This Is That Explained
This Is That was a news satire program broadcast on CBC Radio, which aired comedic news stories presented in the style of a real CBC Radio public affairs program.[1]
The program began as a summer replacement in 2010, returned in the summer of 2011, and was added to the regular schedule in the fall of 2011.[2] It is hosted by Pat Kelly and Peter Oldring, and produced by Chris Kelly.
The This Is That team have also produced comedy videos for the CBC's web comedy platform CBC Comedy.[3]
In September 2018, the This Is That team announced that its 13 new episodes in fall 2018 would be the show's final season.[3] The show's series finale was a live and improvised special from the Broadway Theatre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan on December 22, 2018.[4]
In the 2019 Canadian federal election, Kelly and Oldring produced a number of short-format This Is That segments for the network's morning news series The Current.[5] [6] [7] [8]
In the media
The program, whose style has been compared to The Onion, drew phone calls from listeners who did not realize that they were listening to a comedy program and took the content seriously; Oldring and Kelly admit to having been surprised that listeners would be fooled.[9]
In June 2010, the National Post reported as fact that CTV purchased the set of the NBC series Friends;[10] this, however, was a satirical story by This Is That.[11] Two years later, Canadian journalist Robert Fulford wrote an article for the National Post claiming that the show is "worth tuning in for".[12]
Also in 2012, Public Radio International reported as fact a This Is That story that dogs in Montreal would have to know commands in both English and French by law.[13] [14]
In early 2013, Harper's reported as fact a This Is That story in which a Canadian student "sued her university for failing to accommodate her allergies to cactuses, escalators, tall people, and mauve."[15]
In September of the same year, several media organizations, including USA Today and the Washington Times, reported on a story about an U-11 organization that had decided to play soccer without a ball to remove competition from the game.[13] [16]
In 2014, Jonathan Jones at The Guardian wrote an article analyzing the satire in their story about a New York artist creating invisible art and selling it for millions.[17]
Awards
The program has won three Canadian Comedy Awards.[18] [19] Their comedy special "The Christmas Letter" won a gold medal in the category of Best Comedy Special at the 2014 New York Festivals International Radio Awards[20] and their fourth season won a bronze medal in the category of Best Regularly Scheduled Comedy Program at the same awards ceremony.[20]
At the 6th Canadian Screen Awards in 2018, Oldring won the award for Best Actor in a Web Program or Series for his performance in the show's CBC Comedy video series.[21]
External links
Notes and References
- Natasha Lederman, CBC Radio satirical show 'This Is That' sparks as much outrage as laughs. The Globe and Mail, June 21, 2011. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
- http://www.broadcastermagazine.com/news/cbc-radio-one-releases-fall-lineup/1000568783/ CBC Radio One Releases Fall Lineup
- https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thisisthat/after-9-seasons-this-is-that-says-farewell-seriously-1.4836456 "After 9 seasons, This Is That says farewell (seriously)"
- Web site: This Is That: The Live, Improvised, and Last Episode . CBC Radio. April 23, 2019.
- 1176937915970199558. TheCurrentCBC. SATIRE . September 25, 2019.
- 1179856145042857985. TheCurrentCBC. SATIRE . October 3, 2019.
- 1185291962607255553. TheCurrentCBC. @thepatkelly @poldring @CBCThisIsThat If you missed our latest election satire instalment (and we must stress the S… . October 18, 2019.
- 1186306501692002310. TheCurrentCBC. @CBCThisIsThat @thepatkelly @poldring Listen to our final This is That election segment here: . October 21, 2019.
- James Brotheridge, It’s All Lies: Radio comedy goes newsy on This Is That . Prairie Dog Magazine, August 11, 2011. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
- News: Vu. Liem. CTV purchases the set from 'Friends' (well, according to 'This Is That'). October 4, 2017. National Post. June 29, 2010. https://archive.today/20130129125233/http://arts.nationalpost.com/2010/06/29/ctv-purchases-the-set-from-friends/. January 29, 2013. dead.
- Web site: CTV Buys "Friends" Set. This is That. CBC Radio. October 4, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20100711000333/http://www.cbc.ca/thisisthat/main/2010/06/28/ctv-buys-friends-set/. July 11, 2010. June 28, 2010.
- News: Fulford. Robert. This Is That is worth tuning in for. National Post. January 2, 2012. https://archive.today/20130129162650/http://arts.nationalpost.com/2012/01/02/fulford-this-is-that-is-worth-tuning-in-for/. January 29, 2013. dead.
- https://web.archive.org/web/20131003140042/http://www.cbc.ca/newsblogs/yourcommunity/2013/09/cbc-radio-show-strikes-again-with-ball-less-soccer-satire.html CBC Radio show strikes again with ball-less soccer satire
- Web site: CBC Radio bilingual dog parody fools the internet. John Bowman. September 19, 2013. Cbc.ca. December 22, 2014.
- http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/01/14/harpers-magazine-reports-joke-story-as-real-blames-nefarious-cbc/ "Harper’s Magazine reports joke story as real, blames ‘nefarious CBC’"
- Web site: CBC Radio Satire On 'No-Ball' Soccer League Fools Everyone - SportsGrid. Sportsgrid.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20130907032113/https://www.sportsgrid.com/soccer/entire-nation-of-canada-gloriously-punkd-by-networks-story-on-youth-soccer-no-ball-league/. December 22, 2014. September 7, 2013.
- Web site: Invisible art: the gallery hoax that shows how much we hate the rich. Jonathan Jones. the Guardian. December 22, 2014.
- http://torontoist.com/2011/10/2011-canadian-comedy-award-winners/ 2011 Canadian Comedy Award Winners
- Web site: Canadian Comedy Awards Festival - Award Winners. sifr4. Canadiancomedy.ca. December 22, 2014. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20141222204311/http://www.canadiancomedy.ca/awardwinners.php?year=2013. December 22, 2014.
- Web site: New York Festivals. NewYorkFestivals.com. December 22, 2014. December 22, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141222203924/http://www.newyorkfestivals.com/worldsbestradio/2014/index.php?page=1&sAwardType=&sCategoriesType=&sCountryType=CANADA#res. dead.
- https://calgaryherald.com/entertainment/local-arts/andrew-phung-peter-oldring-wynonna-earp-digital-secret-alberta-doc-win-canadian-screen-awards "Andrew Phung, Peter Oldring, Wynonna Earp Digital, Secret Alberta doc win Canadian Screen Awards"