When Anne of Green Gables fails, Regis and Kelly will save your province for $1 million
Regis and Kelly are taking their show to Green Gables, and the P.E.I. government (with a little help from the feds) is footing the $1-million bill. This has caused some consternation for bleeding hearts, who think public funds should be used for health care and education. Clearly, these people don’t understand the power of Regis—he’s immortal and can wear the hell out of a suit (especially when the shirt and tie are the same colour).
Regis worship aside, this story gives us hilarious insights into both P.E.I. and Regis and Kelly. According to the Globe, “The demographics of the show’s viewers—which were shared with P.E.I. as part of the negotiations—match up perfectly with the travellers the province is targeting: well-off American couples who are over 45.”
The meeting that led to the decision to go after Regis and Kelly:
Tourism official #1: “We can’t use magazine ads, since our target audience can’t read the small type and and our audience is scared of computers, so…" Tourism official #2: “Really, all these people do is watch daytime TV.” Tourism boss: “Wait a minute! That’s GOLD!”
The province promises a strong return on its investment. “To get this kind of exposure, with this kind of powerful media, I think is second to none,” they say. We’re just proud of Regis and Kelly—this is the first time in a long time they’ve been considered powerful.
• Officials defend million dollar price to bring Regis and Kelly to PEI [Globe and Mail]
