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Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Categories: Mass Media Radio Stations Mass Media Television Stations Radio Stations, Television Stations [Edit]
250 Front St WToronto, ON M5V 3G5
Neighbourhoods: Entertainment District, Downtown Core
(416) 205-3311
8 reviews for Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
8 reviews in English
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Review from Eric B.
1/10/2010
During my occasional trips to the Great White North, I find sometimes find myself in front of the TV. If I'm in the Hotel, I watch The National with Peter Mansbridge, The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos, and of course Colleen Jones for the morning weather and her professional curling perspective. If I'm out and about (and it's the season), I'm in a bar watching Hockey Night in Canada and listening to crusty old Don Cherry opine in his dapper duds. I'm also a big CFL fan, but more often I end up at McMahon or Commonwealth Stadium in person to watch a game live.
Back home, I will sometimes buy a DVD for a CBC series. And that's been kind of a mixed bag. For whatever reason, I just couldn't engage with "Little Mosque on the Prairie" or "Corner Gas", even with my Iowa background. On the other hand, "Slings and Arrows" was superb, especially during the Macbeth season. I'm also looking forward to taking a closer look at "Battle of the Blades", a reality show where they match up hockey player/figure skater pairs who compete against each other and at Maple Leaf Gardens.
Gayle and I are currently 2/3 of the way through "Being Erica". Maybe it's Dr. Tom or Leo, but there's a certain redemptive quality about many of these episodes that touches us both. And of course, who wouldn't want a chance to uniquely deal with our own personal life regrets? -
Review from Luke A.
Toronto, ON
9/8/2008
The CBC is like a nerdy kid who keeps trying so hard to be cool that he makes himself more and more a laughing stock. They still do news and investigative journalism well (traditionally nerdy), but the entertainment section doesn't have a clue, making clumsy rip-offs of faddy reality shows and failing to put its tired comedy shows out of their misery.
For this season, CBC cancelled the excellent crime show "Intelligence" ("CBC drops intelligence", indeed) and is crowing about how acquiring Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy is some kind of broadcasting coup.
The CBC building is worth seeing, with its enormous atrium in which special events are often held. You can get free tickets to tapings of CBC shows here. If you're lucky, you might get a chance to tell George Stroumboulopoulos to pull up his pants, for God's sake. -
Review from Vanessa G.
Toronto, ON
9/22/2008
This beautiful building is a definitely a landmark in Toronto and a place you should see if you're a tourist visiting the city.
The building is HUGE which is probably why they call it the mothercorp. The inside has super high ceilings, and a lounge with a giant TV showing - what a surprise - CBC. The inside of the building is several levels high with many elevators and brightly coloured walls to mark each floor.
I was lucky enough to get a personal tour of the building from my friend who works there, and it was really an interesting experience. They film everything on location, including The Hour with George S. and The National with Peter Mansbridge and of course, the daily newscasts.
There is a gift shop filled with CBC swag from your favourite shows and a food court downstairs if you get hungry on your tour. Also, there's some air tight security, so make sure you go in with someone you know and get your very own visitors pass! -
Review from Connie T.
Toronto, ON
12/3/2008
When I was 12, I wrote to the host of CBC's Switchback, a Sunday morning youth TV show, and asked her if she could hook me up with some penpals. Mere weeks later, my freaking name was announced on live television. I flipped.
For a period of a year, I received big packages from CBC full of forwarded mail from kids all over Ontario. Can you imagine? Our tax dollars going to support a 12-year-old girl's obsession with letter writing? Humph.
This is where my faith to CBC has been rooted. I know CBC's made some mistakes, like cancelling Brave New Waves, RadioSonic, and Nightlines, and extending that Avonlea series for way too long. However, it's shaped a lot of my life, from my music obsession and fascination with Kids in the Hall tapings (at their old Mutual Street address), to volunteer work and free beer with the Royal Canadian Air Farce in this very building. Their radio programs have now taken over my heart, and a day can't go by without me resting to Carol, Barbara, Andy, Ana-Maria, Jian, and Bob.
Some people may not agree with the CBC, but it's a solid national broadcaster and one of the few that's remained relatively faithful in reflecting the voice of our nation, including this unpopular girl here from small town Ontario. -
Review from Dardana M.
ON
12/1/2008
I recently went to the CBC Building for the first time, to watch a taping of The Hour, on the day that Billy Corgan was there. Apart from all the excitement contained in that facet of my experience, I still found it pretty cool to take a look around, and thought it strange that I never had before.
I think that my relationship with the CBC is the same as a lot of Canadians' (well those of us who aren't conscious superfans), and that is of a peripheral presence in their lives and development. *National Identity And The Building Of/Issues With*, etc, yadda, yadda...I still think it's pretty cool, cuz I think Canada is pretty cool (and to all those people calling CBC "nerdy", I think I just out-nerded you, cuz nothing can beat sheepish Canadian self-acceptance in that department).
Highlights for me:
1. the giftshop, with sub-highlights: "The Friendly Giant" brooch (jaw-drop!), and David Suzuki t-shirts.
2. knowing that the Kids in the Hall used to walk these...*ahem*...halls... -
Review from Mike S.
Toronto, ON
10/10/2008
It's very easy to pick on the CBC, it's like that one kid in school who tries so hard to be everyone's friend but no one likes him. And while I do think that for the most part what they put on tv and the radio is pretty bad they have a beautiful building that is open to the public; I was unaware of this fact until just recently when I decided to stop in and see what went on. The main floor is accessible to the public and while there isn't a whole lot to do there it is a magnificent atrium. In the main area you can look straight up to the top to the glass ceiling and it's quite impressive. I wouldn't say that you should make a day of going to the CBC building (in fact I wouldn't spend more than 10 minutes) but if you are in the area and see it's distinctive red sides I'd recommend going in and checking it out, it will be worth the time.
Like the review? Check out the link to my blog on my profile. -
Review from Andrew Y.
8/8/2008
Giant building. Went to see a taping of The Hour here. It was pretty fun and would definitely skip work to do it again. Anyway, CBC is good tv, I think, and represents us well. They love hockey, I love hockey. They love comedy, I love comedy. They love Canada, some might say I love Canada. See?
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Review from Jimi S.
ON
11/30/2008
my connection with the cbc is twofold. i too have visited the building which, sure, is nice enough. i have passed by their monuments to their own history which is interesting. i have always gone to the 5th floor where there is the acting and film school. i have done films with some of the students there and (whether you can attribute this to their school or not i dont know - my impulse is to say no) they have been pretty professional and some have written good stuff.
the second fold is listening to the radio, which overall i find very interesting except for their dramatic programs. my favorites would be listening to gian ghomeshi, carol oft, matt galloway.
i remember being driven to high school every day by my dad while we listed to peter gzowski (on metro morning i think.)
he was great too.
