The CBC has announced that they are canceling ZED.

Zed was a creative arts television show that had been airing in the 11:25pm - 12:25am time slot, on and off for the last five years. The program featured documentaries, short films and a solid amount of independent music. It's most unique feature was its website where people could watch clips and upload their own material which had a chance to be shown on television. The website was a hub of creative output. Numerous hosts of the show included Kardinal Offishall and Janet Chow.

Zed was also the program I had been freelancing for this past March.

This is what frustrates me about the CBC. Sometimes there is a program (such as Zed or the recently cancelled National Playlist) that may not be the most popular show, but develops a strong cult following. Although the CBC's mission is to serve cultural interests and goals, sometimes it takes on the goals of a commercial broadcaster which is to have the highest ratings and the most advertising revenue. This means that shows like Zed or the National Playlist are likely to be cancelled. Don't get me wrong, I love the CBC and I'm all for public broadcasting. But like most organizations, not every decision made is viewed as a "smart decision."

Tod Maffin also brings up a good point: most of the people who are currently working at the CBC are baby boomers and will soon be retiring. Eventually, the CBC will have to bring in a lot of "young" blood. In order for this to occur, there needs to be content that attracts young journalists, broadcasters and artists. Zed was a great way to do this. Unfortunately this will no longer be the case.

However, for what it is worth, Zed can be put to rest knowing that it probably lasted longer then most people would have predicted.

The Hek