# The Lang and O'Leary exchange



## the-royal-mail (Dec 11, 2009)

I'm slowly getting into this show. I must say I like the concept. This is one of those new show ideas that CBC came up with a few months ago when they modernized their look and tried to bring their programming in line with modern trends. Anyway, besides the fact that Amanda Lang is gorgeous, I just enjoy watching those two debate various economic things as well as some of the guests that come on the show.

Anyone here watch and enjoy this show too?


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

When they first introduced the show, they were trying to copy BNN's Squeezeplay. Problem is, they went with a 30 minute format, and that ended up being so rushed that I thought the show was unwatchable and stopped within a few days.

About a month or two ago they went with a full-hour format, similar to BNN's Squeezeplay which they were trying to emulate (down to stealing Lang and O'Leary--former hosts of Squeezeplay). This made the show a lot more tolerable to watch since it allowed them to have longer interviews, and not having every topic covered as:

Lang: "Hey check out topic X"
O'Leary: "Government evil! Cut taxes to zero!"
Lang: "Now Kevin, that's probably a bad idea."
O'Leary: "You're wrong!"
Lang: "Moving on..."

I have to say that the show is more stylish than Squeezeplay, and I do like Lang. O'Leary is even more shrill and irrational than he was on Squeezeplay. I wonder if CBC asked him to ham it up or something. All in all not a bad show. I don't know why they originally went with a 30 minute format, especially after that interminable 3 hour Power & Politics show (MPs taking turns yelling at each other, broken up by party strategists yelling at each other and government ministers appearing and doing their best not to answer questions). I suspect that the 30 minute format was a viewer/ratings disaster.


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## Soils4Peace (Mar 14, 2010)

I watch Lang and O'Leary. I do like the hour and the coverage. Kevin is only mildly annoying, and sometimes I agree with him, or at least take his point. I do prefer him over Kramer-types.

Then I watch Nightly Business Report right after. Wow that show is so dry, especially following Lang and O'Leary. 

This is probably just a Canadian vs American thing - but NBR seems to be very much about The Street and near mythology. They talk about index milestones as though they are important. On Wall Street Week they were always talking about their technician-elves and their buy-sell signals. 

By comparison L-O'L seems more real, more relevant for us retail investors, or at least it has less street-junk to foul the mix.


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## m3s (Apr 3, 2010)

I don't pay for TV anymore but I see CBC has 6 episodes of this streaming.. So I'll say they're somewhat catching up with times

I learn a lot from Kevin's attitude as far as how sleazy businessmen think. From watching him on a few episodes of Dragon's I learned why a lot of good ideas will never make it to market. I hate what he represents but I find him entertaining

If CBC keeps streaming this show I'll give it a try


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## Dr_V (Oct 27, 2009)

I've watched the show since its inaugural episode (I record it on PVR).

Amanda Lang is excellent, insightful, and introspective.

Kevin O'Leary is misguided on a number of topics, but he gets included in the show to drive up ratings, which in turn, keep the show alive. He's a bit of a broken record ("Buy Brazil!" "Governments are bad!"), and at this point, I don't think that he's contributing much to the intellectual debate on the show.

~~~
As an aside, I wish that Kevin O'Leary would either realize or just shush up about the fact that:

(1) GDP growth prospects are *not* necessarily indicative of good stock market returns. This is the most frustrating point. He speaks incessantly about investing in BRIC countries because of their GDP growth, but there's actually a poor correlation between GDP and stock returns. (Think: England was a country in decline after WWII, yet had decades of great stock returns.) Not to mention, how many BRIC countries have defaulted on their debt in the past 100 years? ...

(2) Government isn't always bad. "Socialism" isn't always evil. I'm reminded of this story ...



> This morning, I was awoken by my alarm clock, which is powered by the electricity generated by the public power monopoly that's regulated by the DOE.
> 
> I then took a shower in the clean water provided by the municipal water utility.
> 
> ...


K.


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## m3s (Apr 3, 2010)

Haha so true!

After watching just 1 episode his anti-government rants are already over the top for me

He is the shining example of the greedy free market big cats

Good story.. except for the horrific misconception that the Federal Reserve is not a private financial institution


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## ghostryder (Apr 5, 2009)

andrewf said:


> I wonder if CBC asked him to ham it up or something.



He is just conflicted. "Government subsidies are evil" but I have 2 TV shows on the CBC.


I'm sure Kevin is getting paid by the CBC, therefore he is being paid by the taxpayer. His brain is probably having problems with that.


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## Cal (Jun 17, 2009)

My impression is that O'L is trying to create a personality of himself. Or to create a brand of himself of sorts.


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## Robillard (Apr 11, 2009)

Soils4Peace,

I've always liked the Nightly Business Report on PBS, despite the focus on technical analysis. Watching it when I was younger was probably one of the factors that caused me to study finance in university.


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## Underworld (Aug 26, 2009)

Hah +1 for Amanda Lang is hot


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## Dr_V (Oct 27, 2009)

For fans of the show (and I'd count myself as one), there was a really nice write-up about Amanda Lang in this past week's canadian business magazine.

I was impressed by how well-accomplished her whole family is (parents involved in politics, sister is a lawyer, husband is a VP at Barrick, etc.). My kudos to her -- a great Canadian success story, I think.


K.


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## the-royal-mail (Dec 11, 2009)

Thanks K!

Yeah Amanda has some rather stiff "opposition" on the show there and she seems to hold her own against him quite well. My guess is she has brothers? LOL!

The mix of personalities is pretty good I must say. I appreciate hearing BOTH of their points of view.

I also like watching the Dragon's Den and Shark Tank. Kevin can be a bit too abrasive though, thankfully Robert is there to balance out his opinions. Arlene too.

I really wonder though...is Kevin real, or is this a persona they created? Some of his opinions are really 'out there' lol.


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## Dr_V (Oct 27, 2009)

the-royal-mail said:


> Yeah Amanda has some rather stiff "opposition" on the show there and she seems to hold her own against him quite well. My guess is she has brothers? LOL!


ha!

It reminds me of Coach's Corner (with Kevin playing the role of a Don Cherry-imitator). Though, Amanda is easier on the eyes than Ron McLean 

I think that Kevin's over-the-top display is largely a persona that he (or some smart people at CBC) created. It's working out pretty well for him, given his appearances on Shark Tank and Dragon's Den, and that sort of thing.


K.


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## CanadianCapitalist (Mar 31, 2009)

Dr_V said:


> It's working out pretty well for him, given his appearances on Shark Tank and Dragon's Den, and that sort of thing.
> K.


Not to mention priceless publicity for his high-fee, low-performance, "get paid to wait" O'Leary Funds.


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## Toronto.gal (Jan 8, 2010)

ghostryder said:


> He is just conflicted. "Government subsidies are evil" but I have 2 TV shows on the CBC.
> 
> I'm sure Kevin is getting paid by the CBC, therefore he is being paid by the taxpayer. His brain is probably having problems with that.


I don't think he's conflicted at all given that his philosophy is to go to bed richer than when he woke up. 

I enjoy watching the Lang & O'Leary Exchange as it's entertaining, informative, thought-provoking & fun to watch!

Kevin is certainly very colourful; Amanda is more low-key, so a nice contrast & that's what makes the show work!. You gentlemen are correct that Amanda is attractive, engaging, witty & very accomplished too; studied Architecture before Journalism.

Just out of curiosity, I wonder about the performance of the O'Leary funds.


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## Toronto.gal (Jan 8, 2010)

CanadianCapitalist said:


> Not to mention priceless publicity for his high-fee, low-performance, "get paid to wait" O'Leary Funds.


I read that some of his global funds charge an MER of 3.5%.


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