by Jade Leung
Ford Nation is coming to a television near you.
Sun News Network has announced the debut of its newest weekly talk show featuring the one and only, Rob Ford, and his brother Doug Ford.
Not much has been revealed about the show but it will be making its small screen premiere on Monday at 8 p.m. This decision was unveiled after Rob Ford’s radio talk show, Newstalk 1010 was cancelled last week.
Michael Glassbourg, program co-ordinator of Film and Television Production at Humber College says two types of people will be watching the show: people who genuinely support Rob Ford and people who just want to laugh at his buffoonery.
“It’s all about the media outlets making money,” Glassbourg told Humber News. “Certainly with Sun Media, they don’t care. At this point, their ratings are terrible so they’ll do anything. It’s a good business move.”
Glassbourg said it all comes down to ratings and the show will probably run for as long as ratings are good. “It has nothing to do with whether they like the Fords, or the public like the Fords, or if the Fords have anything to say, it’s simply to get the advertising dollars.”
John Crean, the managing partner of the PR firm, National, tells Humber News that Ford’s latest media move isn’t the wisest course of action. He said Ford should get himself out of the limelight, and that the less he exposes himself, the better it is.
“He’s not going to win with the media, or the hearts and minds of the public, by continuing to deny and apologize for his various acts then hoping we can move on,” said Crean. “If he’s going to change the dialogue, he’s got to change the action. There’s nothing he can really say that can change his brand at this point.”
According to Crean, he would have advised Rob Ford to tell the whole truth and get it all out on the table then face the consequences.
“But at this point in time, even that strategy make not work for him. Almost, in an unprecedented way, he’s created a character for himself that is subject to such derision that I’m not sure he can come back,” he said.
“It’s one thing when people disagree with you and another when people are making you the butt of their jokes.”