Friday, September 10, 2010

Why Tom Clark Left CTV

A week ago it was announced that Tom Clark, host of Power Play left the network.  Many were speculating about the reason why. This just may be it.
Tom Clark left CTV’s Power Play after the broadcaster cancelled plans to offer him an anchoring position on the national news, Howard Bernstein, a former television producer who has worked for most of the major English networks in Canada, wrote on his blog Wednesday.
“I understand that Tom was upset that he didn’t get Lloyd Robertson’s job. After more than three decades of hard work, it had to have come as a severe blow to see someone else get the job he had coveted and felt he had worked so hard for,” Bernstein, a broadcasting industry insider, wrote on his blog, Medium Close Up.
From Bernstein's blog:
I don’t know why Lisa Laflamme got the job. I do know that CTV’s original plans were for Lisa and Tom to co-host the news. Where that went awry I don’t know. I have heard some people speculate that with Katy Couric and Diane Sawyer taking over U.S. newscasts, CTV decided to make a splash by hiring a woman. I have also heard speculation that some considered Lisa’s age (she’s much younger than Tom) the deciding factor. I think Lisa was a great choice. I believe it is unfair to bring gender into the discussion. Lisa did everything the network asked and more. She is a fine journalist and a credit to CTV News. Would Tom have done just as well? We’ll never know. I do know that Tom would have worked just as hard and been a credit to the job. Would audiences have responded to Tom as they seem to be responding to Lisa? I’d like to think so.
It looks like this might be a case of affirmative action. Seems that Tom was ticked that Laflamme got the coveted anchor's job instead of him.  Did he not want to co-anchor with Laflamme? Did he leave on his accord or was he canned?  Who knows?  In my opinion the ratings are going to tank with Laflamme in that anchor chair.

It's not that I'll miss him, he was overly partisan anyway.  I'm just curious that's all.  Maybe it's about time some other Liberal shills on that network left too, like Craig Oliver. It's about time he retired anyway.   Bob Fife, Hanoi Giggles Jane Taber would be better for CTV too if they left.  Maybe they could move Giggles over to ETalk, she's more of a gossiper  anyway.  It would be a better fit for her over there. 

Who will be the permanent host for Power Play?  I don't know, but I bet whoever it is, they will be another Liberal shill.