I don’t watch a lot of hockey, but the following article is absolutely retarded. Everyone knows that theme song and they CAN’T change it. See below for more info.
—
Canada’s ‘second national anthem’ silenced after nearly 40 year run
Bal Brach, Canwest News Service
Published: Thursday, June 05, 2008
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s iconic Hockey Night in Canada theme song, known for decades as Canada’s “second national anthem,” will no longer be used in hockey broadcasts, according to the song’s composer.
The decision to can the symbolic song has Canadians at home and abroad, including soldiers serving in Afghanistan, confused and angered.
“It’s like removing the Canadian anthem. Most of us grew up on that song,” Master Cpl. Tommy Moreau said between games Thursday at the regulation-sized road hockey rink at Kandahar Airfield’s boardwalk.
“Why would they want to change it?” said Lieut. Adam Lambert of Oakville, Ont. “Are you serious? I started my military career as a musician and we frequently performed it – it’s a real crowd pleaser,” added fellow player John. The Winnipeg soldier didn’t want to give his full name because of the nature of his duties in Afghanistan, but felt so strongly about the TV network’s decision that he wanted to add his two-bits.
“I’d be very disappointed if they got rid of it,” said Sgt. Scott Milne, another player in the approximately 14-team Kandahar Airfield Hockey League.
After 14 years of hearing countless stories of how the song has affected the lives of Canadians, the man in charge of the copyrights to the tune, says even he’s hopeful the CBC will have a change of heart and renew their licensing agreement.
“There’s a lot more at stake here than just business,” said John R. Ciccone, who works on behalf of the theme song composer Dolores Claman. “This is Canadian history – Canadian heritage.”
The tune is one of the longest running theme songs in broadcast history and slated to celebrate its 40th anniversary next year.
“This is a very sad day, especially for Dolores. it’s quite difficult,” Ciccone added. “Dolores keeps saying, ‘what about the fans?’ It’s a big big motivation to try and keep things going (with the CBC).”
Thursday night’s Stanley Cup final game six was the last time “dunt- da-dunt- da-dunt,” was played because CBC decided to move in a “new direction,” according to Ciccone. He said the CBC advised Claman that it is not prepared to enter into a new license agreement with respect to the use of the song.
Calls to CBC were not immediately returned Wednesday.
“I am saddened by the decision of the CBC to drop the Hockey Night in Canada Theme after our lengthy history together,” said Claman in a statement Wednesday. “I nevertheless respect its right to move in a new direction,” she said.
The composition was written by Claman in 1968. The current license agreement expired at the end of the 2007-2008 NHL playoffs. Ciccone said the CBC has been offered a new license on terms that are virtually identical to those that have existed for the past decade, but the broadcaster has decided not to renew.
“We kept making suggestions and ideas on how to keep things going. We’re offering virtually the same licence that they’ve been dealing with the last several years. As a gesture of goodwill we had no increase in fees,” he said. Ciccone said he has received thousands of requests from all over the world to use the song, whether it be for a class project or wedding. He said many Canadians abroad, even those that aren’t hockey fans, have requested the ringtone because they feel home sick. “There’s a wonderful symbiotic relationship between the theme and the TV show… It’s one of those really rare moments of magic where everything works together well.”
Ciccone said there were other CBC Hockey Night in Canada theme songs before the classic “dunt- da-dunt- da-dunt,” tune but none lasted 40 years.
“People are very attached to it. It’s a very personal thing to people. It gives them a sense of unity, Canadiana, nostalgia. There’s just a lot of really, really deep personal stuff in there.”
It costs the CBC $500 to use the theme for each game broadcast of Hockey Night in Canada.
In 2004, Claman sued the CBC alleging the public broadcaster repeatedly used the distinctive theme song in broadcasts not covered under her licence agreement and refused requests to negotiate additional fees.
Ciccone said the resolution of the ongoing litigation is not a precondition of the new proposed licence agreement.
The theme song was originally commissioned by the MacLaren advertising agency in Toronto, according to the website hockeytheme.com.
The agency was looking for a powerful commercial jingle suitable for hockey.
It soon became used as the theme song for the CBC hockey broadcasts and has been running ever since.
One Response to What the hell is CBC thinking?