It seems that, lately, most talk surrounding the Gemini Awards is dominated by debate over voting systems, the politics behind the scenes, and how the show could be made more effective. And before I jump back into the fray myself, let’s not lose sight of the point of the whole thing – to salute excellent work in Canadian TV.

By all means the industry should fete its accomplishments. The question is – and the event has struggled with this in recent years – are the Gemini Awards mostly just an annual private party where TV folks can pat their compadres on the back over some rubber chicken, or are they a promotional opportunity to help lure some desperately needed eyeballs to the programs they celebrate?

Recent times would indicate the former.

Global returns this year as the broadcaster for the Nov. 4 main event, which the Academy has wisely relocated to B.C. to lend it some freshness. And you have to hand it to Global – they do know how to jazz up an occasion. When the network – not traditionally known for an innate interest in domestic programming – surprised everyone by taking over the Gems from CBC last year, it was amid promises of bringing some much-needed glamour to the proceedings. And they delivered. To walk upon last year’s red carpet scene – with Global’s Entertainment Tonight Canada crew flitting about – was to feel the night was getting the attention it deserved.

And then the network sabotaged its own efforts by throwing the show on at the worst-possible time slot – right up against CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada.

Now, does it make sense to try to lure viewers to Canadian TV’s big night at the same time the nation’s most popular show is also airing? No, it doesn’t. And it didn’t – last year’s Gems broadcast brought in just over 200,000 viewers, one of its worst performances ever.

And guess where the caster is scheduling this year’s show? That’s right – it’s meeting Don Cherry again in a one-sided rematch.

But at least the folks at Global are honest. It’s not about the ratings, they say. What it’s really all about is tossing a bone to the Canadian production sector that Global has long neglected.

It’s easy to understand why Global would bury the show. Since the network gets so few nominations, the Gems don’t directly promote much of its product. Its only hope of shilling is to plant some of its projected stars on the red carpet for interviews with Cheryl Hickey et al. And airing the Gems in some plum spot in the middle of Global’s fall war with CTV is just too risky. But the Geminis have proven a ratings winner before. In 1995, for example – when the TV landscape was admittedly quite different – the awards drew 1.2 million viewers to CBC.

If Global hangs on to the Gems long enough that it has a few more nomination-worthy shows of its own – and some candidates are on the way – perhaps it would then go the distance for the awards broadcast.

The network does deserve credit for taking on the Gems at all. Where is CTV in all this? One source at CTV acknowledges that the net’s interest in the show is not where it would need to be to actually take on the broadcast. This is a shame, since it is the caster in the best position to really give the show the boost it needs. But the network is so focused on maintaining its ratings dominance with its primarily American product that it doesn’t have time for this Canadian awards show that also happens to recognize a lot of its programs, such as Corner Gas, Jeff Ltd. and its MOWs.

No doubt CTV could put on a good show, promote the hell out of it on its popular U.S. properties and its domestic hits, and bring in more viewers than either Global or CBC currently could, the byproduct of which would be greater awareness of Canadian television.

Beyond CTV’s general apathy, another roadblock to its involvement has arisen. CTV News, deeming the news awards unfairly biased in CBC’s favor, has indefinitely withdrawn from participating in the Gems. It would look a little strange for the network to serve as host while one of its main divisions is boycotting it.

It all makes you think that the awards belong back on CBC. The problem is that the Ceeb doesn’t have a lot of money to spend, and with its inability to attract big audiences to much outside of hockey in the winter and Hollywood movies in the summer, the pubcaster is unable to drum up widespread viewer interest like it used to.

There are no easy answers to the Gemini conundrum, and until the privates are willing to fully go to bat to promote Canadian production – or the Ceeb gets out of its ratings slump – the awards show will remain a predominantly industry-only affair.