No Canadian Idol In 2009

12/17/08 12:52pm

by Steve McLean (CHARTattack)

If there's some good news to be gleaned from the global financial crisis and Canada sinking into a recession, perhaps it's that you'll probably see less of Ben Mulroney.

Canadian Idol will take a sabbatical in 2009, which means my dream of becoming Media Idol has been crushed yet again.

"As a result of the current economic climate, production of Canadian Idol will rest for the 2009 broadcast year," said a brief statement released by CTV on Tuesday evening.

The broadcaster's parent company, CTVglobemedia, has been making job cuts in a number of areas. Advertising revenues are expected to fall significantly next year, so this new move should be considered more of a cash-saving measure than a reflection of Idol's waning popularity. The show, while expensive to produce, was still one of CTV's biggest ratings winners. It averaged 1.47 million viewers in September.

The network retains the rights to the show and holds out hope that it will come back. Idol programs in Russia, Germany and the Netherlands have apparently taken similar breaks and returned. American Idol will return in a scaled-back format, with the season premiere airing on Jan. 13.