Destined to become the greatest broadcast center in Canada.
In that location, with that view, behind the stage at Dundas Square, it cannot but capture the mind and the eye, for all who need to feel anchored to their surroundings for even just a moment, see the weather downtown, join the summer festivities always at Yonge & Dundas, see the blizzard sweeping across the GTA, be near thousands of bright young minds only a block away, looking down on the one intersection that everyone in the country eventually crosses … and it could have been the CBC’s.
I’m not sure what you’re implying… do you mean that the CBC should have taken advantage of this location before CityTV did? Or do you mean that they had a special offer on the property first and didn’t option it?
Besides, the TBC could be exploited twenty different ways as is with the right projects.
Toronto, boring.
It could have been anyone’s, really.
The CBC considered it, but it was too expensive.
Please, if you don’t know the story, blogging about it isn’t going to help.
Yes, I’m sure City is thrilled to be leaving that hideous building in the zero-footfall, no-go area that is Queen and John for the bright-lights big-city vibe of halfway between the Eaton Center and Filmores.
No parking at this location. I hear the city trucks will be parking under the square in the P lot. The live trucks now park at the Dome and ops get a lift down to get them.
I was at A-Channel Windsor when City decided we needed a street level location in the heart of the city. They spent more on the big signs than anything else. A forty foot high sign, new flashy SUV’s and everyone got DSR-250′s to shoot with. We called it the Barbie Cam. The first page of the manual said, “these cameras look so professional that people will just assume you work for the local news. You’ll be taking great home videos for years to come.” You can buy one for $3000 on-line.
We parked the SUV’s in a back alley. First we had rats eating the wiring underneath. Then we have giant chunks of ice falling forty feet of the heritage building next door onto the trucks that caused thousands in damage. We also had drunks kicking the shit out of them every weekend. They would also relieve themselves between the trucks and the wall they were parked against.
They installed a speakers corner. On weekends people would piss on it and the fluid would run underneath into the office. Then the Dueling Piano bar opened downstairs. You could here the music during the 11pm news. The mail slot had to be screwed shut due to offensive material(you name it) being tossed into the newsroom. The front door was to be left open to “invite your public into the newsroom”. This ended after a few visits from the local nutbars and a few frantic calls to 911. People would bang on the glass or throw things during the news.
Needless to say I’m not a big fan of street level newsrooms. Although maybe they will put the studio upstairs. I’m sure the signs will be HUGE!
” looking down on the one intersection that everyone in the country eventually crosses “
We have some pretty cool intersections in the rest of the country. I guess Allan is from Toronto, eh?
This has *what to do with CBC?
Writing some bad travelogue in run-on sentences and then end with a ‘Nyah Nyah’ to CBC is pretty lazy.
Gotta keep pumping it out to get those numbers up, eh Allan? Your bonus depends on it!
The thing is that City TV MADE Queen and John. It was not exactly a happening corner before they made it so.
The real story is not that the CBC isn’t in Dundas Sq, but that they never did anything with John and Front. It’s still a very inhospitable corner.
Allan is from Vancouver, and knows the perfect spot for a broadcast center there.
Care to guess where that is? And no, it certainly isn’t where the CBC is now.
I’m guessing a marina somewhere.
Anonymous @ 2:37pm,
You are correct, John and Front could be so much better. I think the people have a right to know why it is NOT being used.
Is the rent too expensive.
Are there legal issues.
Are the real estate people NOT doing their jobs.
Is it that the vendor who actually does want the corner (and can afford the high rent) NOT politically correct enough for the CBC. If so, let me remind you people that the revenue generated from that corner could save jobs. And, what is more important to you idiots – jobs and people feeding their families OR your stupid haughty ideas of what is politically correct or not.