ZeD was a Canadian variety television program that aired on CBC Television from March 18, 2002 to 2006. Hosted primarily by Sharon Lewis and Ziya Tong, ZeD publicized both domestic and international creative works, including a substantial portion of material created by viewers and new artists. ZeD thus considered itself to be "open-source television."
The associated website claimed thousands of users, and the series, while somewhat obscure, was nominated for several awards and influenced some US television. A music album, ZeD: Live Off The Floor, was also spun off from the series.
Concept and creation
The concept of ZeD was originally developed by Rae Hull, who was the regional director for CBC in Vancouver, British Columbia. and new media pioneer McLean Greaves. It was initially imagined as being "free-form, hip and fast moving, with no segment longer than a few minutes," but beyond this contributors would influence the content. When ZeD premiered on March 18, 2002, it was still considered to be in development, The name ZeD appears to have been chosen to suggest the series was uniquely Canadian, since zed is how Canadians pronounce the letter "Z." Altogether, in 2002 the website claimed 5,000 members. In 2005, this had increased to 45,962 members. as well as George Lucas in Love. Since works by viewers ranged in quality, ZeD required rigorous editing, especially to avoid copyright violations.
Tracks included:
- "This Is How I Live"
- "Monday Monday Monday" by Tegan and Sara
- "Evolution" by The Cinematic Orchestra
- "Big" by BrassMunk
- "Left and Leaving" by The Weakerthans
- "London Still" by The Waifs
- "The Centaur" by Buck 65
- "Untitled" by The Organ
Halloween specials
Another feature of ZeD was its annual Halloween episodes, which ran longer than 40 minutes. The 2004 special, "Night of the Living ZeD," was two hours long. These episodes featured some of ZeDs more disturbing short films and art, or comedies with supernatural or gothic themes. Evelyn: The Cutest Evil Dead Girl and Flying Saucer Rock'n'Roll are examples of the latter. In 2004, guest musician Jorane performed a "witchy acid cello" and there were "several freaky faux-Victorian sideshow acts in-studio." and Nobu and Mio Adilman. The program was subsequently hosted by Sharon Lewis until the 2004–2005 season, when she was replaced by Ziya Tong. Lewis also took time off to have a baby during her hosting, necessitating guest hosts such as the brothers Adilman. During this time, in March 2004, the Adilmans hosted Zed Uncut, which was a five-hour episode shot live.
Re-formatting and cancellation
On January 3, 2006, ZeD was revived as three television series to air weekly. Zed Real was the first, playing on Tuesdays, hosted by Jarrett Martineau and featuring documentaries. Zed Candid, airing on Wednesdays, featured short films and was hosted by Trish Williams, Suzanne Bastien and Zorana Sadiq. Finally, Zed Tunes aired on Thursdays, with a focus on music. It was hosted by Jenna Chow. All three continued to be aired on the CBC and ran for one hour, starting around 11:30 pm on their respective nights.
On May 7, 2006, the CBC announced the cancellation of the series. However, CBC said its website would still be available, and that "we're not letting go of some of the innovative ideas that the production crew have brought." Lise Lareau of the Canadian Media Guild replied that CBC was "abandoning the things that make public television special."
Reception
ZeD was nominated for an Emmy Award. Tong was also nominated for a 2005 Gemini Award for Viewer's Choice for Lifestyle Host. In 2002, television critic Alex Strachan wrote that "Almost everything about ZeD is exactly right, from its sense of timing... to the lack of commercials" and that Sharon Lewis' style was nicely easygoing. That year, 70,000 watched the show, which was aimed at people in their twenties and thirties who were comfortable with technology. ZeD also received letters from viewers who thought one short film featuring a sexual scene between brothers was unusual. ZeD explained that "ZeD isn't about gratuitous nudity or being gross just for the sake of being gross. Don't get us wrong. We're not squeamish about anything... except outright stupidity."