Speakers' Corner (TV series)

"Speakers' Corner" was a television series which aired weekly on Citytv and A-Channel stations in Canada, featuring numerous unscripted short segments on a variety of topics as recorded by members of the general public such as rants, shoutouts, jokes, music performance, etc. After the video is complete, the video will be edited to television (the studio are aware of language). The show was an example of Citytv founder Moses Znaimer's philosophy of interactive broadcasting.

Rogers Media, owners of Citytv since 2007, announced the cancellation of the series effective from 31 August 2008, citing the emergence of other interactive media. [ [http://jam.canoe.ca/Television/2008/06/12/5862701-cp.html] ]

History

"Speakers' Corner" began in 1990 with the original booth outside the Citytv studios in Toronto. The booth has been used for everything from heartrending pleas for assistance in locating missing children or pets, to humorous rants on things that annoy the speaker. It has also been used by musicians looking to get exposure — most famously, the then-unknown Barenaked Ladies reached their earliest audiences, prior to the release of "The Yellow Tape", by performing several songs in the "Speakers' Corner" booth.

Versions of the show began on other regional CHUM-owned television stations such as CHRO in Ottawa and CFPL in London. Citytv Bogotá (which licensed the brand from CHUM) also launched its own 'Speaker's Corner'-esque booth called 'Citycapsula' when it signed on in 1996; unlike the Canadian versions, Citycapsula is free.

An Albertan version, "Speakers' Corner Alberta", aired on Access TV. Around late 2006, Calgary and Edmonton Citytv started producing their own Speakers' Corner program, with Speakers' Corner Alberta which was cancelled in April 2008.

How it works

Each "Speakers' Corner" booth consists of a video camera, recording technology and in most cases a coin slot. Any member of the general public may enter a "Speakers' Corner" booth, deposit a coin (normally one dollar), then record a short video segment on any topic. Each segment is limited to a maximum of two minutes, but the content is determined by the person using the booth.

Typically, "Speakers' Corner Alberta" booths are free, offer a few questions, and usually have a limit of 60 seconds.

The show's producers then review the booth recordings and select the "compelling" segments for the weekly show. Segments are sometimes broadcast outside of the regular show or may even appear on other CHUM television outlets, such as MuchMusic, as interstitials.

The broadcast segments have traditionally taken on a campy atmosphere, with each segment (such as "rants", "complaints", "kudos", etc.) being introduced over clips of B-grade 1950s and 60s sci-fi movies. Of recent, however, the show has taken a more polished feel, and has included text messages on-screen from viewers during broadcast.

Several local celebrities have been created by the show, such as "The Old Man" and his opinions, and "The Devil's Advocates", a comedy duo claiming to speak for Satan.

Money collected from the "Speakers' Corner" booths goes to charity.

Booth Locations

"Speakers' Corner" booths were located in:

* British Columbia
** Vancouver (Citytv): 180 West 2nd Avenue (station building)
** Victoria (A-Channel): Broad Street and Pandora Avenue (station building)
** Nanaimo (A-Channel)
* Alberta
** Calgary (Access, Citytv): Citytv Building, 535 7th Avenue SW, Calgary
** Edmonton (Access, Citytv): West Edmonton Mall
* Ontario
** London (A-Channel): Galleria Mall, and Covent Garden Market. Richmond and Oxford Street location was removed due to high vandalism.
** Ottawa (A-Channel): 87 George Street; Ottawa-Pembroke "Speakers' Corner" show is cancelled, its final broadcast aired 11 February 2007.
** Pembroke (A-Channel): Pembroke Mall; regular Speakers' Corner show no longer airs (see Ottawa).
** Toronto (Citytv): The Jays Shop at Rogers Centre, interim location as of June 2008; previously the ChumCity Building 299 Queen Street West at John Street; a new booth will be established at Citytv's new facility at 35 Dundas; The Much Store was also a booth location at times.
** Windsor (A-Channel): Palace Cinemas Building, 300 Ouellette Avenue (South-east corner of University Avenue and Ouellette Avenue)

For other Citytv and A-Channel outlets, either there is no "Speakers' Corner" program for that market, or the booth locations are not currently known. In Alberta, Access: The Education Station, which is the provincial broadcaster - owned by CTVglobemedia, operates Speakers Corner.

Mobile booths are also available to increase public access. These are occasionally deployed at special events but are not for private use. There are many requests to rent a mobile video recording booth for weddings and corporate events as seen in Citytv's Speaker's Corner FAQ [ [http://www.citytv.com/toronto/connect_speakerscorner.aspx] ] .

References

External links

* [http://www.citytv.com/toronto/connect_speakerscorner.aspx Speakers' Corner website]