From Peter Worthington's column in the Toronto Sun:" . . .NBC, which won the TV rights for something like $850 million, was supposed to be taking a bath with a $250 million loss, both in ad revenues and viewers. Victims of the recession. While audience appeal has apparently been far greater than expected, NBC’s coverage that includes sidebars about Canada, has been exceptional. Not only has the host country not been ignored, it has virtually been glorified by NBC commentators. Sure, NBC concentrates on Americans in the esoteric, low-viewer sports like the biathalon and cross country skiing. That’s to be expected. But the network has given glimpses of Canada that are dazzling — even to (perhaps especially to) Canadians, who mostly don’t know a hell of a lot about their own country, given that 90% of all Canadians live within 100 miles of the U.S. border. For example, NBC provided a sidebar feature on the polar bears of Churchill, with wonderful shots of their strength and sometimes comical demeanor. Then they had professional tennis player Mary Carillo visit the RCMP training academy in Regina, and undergo basic training. On the parade square she was a klutz. It was amusing, informative, and made both her and the Mounties more human. Former news anchor Tom Brokaw gave a thumbnail history of Canada-U.S. relations, which was a glowing tribute to Canada as a friend and rival; a sort of American version of the late Gordon Sinclair’s tribute to the U.S. at a time when criticism of that country was high (in the 1960s) and he reminded people that whatever its failings, the U.S. was still the most generous and humane country on Earth. Brokaw’s story has gone viral on the Internet, too. . . ."
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