Tuesday, 13 July 2004
The Urban Rush hour - THE COMMENTARY
By Joseph Planta
VANCOUVER - You'd think it was the late 1990s again, what with Joy Metcalfe prattling off names on Frosty Forst's CKNW morning show last week, coupled with the news that Michael Eckford and Fiona Forbes are heading back to Shaw's Channel 4 to once again host their local talk and entertainment program, Urban Rush.
Though the doyenne of scoops and namedropping in this city has been writing in magazines over the years, and returned not so long ago to CKNW, albeit in web form on the website filing a weekly column, it was a neat bit of nostalgia hearing her fill in for Darren Parkman in his regular celebrity dish segment. I have a great deal of affection for Joy's Journal, which you can get online at cknw.com, because years ago I made it as an item on the Metcalfe menu. Hers is as good an items column as any in this town, required reading like her compatriots, Malcolm Parry, Lynne McNamara and Red Robinson. In the gushing department she bests them all.
Having Metcalfe file weekly columns is a good idea, though she's missed on-air. Perhaps CKNW could find a place for her on the schedule, where she's ideally suited. And, since I'm dispensing unsolicited advice, perhaps CKNW could provide Rick Forchuk with some web space, as he writes beautifully, and his dispatches are often enlightening. And another wish is that Rafe Mair is brought back, but even I know that's farting against thunder.
Speaking of Forchuk, it was he, who broke the news on Wednesday that Shaw was tinkering with its Urban Rush program and taking out hosts Erin Cebula and Russell Porter, and replacing them with their own predecessors, Michael Eckford and Fiona Forbes. In Thursday's Province, so the story was that months after getting dumped by Chum's CityTV here in Vancouver, that duo were once again back on at the place that started them on their television infamy, channel four.
Michael Eckford and Fiona Forbes are two talented television personalities. It was on channel four that they got their big break, appearing at least six times a day on the cable access channel, growing on the many channel surfers passing by cable four at all times of the day. Eckford and Forbes made the hour program much more than the grid time-killer that it was. It interviewed visiting celebrities and made local celebrities out of local television weather people and news anchors, not to mention Eckford and Forbes themselves. After five years hosting the program, both took lucrative offers to host the morning show at CityTV, which was then coming into this market bringing to Vancouver, the CHUM brand, which sells well in Toronto.
Alas, just over a year after their debut, they were unceremoniously dumped. Ratings at CityTV were few and far between, and one supposes that management was hoping Eckford and Forbes would bring their morning show within competition of Global's morning newscast. There were rumours that they'd wind up on FM radio, or on some other television gig, either nationally or on another channel in this town. And so, they're back to their roots, Shaw TV and channel four, and it's a genuine welcome heard across this market, because Eckford and Forbes's chemistry and enthusiasm was entertaining, if not infectious. With their return to Shaw, in time for the new Shaw Tower's debut in Coal Harbour, they'll bring their experience at so-called regular television, to the cable access outlet. Expect Shaw to expand its presence and hone its prestige in this market as a local broadcaster truly reflecting this community onto itself better than the commercial broadcasters, if they haven't already.
The return of Eckford and Forbes does mean an end to the television partnership of Erin Cebula and Russell Porter. From the beginning it was an arduous task for the two of them, to take over the helm of a program so associated with their predecessors. In the beginning it was obvious that the program hosted by Cebula and Porter was a work-in-progress, but over the last little while it was clear that the show was coming along well, and the future looked fruitful for Cebula (late of Global television) and Porter (an actor). Alas, though one is sure that Cebula and Porter will doubtless find greater success elsewhere, it's a shame they won't be hosting Urban Rush any longer. They're two talented people, and deserving of success; and probably more deserving if for nothing else than the equanimity and class they've shown hosting programs despite learning they're out of work, the last week or so.
I ran into Russell Porter at a bun toss at Rossini's in Gastown just over a month ago. I told him how much I enjoyed the program and the chemistry between him and Erin, as I was an admirer of the program when Mike and Fiona hosted it. Porter was genial and appreciative of the compliment. When I mentioned the names, Mike and Fiona, he sort of clenched his smile and said softly that I could expect to see them on television soon. At the time, I took it that I could expect to see Eckford and Forbes elsewhere. Little did we know it would be in his spot, and that he would be succeeded by his predecessors.
It's a shame to see Erin Cebula and Russell Porter go. They both showed great promise and it was clear that viewers were getting used to them. I certainly was, and looked forward to seeing the show grow with them at the helm. Nonetheless with the talents of these two, they'll do fine. They're leave taking does seem to strike curious, as it was expected that the two would continue on to the new Shaw studios in the fall. One can only hope that Shaw has shown them the appropriate courtesies. For their efforts these past two years, they deserve nothing less.
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Questions and comments may be sent to: editor@thecommentary.ca
An archive of Joseph Planta's previous columns can be found by clicking HERE .