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As I and a band of hearty Canadians prepared to board a Regina-bound flight out of Winnipeg, we were stunned in silence that the Winnipeg Airport Authority (WAA) refused to broadcast, what turned out to be the last game of the season, the Ottawa Senators-Anaheim Ducks hockey game on the television sets in the boarding area, even after being asked repeatedly by the passengers awaiting their flight.
We asked the security guard to help us out at which point he offered up a phone number to the Data Centre - the obvious only ones working during the game. The Data Centre fed us some cock-and-bull story about the WAA not being in possession of licensing rights to broadcast a transmission from our public broadcaster. However, they are able to provide a scintilating program of political pundits on the future of the Liberal Party in Canada. I'm sure you yourself missed that one as you were likely watching the game.
To make matters worse, the Tim Horton's in the boarding area was closed. I'm sure the staff were home watching the game since they couldn't get the game in the terminal. .
When I attempted to stream the game to my Blackberry from cbc.ca, the message filling my Blackberry screen was, "We are sorry but this game can only be broadcast in Canada."
When did Winnipeg leave Canada? No hockey game? No Tim's? No kidding! How can Winnipeg say it will support another shot in the "Bigs" when you can't watch the game in the airport while having a hot cup of Horton's - the brew of a former NHL'er himself.
Is this stuff for real or did the entire plane full of passengers have a simultaneous bad dream.
How can a bar in the airport broadcast the game to their patrons (the sight of thirty people gathered around a 21 inch screen is something to marvel at - hockey die-hards for sure), yet the airport itself says it can't broadcast the game because it hasn't purchased the rights. The game was being brodcast on our public broadcaster - which just happens to be funded by the same people who wanted to watch the game.
This , by the way is the same airport in which many of those same players will be travelling should Winnipeg ever be granted another NHL franchise. Things will have to change then.
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Hmmm, in reading this, I perhaps got caught up in the heat of the moment. Maybe it's a good thing hockey is done for the season. Now I can focus my attention on other issues of importance. Sorry for my ramblings. It's hockey. I'm a man. I am Canadian. 'Nuff said.
Kevin Burns - The Chief Instigation Officer of Laugh-Long Learning!
1-877-BURNS-11
Read/Comment on Kevin's Blog http://www.kevburns.com/blog.html
1 comment:
No, you were right to complain. You should have complained to the local newspapers, cause this is indefensible.
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