Americans in border areas missing Olympics on CBC

It was an instinctual move, honed through years of watching the Olympics on television. Tom August, a resident of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., changed channels to see what was on CBC, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It’s an option available to many American border cities like Detroit, Buffalo and Seattle, and a secret escape for Americans who do not want to watch NBC. But as August soon realized, that option was not available for the Vancouver Games. CTV, Canada’s largest private broadcaster, won the rights to broadcast the Vancouver Games, and August’s cable company does not carry it.
“I thought it was weird the CBC was showing ‘Coronation Street’ during the opening ceremonies,” August said. “I’ve just always gone back and forth between NBC and the CBC, usually sticking more with the CBC. It took a second, then it hit me: I’m not going to get to see the Olympics on the CBC. I am going to have to watch NBC.
“I’m not happy about that, because I think NBC does a terrible job. I want to watch sports live, not watch NBC’s commentators talking in front of a fake fireplace.”
August, 38, is not alone in his CBC withdrawal. Watching CBC for Olympic coverage has been a tradition for many Americans since 1992.