The ever-shrinking standards for cable television programming that have brought us Honey Boo Boo and Ted Nugent’s “Gun Country,” have once again established a new low. Apparently all that is necessary to get your own cable TV show is to shamelessly humiliate yourself in public. On that measure, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is destined for cable TV stardom.
The program announced by the Sun News Network in Canada will feature the Mayor and his brother Doug, who is also a city councilman. The program my not actually be on the air very long because Ford has indicated his intention to run for reelection next year. If he files papers for the race in January he will have to leave the show due to Canada’s laws prohibiting active candidates from having their own broadcast programs.
What has not been mentioned by most of the stories about Ford’s television career is that Canada’s Sun News Network is known as “Fox News North,” due to its similarity to the hyper-partisan conservative network in the U.S. It’s chief architect is Kory Teneycke, the former press secretary to right-wing Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who has met privately with Rupert Murdoch and Roger Ailes.
Sun News has been a controversial entity in Canada while failing to corral much of an audience. At one point they appealed to the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission to get mandatory distribution on Canada’s cable networks. It takes a fairly big chunk hypocrisy for a conservative network to beg the government to force private companies into doing business with them. What ever happened to the free market? Canadian viewers obviously don’t want to watch Sun, and they certainly don’t want to be forced to pay for it. So Fox News North is trying another approach to scare up viewers: hire scumbag, drug-addled mayors as hosts. How long before Fox News itself offers Ford a contract?
As an addendum to the Ford story, CNN did not acquit itself particularly well yesterday when they aired a segment on damage control that juxtaposed the repugnant Mayor Ford’s vile personal behavior with President Obama’s political tribulations. Seriously, CNN?
[Update 11/19/13] After one broadcast, Ford Nation has been cancelled. According Sun News it was a financial issue and had nothing to do with the controversial nature of the program’s host. Sun News also reported that the program exceeded the ratings of its previous top rated show, which just happened to also feature a disgraced ex-politician. Oh Canada.
Of course, we all know Fox’s hiring procedures:
FOX: Do you hate with every fiber of your being the atheist, communist, fascist, nazi, criminal, Kenyan native from Australia illegally serving as president?
PERSON FIRED FROM LEGITIMATE POSITION: Yes, sir!
FOX: Do you have anything good to say about any Democrat?
PERSON: No, sir!
FOX: Are you willing to sing the praises of Sarah Palin at every opportunity, support the principles of the National Rifle Association, and obey the will of Rush Limbaugh, to the exclusion of all else?
PERSON: Yes, sir!
FOX: You’re hired!
What CNN did in that segment was disgusting. I expect this from Fox and now I guess we can expect it from CNN going forward, along with CBS. They have both been infected with the Fox virus which causes their cognitive functions to be impaired.
Say What?
“A positive role model for kids who are down and out.”
Toronto mayor Rob Ford, on himself
Thus sayeth the crack smoking mayor (from Slate’s Doonesbury website).
How is he so fat if he’s eating so much “no-calorie” at home???
If Chris Farley were still alive – how long before he would be doing this guy on SNL?