek:

It's kind of interesting since I was talking to someone not too long ago about the anime (or lack thereof) that's shown on YTV and Teletoon. The funny thing is, I think like back when Teletoon first started, they aired shows like DBZ and the occasional movie like Wings of Honnenaise (sp?). So why can't they do that now?

Well, hopefully things will change on Teletoon, if even just a little bit. I mean, one can only watch so much Mega Babies and Bad Dog (or not watch it, in my case :rolleyes: ).

P.S. Anyone remember that kinda-sorta anime CyberSix? Sure, it wasn't completely anime, but I found it better than most of the other dreck Teletoon shows.

Indeed I do! Made a website actually, though it's pretty old now:
http://www.angelfire.com/vt/cybersix

[Pepperidge]

Teletoon has long since lost the rights to DBZ (all 13 episodes of it :rolleyes: ), Ninja Scroll, Patlabor, Macross Plus and Wings of Honneamise.

Apart from the molested version of CardCaptor Sakura, that's the only anime they've ever shown.

[Nick Biped]

Originally posted by Nightflower
Indeed I do! Made a website actually, though it's pretty old now:
http://www.angelfire.com/vt/cybersix

Wow, that was a fast response! Thanks for the link. ^^

Hmm, didn't even know they had a comic of it. Neat.

Anyways, yeah, I kinda liked that show too. I can't say I made a point of watching it, but whenever I was flipping around and saw it on, I started watching it. I think I eventually got to see all 13 episodes of it.

It's too bad it stopped running, but, well, I guess you can only show 13 episodes so many times before people get tired of it. Now, if Canadian companies made more shows like this (I think this was a Canada-Japan co-production, so it'd qualify as CanCon), then CanCon quotas wouldn't be as big a deal.

But we get Mega Babies instead. And for quality anime, I have to resort to either downloaded stuff or shelling out +$50 for anime DVDs.

[Pepperidge]

I'll be honest-- I download most of my anime. Not only that, but I don't plan to buy a lot of the anime I've downloaded.

I don't mind paying western distribution companies for their products. In fact, I feel that everyone SHOULD pay for their releases, as it really is the only way to promote anime (hell, animation in general) here in North America.

However, I refuse to pay the extra duties slapped on them by the Canadian government. And the fact that virtually no stores carry anime DVDs, and that I don't have a credit card to use at online stores certainly doesn't help much either.

Most places with low prices don't accept money orders. And when I do order something using a money order, the entire affair is usually quite nightmarish.

Of course, that's just my personal beef.

[Good Ol' Batmanuel!]

Originally posted by Pepperidge
she wouldn't tell me anything about Space Ghost Coast to Coast.
They're probably still embarassed about their earlier fiasco in promising to air the show. :p

The suggestion box thing you mentioned is interesting. Let's hope they actually take it seriously. That'd be nice if they get bombarded with requests for SGC2C! Even if they still can't get it, they should issue a statement about why they dropped the ball before.

Regarding the 60% Canadian content issue, I can't help but think that Great White North filled the required amount of Canadian content for SCTV...and it was done as a joke! :eek:

[Nightflower]

Originally posted by Nick Biped
Wow, that was a fast response! Thanks for the link. ^^

Hmm, didn't even know they had a comic of it. Neat.

Anyways, yeah, I kinda liked that show too. I can't say I made a point of watching it, but whenever I was flipping around and saw it on, I started watching it. I think I eventually got to see all 13 episodes of it.

It's too bad it stopped running, but, well, I guess you can only show 13 episodes so many times before people get tired of it. Now, if Canadian companies made more shows like this (I think this was a Canada-Japan co-production, so it'd qualify as CanCon), then CanCon quotas wouldn't be as big a deal.

But we get Mega Babies instead. And for quality anime, I have to resort to either downloaded stuff or shelling out +$50 for anime DVDs.
Yes, it was Japanese-Canadian produced. It was really expensive to produce, though, believe it or not (All those rotating backgrounds, as opposed to a static background, really burned up a lot of money), which is why they didn't make more.

[Hatter]

Ah yes, I remember seeing Macross Plus on Teletoon once, around 3 AM... never saw it again, though.

[Pepperidge]

CyberSix was good, but so dreadfully incoherent compared to the comic. I really do wonder why they couldn't have given it a definite conclusion in the final episode.

If I find out anything new about this "suggestion box", I'll let you guys know.

And for the record, Mega Babies is the worst animated series I have ever seen. Worse than Sonic Underground. Worse than the original Hulk series from the 60s. What were they thinking when they aired that, anyway? Were they actually expecting people to get nostalgic over it?

[Good Ol' Batmanuel!]

Originally posted by Pepperidge
And for the record, Mega Babies is the worst animated series I have ever seen.
Yeah, I dunno if it's the worst one I've ever seen, but it sure is stupid! Takes the gross-out factor to another level. I'm sure parents love it! :rolleyes:

[Good Ol' Batmanuel!]

I'd just like to add that even though the feelings for Teletoon aren't too good right now, they do deserve some kudos for getting Clone High, which is one of the hottest shows on now! I watched it for the first time last night and it was...interesting. :p

[Nightflower]

POINTLESS: My friend was a background artist for Clone High. :cool:

I also know an animator who was did storyboard for Mega Babies and Sagwa (She's in Montreal). I like her muchly, but I won't deny that Mega Babies is awful.

[Nick Biped]

Originally posted by Pepperidge
And for the record, Mega Babies is the worst animated series I have ever seen. Worse than Sonic Underground. Worse than the original Hulk series from the 60s. What were they thinking when they aired that, anyway? Were they actually expecting people to get nostalgic over it?

Yup, as bad animated series go, Mega Babies is definitely near or at the top of the heap of badness. Oh, look, a poo joke. How funny. :rolleyes: I haven't seen it on Teletoon in a while, fortunately.

As for that Hulk series, that show was also hilariously bad with the way it was "animated" (and I use that term extremely loosely).

Anyways, that suggestion box sounds like a neat idea. That's something I'll probably be using.

[Pepperidge]

Even if they do get this suggestion box off the ground, I'm not sure it would be worth having to navigate through that atrocious website of theirs.

Oh yeah, I made my first Flash animation:

http://gleneagle.org/GO/htm/studentpages/IT11_2003/a2/betteridge/01_Flash%20Assignment/

Note what the plane crashes into.

[Gary L Thompson]

To take this thread in a slightly different direction, I happened to be skimming through the channels tonight, when I tumbled onto CBC, and found they were airing animated episodes of "Mr. Bean." Did anybody else on this board see them too, and if so, what did you think of them?

[Good Ol' Batmanuel!]

Originally posted by Gary L Thompson
I tumbled onto CBC, and found they were airing animated episodes of "Mr. Bean." Did anybody else on this board see them too, and if so, what did you think of them?
Yeah, I mentioned in an Entertainment Board thread that I find them to be well done and very faithful to the original series, if not aimed at a slightly younger audience.

As far as the old Hulk series, it was obviuosly "animated" like that with a view to cost efficiency, but if you look at the old comics, it's basically the exact same drawings with movement added, which I do find somewhat cool! I think the worst part of the show is that nutty theme song. :p

[Pepperidge]

The CBC seems more insistent on not showing American content than they are with showing quality Canadian content.

Mind you, the latter is the exact reason that they were originally created.

[Pepperidge]

I finally saw Harvey Birdman last night. Why the hell was it rated TV MA?

I think they only picked up the rights to this as a pathetic attempt to silence those demanding AS shows. Who wants to bet that Canadians will never see ATHF?

[Good Ol' Batmanuel!]

I wish they'd have gotten Sealab 2010 instead. :)

[Karl Olson]

60 percent canadian content?! ouch. Hopefully they can cut it to 40 or lower when that contract renews. Granted, if any of Viacom's or AOL/TW networks were let into Canada, it'd probably kill anything not goverment protected. All that'd be left is CBC. (Side Note: I get CBC on my cable here in the states, and it has a 4 or 5 good shows IMO. None are animated though. The Olympics Coverage is vastly better as well.)

[Pepperidge]

Ehh, sorry for bumping this topic (... again), but I really want to get as much input on this subject as possible and make people aware of how big an issue this really is.

We have to form some kind of alliance, damnit!

... slightly off-topic question: Did Return of the Joker run uncut on YTV a few weeks back?

[Jeff Harris]

Here's a way to convience Teletoon to put on more anime/US programming:

Define exactly what constitutes as Canadian programming. Does it mean it has to be drawn by a Canadian? Distributed by a Canadian company? Yes to both, I believe.

However, as is the case with most anime and recent American series, most recent shows are being dubbed in Canada.

The Ocean Group and Optimum Productions are responsible for a good chunk of voicework in today's animated products from anime shows to shows like Masters of the Universe, Transformers Armada, and fricken Baby Looney Tunes. Does the Canadian government not consider Canadian-based voice artists and the productions they work on Canadian products? I think it should, and anybody that wants to see those productions in Canada should make that argument.

Also, Viacom is a Canadian company.

In theory anyway.

Viacom is an American-based subdivision of National Amusements Company, which is a Canadian-based theater company. Since Viacom is the bigger company, they get more prominence than National Amusements. Plus, isn't Canada's Wonderland still a Paramount Park? Although many of Viacom's operations are based in America, shouldn't it still be considered Canadian because it's primary owner is a Canadian company? When Seagram's owned Universal, it too had American-based operations, yet it was Canadian owned.

Plus, to my recollection, didn't MTV just launch in Canada a couple of months ago? And if that's the case, shouldn't Nickelodeon have a right to launch a Canadian-based network there too (boy, YTV vs Nick . . . that'd be fun!)?

Plus, does the law mean that they have to be currently owned by Canadians? If not, couldn't companies formerly owned by Canadians be considered? Like, say, Warner Bros? It was owned by Canadian-based Seven Arts in the latter half of the 60s and the first part of the 70s.

Okay, that's probably stretching it.

There are loopholes to every law, and you have to be openminded to find them.

[hyprlynx]

Please forgive my ignorance but how far away is Vancouver and Toronto from the border of the US? There's plenty of anime cons coming up soon and maybe a trip is in order to attend one where you can pick up anime?

I'm 8+ hours from Ontario and for several years my family would go up to Canada camping. A few of my coworkers are going up next month to go camping and fishing. (And going to pick up some xxx beer while they're at it.)

I know it doesn't solve your dilemna with Canadian tv airing anime but perhaps it could help with an anime fix?

(just trying to offer a suggestion.. )

[Pepperidge]

I believe they do have a con in Vancouver, but I never hear much about it so I assume it isn't that big.

Besides, I'd have to pay an admission fee on top of everything. And I seriously doubt anyone would be willing to drive me downtown to attend it...

[Gary L Thompson]

Vancouver is practically on the U.S. border. Toronto, it would depend where you were coming from. Where I live (southeast Michigan), Toronto is a four-hour drive (piece of advice, anytime you're heading east of London, I would skip the Ambassador Bridge or tunnel to Windsor, or the Bluewater Bridge between Port Huron and Sarnia, and take one of the ferrys on the St. Clair River, less likely to run into congestion that way). From New York, it's a bit easier, I think it would be an hour's drive or less.

You're right about Toronto having great anime conventions, it's curious that's proving the case just about the time anime is fading from its airwaves....

[Pepperidge]

Okay, that's it-- I'm starting up a website on this topic. Can I expect support?

[TimTwoFace]

I live in Vancouver and if there is any animation convention in town (or even in Seattle, for that matter), it's news to me. It's funny, too, considering how reliant the industry is on the companies that have set up shop in Van-City. :p

-Tim

[shogunthethird]

wow, I guess the united states doesn't have a monopoly on asinine, idiotic government officials, my deepest sympathies to you my Canadian friends, to whom I owe a debt of gratitude for well.....everything Mainframe ever did (with the exception of wierd-ohs, that one sucked...BADLY) although one thing puzzles me, what about anime dubbed by the ocean group, does that qualify for being broadcast?

[Gary L Thompson]

Okay, that's it-- I'm starting up a website on this topic. Can I expect support?

Depends if you let us know the web address.


although one thing puzzles me, what about anime dubbed by the ocean group, does that qualify for being broadcast?

Exactly what I was wondering. Since Nelvana did Cardcaptors and Medabots, does that count as domestic content? If it does, it seems Canadian broadcasters would have a great opportunity to improve their cartoon lineups just by ordering foreign series from domestic producers.

[Maii]

Originally Posted by Pepperidge

Okay, that's it-- I'm starting up a website on this topic. Can I expect support?

Sure! Just tell us the address when you're finished, okay?

I think I'll list the cartoons currently showing on Teletoon, just so you guys in the U.S. will know. I apologize if this post is a little long:

Angela Anaconda
Animal Crackers
Archie's Weird Mysteries
The Avengers
Baby Blues
Billy the Cat
The Bored Witch (?)
Braceface
The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show
Butt-Ugly Martians
Caillou
Caillou and Friends (What?! There are two of these?!)
Cardcaptors
Clone High
Codename: Kids Next Door (New)
Courage the Cowardly Dog
Daft Planet
Dilbert
Eckhart
Ed, Edd'n Eddy
Family Guy
Fantastic Four
For Better or For Worse
Fred the Caveman
Grim and Evil
Harvey Birdman, Attorney At Law (New)
The Incredible Hulk
Johnny Bravo
Kaput and Zosky
The Kids From Room 402
Kong
Maggie and the Ferocious Beast
The Magic School Bus
Marvin the Tap Dancing Horse
Max Steel
Mission Hill
Mucha Lucha!
Ned's Newt
The Oblongs
Olliver's Adventure
Ozzy and Drix
Pecola
Phantom Investigators
Pig City
Princess Sissi
John Callahan's QUADS
Rainbow Fish
Ratz (New)
Ren and Stimpy
Rescue Heroes
The Ripping Friends
RoboRoach
Sabrina, TAS
Scooby Doo
Scooby Doo Where Are You?
Sheep in the Big City
Silver Surfer
Simon In The Land Of Chalk Drawings
Spider-Man
Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries
Tales From The Cryptkeeper
The Tick
Time Squad
Toad Patrol
Totally Spies
Undergrads
The Untalkative Bunny
What's New Scooby-Doo?
What's With Andy?
What About Mimi?
Whatever Happened to Robot Jones? (New)
X-Men
Yakkity Yak

If you guys want to know what's being shown on YTV, I can write those down too.

[Pepperidge]

I'd prefer not being reminded...

[Nick Biped]

Okay, that's it-- I'm starting up a website on this topic. Can I expect support?

I wouldn't mind. I'll see if I can do anything to help.

[Good Ol' Batmanuel!]

I'm starting up a website on this topic. Can I expect support?
If you're speaking in the fiduciary sense, no dice, pally! :p

Otherwise, sure! ;)

[pabcool]

I think I'll list the cartoons currently showing on Teletoon, just so you guys in the U.S. will know. I apologize if this post is a little long:

Angela Anaconda
Animal Crackers
Archie's Weird Mysteries
The Avengers
Baby Blues
Billy the Cat
The Bored Witch (?)
Braceface
The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show
Butt-Ugly Martians
Caillou
Caillou and Friends (What?! There are two of these?!)
Cardcaptors
Clone High
Codename: Kids Next Door (New)
Courage the Cowardly Dog
Daft Planet
Dilbert
Eckhart
Ed, Edd'n Eddy
Family Guy
Fantastic Four
For Better or For Worse
Fred the Caveman
Grim and Evil
Harvey Birdman, Attorney At Law (New)
The Incredible Hulk
Johnny Bravo
Kaput and Zosky
The Kids From Room 402
Kong
Maggie and the Ferocious Beast
The Magic School Bus
Marvin the Tap Dancing Horse
Max Steel
Mission Hill
Mucha Lucha!
Ned's Newt
The Oblongs
Olliver's Adventure
Ozzy and Drix
Pecola
Phantom Investigators
Pig City
Princess Sissi
John Callahan's QUADS
Rainbow Fish
Ratz (New)
Ren and Stimpy
Rescue Heroes
The Ripping Friends
RoboRoach
Sabrina, TAS
Scooby Doo
Scooby Doo Where Are You?
Sheep in the Big City
Silver Surfer
Simon In The Land Of Chalk Drawings
Spider-Man
Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries
Tales From The Cryptkeeper
The Tick
Time Squad
Toad Patrol
Totally Spies
Undergrads
The Untalkative Bunny
What's New Scooby-Doo?
What's With Andy?
What About Mimi?
Whatever Happened to Robot Jones? (New)
X-Men
Yakkity Yak

If you guys want to know what's being shown on YTV, I can write those down too.

*begins sobbing*

Poor, poor Canadians.

[Gary L Thompson]

Actually, I've always thought Princess Sissi looked like it might be an interesting show. Too bad it never was broadcast over the air in Canada except in French.

[Pepperidge]

Ehh, what is it?

[Zorak Owns All]

Its horrible here...the programming on Teletoon is UTTER CRAP. Its disgusting..we NEED CN so bad. The crap thats on in place of shows like SGC2C saddens me..

I've been trying to get illegal satelite for a while now, but supposeldy you get jail time for it, for the stupid retarded reason of...no Canadian channels. Gay, eh? The rules we have here suck. They force us to have crap channels, and then make it illegal to good ones..thank god for TV capturing devices and the internet.

We got Harvey Birdman here...basically one of the few decent shows on Teletoon(KND and Robot Jones air too, as well as Cow and Chicken)

[Good Ol' Batmanuel!]

Well, I wasn't planning on posting anything here, but since it was resurrected for that little rant :rolleyes:, I'll just say that I wrote to Teletoon not too long ago, asking about the Space Ghost fiasco. I haven't received a response yet, but that could take a long time, anyway. I once wrote to them and got a response around a year later! I kid you not. I had no idea what it was about at first. :p

[Zorak Owns All]

Ehh...sorry for resurecting it. I was posting in the Harvey Birdman New Ep. in Canada last night, and Pepperidge linked me to this thread...so I replied. Sorry about the rant to..I just think its gay how we get screwed out of everything.

Batman, whats your AIM/MSN name? We should get in touch if you have any of those messaging progs.

[Gary L Thompson]

Ehh, what is it?

Sorry, I honestly wish I could tell you. I can say that it is definitely European and not anime, and that it is a good-looking series, but not much else. My vague impression was she was a princess done out of her rightful inheritance by the baddies, and that she lives with a foster family in a village somewhere. They seem to be well-to-do because Sissi will not infrequently don a top-hat riding costume, and she seems to be close to her father. She's got ample physical courage if a hair-raising situation arises, but it's not predominantly that type of series.

Are there any Canadians out there that could tune into Teletoon for a few episodes, and give Pepperidge more help with his question?

[Pepperidge]

Nah, don't worry about it.

Another thing I've noticed with Teletoon is that they always try and grab shows that have both English and French versions available. That's why Sonic Underground ran longer in Canada than any other country in the world.

That show was a disgrace to Sonic the Hedgehog. Moreso than any other western animated series.

Speaking of Sonic, I'm currently guessing that CN is most likely going to air it. Seeing as how we haven't gotten any CN anime since Zoids and Hamtaro (and before that, we hadn't gotten any since Gundam Wing), do you think chances are good that YTV or Teletoon would air it? I mean, c'mon... it's Sonic.

[Zorak Owns All]

Sonic anime? Or are you just talking about Sonic Underground?

[Nick Biped]

Sonic anime? Or are you just talking about Sonic Underground?

I think Pep's talking about the Sonic X anime.

As for either YTV or Teletoon getting it, I'd think it'd be a fairly good possibility. They should realise that Sonic has fairly large mass appeal, and from what I know, there isn't anything in the content that'd be really objectionable (except maybe for language, but that's easily remedied).

Although it might also depend on how well the show does in Japan. If its ratings aren't that great, YTV and/or Teletoon might not be in a hurry to try and get the rights to it. But still, I don't see why it shouldn't air on Canadian TV at some point.

[Conan-san]

[QUOTE='Nick Biped']
As for either YTV or Teletoon getting it, I'd think it'd be a fairly good possibility. They should realise that Sonic has fairly large mass appeal, QUOTE]

That's exactly WHY it will never grace canidan shores.

[Pepperidge]

Behold: Zannen Canada (http://www.pathea.com/features/canada/)

Okay, technically it's a plug, but under the circumstances of this thread, I think it's called for. :)

[Wanted]

Okay, I'm confused. Why is Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon banned from Canada? That one really doesn't make any sense at all.CN and Nick would have to give their programming to another company to use however they like in Canada.

[Good Ol' Batmanuel!]

Behold: Zannen Canada (http://www.pathea.com/features/canada/)
Good stuff, Pepperidge. I just signed your guestbook. :)

P.S. I'm assuming 'zannen' means 'banned in.' Is it Japanese or something? (I could be way off on this, of course...)

[Pepperidge]

It means "What a pity, Canada" or "Too bad, Canada". I wrote "what a pity" in English on the logo, but I guess that wasn't good enough. xD

[PowerZord]

Poor canadians. You don't have CN. They are missing the good stuff.

Direct TV? I heard in a Tech Tv show that Direct Tv doesn't exists in Canada

[Batgirl Beyond]

... slightly off-topic question: Did Return of the Joker run uncut on YTV a few weeks back?Nope, sorry, it was the cut version. :(

On an unrelated note; I'm surprised no one has thought to mention how annoying Sugar and Carlos are. :anime:

Also unrelated, I get Fox, an American channel, why is it not banned? :shrug: