My second favourite CBC show cancelled. DAMN!

Well, since I am Canadian, my favourite CBC show is "Hockey Night in Canada". This is a given. But my other favourite show is "Venture", that cool little show that's been around since 1985 that follows aspiring business neophytes as they attempt to get their various businesses off the ground.

You usually could predict a typical show: some guy or gal gets an idea, then Dianne Buckner (who's surprisingly hot for someone late forties) swoops in with a camera crew. With cameras rolling, they follow these Trump-wannabees, Buckner engaging them into conversations periodically. Sometimes they subject is a real hot-head who loses it sometimes, sometimes the guy is some likable schmuck you just want to cheer for. Whatever the case, you're glued to the TV with gripping anticipation. Will the product sink or swim?

Here are my top three stories I remember:

Air Hogs - These guys were the ultimate hustlers. The product was a toy that was a solid airplane, but you could pump air into its fuselage that powered a propellor. If I remember correctly, they went to toy show after toy show, frequently getting the brush off. But then they got that one little break, a trial with a real brick & mortar store (Walmart? Can't recall). Now, if you have kids, you know how this story turns out. They now have a plethora of products from drag racers, to helicopters, to the current set of planes that you can remote control. Yes (hold on for an inspired pun), this product really "took off".

Clodhoppers - Two buddies. One of these guys had a family recipe for a snacking treat. He had the idea that this chocolate covered candy was so freaking good, he would share it with the world, and make a buck. Their story was actually smooth. If I recall correctly, they pestered WalMart and Safeway, and managed to sell some inventory. But they achieved a surprising win with Dairy Queen, who offered their product as a flavour of blizzard. Today, you cannot go through a checkout at a major grocery store without being within 25 feet of a Clodhoppers display.

Hipikat - Yes, sometimes the flops are memorable. This gal won a contest of some sort where she was granted a modest amount of venture capital, she had the mandate to come up with a winning business. Her idea was to have a website with a customized view of news offered over the web. Basically it was a poor-man's Google News. This episode proved that if you were the peppiest, most positive, valiant motivator in all of business, if your idea is crap, your ship may just sink slower.

As I write this, a tear doth trickle down my cheek in fond rememberance. When the CBC announced that Venture had been given the toss, they said it was to make room for some other offerings.

All I can say, CBC, is that Venture set the bar pretty damn high. Whatever you come up with had better have your viewers soiling themselves for fear of missing a moment of your new shows. I'll reserve a rant until I see what you have up your sleeve.

Hopefully its not another "Little Mosque on the Prairie". Good God that show sucks! But that's another blog post ....