First, for our American visitors, a bit of history: The Hockey Night in Canada theme song resonates so well with Canadians that it has often been referred to as our "second National Anthem."
From the Wikipedia article about the theme, composed by Delores Claman: "(She) said she wrote her song to reflect the narrative arc of a hockey game; from the arrival on the rink, to the battle of the game, to the trip home, 'plus a cold beer.'" No wonder Canadians respond to it so passionately.
This year, the CBC (Canada's national public broadcaster) was unable to come to terms to renew the contract with the theme's composer, and CTV (a second Canadian network) bought the rights to the sacred hymn. In an effort to replace the theme with one that Canadians would agree was a suitable heir, the CBC invited submissions from all Canadians, and opened the contest up to a public vote.
Great idea. Awful execution.
And Then There Were Six
In the initial submission round, contestants were asked to upload their submission (with accompanying video) to be shown in the CBC's flash video player. Thousands of submissions were received, and in a matter of weeks, dwindled down to just six semi-finalists based on the public vote. This is where the CBC drops the ball.
Without conducting an exhaustive audit of their technology and site usability, we'll just address the biggest error in the entire campaign. In an effort to appease an advertiser (over providing a pleasant user experience), the Ceeb makes the bone-headed decision to run 15 second pre-roll ads before each of the six themes. To make matters worse, it's the SAME AD ALL SIX TIMES. Even the advertiser themselves (wireless carrier Bell Mobility, in this case) has to see that as a major gaff.
So, to evaluate all six finalists in a contest that will determine a major part of our country's identity, we're forced to watch the same ad featuring an annoying rock has-been six whole times, no skipping. To say that this is frustrating would be something of an understatement. How many votes are being lost because no one of sound mind and body can endure the repetition?
The Final Two
The vote is now down to the final two, and Canadian rock music producer legend Bob Rock has given the remaining contenders a bit of a polish in his studio. They sound good, an although the winner will inevitably take some getting used to, it won't be long before Canadians will be humming the winning theme from memory, the way we have with the original (and will continue to for years to come). To listen to the either one and cast your vote though, you're going to have to sit through the ill-placed ad. Chicoutamie!
Update: Above, one of the videos features the original submission by 13-year old Robert Fraser Burke. The embed codes from the CBC site that should show the post-produced finalist submission are embedding his original video.
Yet Another Update: In the embedded versions of the individual videos, the viewers is spared have to view the ads. Yet, to watch all six in one place, the above still holds true.
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