Mike Bullard Show Cancelled

[treble 0]

Global TV cancels low-rated Mike Bullard Show effective immediately

 

TORONTO (CP) - Global's got him. Not.

 

Late-night talk show host Mike Bullard, who jumped from CTV to Global television last year only to see his ratings plummet, has had his show cancelled. "Unfortunately, and in spite of a major promotion effort by Global, the program has not demonstrated the degree of success that merits a continued run," Doug Hoover, senior programming vice-president at Global, said in a statement Friday. "We continue to hold Mike in the highest of esteem and wish him much well-deserved success in the future."

 

The news was broken to Bullard on the studio set Friday morning. The cancellation was effective immediately, with reruns scheduled to air Friday night and all next week. Bullard was not immediately available for comment.

 

Rick Camilleri, chief operating officer at CanWest Global Communications Corp., said the broadcaster is still fully committed to the production of variety and entertainment programming that showcases Canadian talent. But he had no details Friday on the eventual replacement for Bullard's show.

 

Camilleri added only that in the weeks ahead Global would be developing "a different type of program" that would be used in Bullard's old midnight time-slot.

 

Ed Robinson, programming vice-president at CTV and Bullard's former boss, declined comment, preferring to stay out of it.

 

"It's just that the ratings weren't very good," said David Hamilton, Global's vice-president of publicity. Recent national numbers were in the 72,000 range.

 

Bullard debuted on Global Nov. 24 to great fanfare, five months after his high-profile departure from rival CTV where for six years his show aired in prime time on the Comedy Network and late night on the main network.

 

Critics offered several reasons for the gruff comic's slide. First, there was the five-month wait to return to the air, during which time many of his fans became hooked on CTV's replacement, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, a news parody import from the U.S. Then there was Bullard's open criticism of his former employer.

 

"I was the scapegoat for every mistake and didn't get credit for anything else," Bullard was quoted as saying in the days before he launched on Global in November. "The response was always 'Mike's nuts.' " He said he even had to use his own money to buy a plane ticket to visit some network affiliate stations.

 

His move to Global was also encouraged by CanWest president Leonard Asper's promise of 195 episodes a year, compared to 140 at CTV.

 

But his Global debut was less than stellar, drawing just 82,000 viewers across Canada, compared to 130,000 or so he enjoyed at CTV.

 

After a three-week hiatus over the Christmas holidays, Bullard came back Jan. 12 with a new set and a new executive producer in veteran David Rosen, but still netted ratings in the 85,000 range compared to Stewart's 250,000-300,000. Asper admitted he was stumped but chalked it up to the new show still trying to find its legs.

 

There have also been suggestions that Bullard's sarcastic style, which included picking on members of the studio audience, was not embraced as well as the more self-effacing approach of American counterparts like Conan O'Brien. But at one point, Bullard was quoted as saying he didn't care about the dwindling numbers because he had a multi-year contract at Global.

 

Michael Nolan, a media expert at the University of Western Ontario, recalled a history of failed Canadian attempts to mount a late-night talkfest - with such CBC hosts as Peter Gzowski, Ralph Benmergui and Alex Barris - and said he doubted whether the all-American genre has caught on in Canada.

 

"I think (Bullard's) quite good but he has a style that may not go over with everybody," Nolan said.

 

"I sort of wonder, if you compare him to American talk shows, if he has too much edge for a consistent night talk show. I think he's got too much bite sometimes."

 

Nolan added that the Canadian audience is used to a high-quality American product with major Hollywood personalities as guests. Canadian counterparts to Jay Leno and David Letterman are viewed as simply outclassed.

 

Seven years ago, while still working as a Bell Canada employee and part-time stand-up comic, Bullard, a native of Mississauga, Ont., landed the job as host of Open Mike in prime time on the fledgling Comedy Network. Warmly received at the outset, Bullard's show moved to the main CTV network for a late-night rebroadcast.

 

After initial telecasts from a cramped studio at the back of Wayne Gretzky's downtown restaurant, CTV later provided him with a more spacious facility in its new mid-town studio, the refurbished former Masonic Temple.

The show was horrible, but I kind of feel sorry for him. He's supposed to be pretty funny as a stand-up, but it doesn't translate well to a talk show format.

[Guest Krazy Karter]

Was he the same guy with the Canadian talk show on CTV that used to interview wrestlers in 2000-2001?

 

That guy was the biggest no-talent stiff I've ever seen.

[treble 0]

Yeah, that was his CTV/Comedy Network show 'Open Mike'.

[Guest dreamer420]

Thanks Christ. Mike Bullard was the most unfunny, no talent hack to ever appear on TV. I'm glad that Jon Stewart kicked his lame ass off of TV for good.

[Guest cobainwasmurdered]

good. I HATE Bullard. arrogant prick

[CanadianChris 0]

Best news I've heard all day. I can't stand the guy. Why Global thought they could make it work, I'll never know.

[Guest Fook]

good. I HATE Bullard. arrogant prick

Amen to that.

 

 

I used to work at a Tim Horton's and apparently (I heard this later from co-workers) Bullard came in one day and started demanding free shit just because he's Mike Bullard.

[Karnage 0]

Well I do feel a little sorry for him, but then again, the only time he entertained me was when Tom Green brought out a dead racoon on his show and he went out to barf.

[The Mandarin 0]

Mike is actually a pretty nice guy.

 

Although his show was God-awful.

[dubq 0]

Huzzah!

[Guest Mikey2Dope]

Thanks Christ. Mike Bullard was the most unfunny, no talent hack to ever appear on TV. I'm glad that Jon Stewart kicked his lame ass off of TV for good.

Took the words right out of my mouth.

[starvenger 0]

His show was actually pretty decent to start, but it really started going south after he lost a lot of weight.

 

Nolan added that the Canadian audience is used to a high-quality American product with major Hollywood personalities as guests. Canadian counterparts to Jay Leno and David Letterman are viewed as simply outclassed.

Seeing as Ed the Sock is still on the air, I'd have to say that we can enjoy lowbrow, low budget talk shows as well as celebrity-pandering American late-night shows...