A few words on the CBC
I have been delinquent lately. Since I have been away in the US the CBC, Canada's one and only public broadcaster, has been embroiled in a labour dispute. The union representing over 5000 CBC journalists, technicians, and other CBC workers has been locked out by the corporation. The reason the CBC has locked out its employees is because the Canadian Media Guild has refused to roll over and allow its members' jobs to be threatened by lower-cost temporary workers.
I have had an unusually close relationship with the CBC over the years because my mother works for them in public relations. I have had brushes with a lot of Canadian icons as a result. I have met Peter Mansbridge, and I have met Ian Hanomansing. I have had dinner with Bob, Roger, Luba and John from the Air Farce. When I was in high school I was an unofficial 'intern' for a few weeks with Bob Robertson and Linda Cullen from Double Exposure, and made friends with Todd and Gary, their producer and technician. I've played frisbee with Gloria Makarenko and her two children. Once, I went down to the CBC building after my first day of classes and ran into Jurgen Goth, who asked why I wasn't in class (we'd met before). I explained that it was just a half-day on the first day of classes. He then went into the Disc Drive studio, live, and said in his deep, soft voice: "and for all you teachers, it's the first day of school so kick back, pour yourself another B-52 and get ready for the next 9 months." I've sat next to Shania Twain and David Usher at the Junos. I listened to more classical music than I can clearly remember over the years (sadly I wish I could retain it better). I crawled through the log on the Fred Penner's Place set.
Over the years I have also seen the CBC get downsized again and again, as the federal government continually slashed its budget. I watched my mother's department shrink more and more, and continually be "restructured" as manager after manager was flown in from Toronto in futile attempts to make the underfunded, overworked, ever fewer employees produce as well as they used to with more money and in more numbers.
I went to visit my mother at work last year, it had been about 6 months since I had last been there. I was shocked to find that most of the floor she worked on was now empty. It was so changed that I thought I had made a mistake and got off on the wrong floor. The once-bustling floor was eerily quiet, its desks empty and bare, and it seemed like much too great a distance as I ventured to the far end of the floor, and discovered my mother and her co-workers. My mother's department had for the most part been forced to move out of their individual offices and into cubicles (situated in what used to be the hallway). I was told that this was the latest manager's idea to increase employee productivity, by sacrificing their privacy.
A little over a year ago the CBC in Vancouver closed its scenery shop because it didn't have the budget to keep operating. Most of the studios lie empty, waiting for an outside film or TV shoot to rent the space. I recently learned that they've decided to sell the parking lot adjacent to their building to a condo developer. The development will be called "TV Towers".
Some of my friends say that the CBC, especially CBC radio, is doing poorly because it isn't relevant to young Canadians. A few years ago Radio Sonic, CBC's Vancouver-based "alternative music" program went off the air. CBC Radio 3, the CBC's internet-based radio station, and Zed, CBC TV's late-night independent film program, are rumored to be on the chopping block, as is Brave New Waves. These are some of the CBC's most progressive projects aimed at younger listeners, projects that are relevant to (and developed by) people my age. I can only guess how long they will survive after this lockout, especially if the CMG fails and employees' rights are further eroded.
This spring, my mother was informed that her entire department, as well as all regional public relations departments across Canada were to be closed and replaced by a single, Toronto-based advertizing firm.
And now we are in the midst of the lockout. The CBC has flown managers from across Canada to Toronto, where the corporation is putting them up in hotels and giving them per diems to keep basic services running. While the CBC plays reruns of old programs it is saving millions of dollars, trying to stretch out "negotiations" as long as possible to exhaust union funds and demoralize the union membership.
And in the middle of all this bleakness, some hope. I recently found the CBC Unplugged and CBC Unlocked websites, two of many sites developed as a response to the lockout. Fed up with management, CBC employees are trying to do their jobs anyway, independently. CBC Unplugged's podcast can be found on the site (as well as on iTunes) and it is incredible to hear the hosts and correspondents I have known for so long fulfilling the CBC's mission of truly public radio, completely independent of the corporation. The last CBC Unplugged podcast (recorded at CiTR at UBC) was apparently the number one podcast in Canada; I have never been more proud of these people as I am now.
And now a favour to ask you all. Please do not brush this aside because without your help the union will run of money eventually, and employees will buckle and accept the corporation's 'offer'. Please go here and find out how you can help. And if you've already done your part tell your friends about it, get them involved. Please. The more pressure the government and the corporation feels, the better it will be for the union, the CBC in general, and ultimately for all of us.
I have had an unusually close relationship with the CBC over the years because my mother works for them in public relations. I have had brushes with a lot of Canadian icons as a result. I have met Peter Mansbridge, and I have met Ian Hanomansing. I have had dinner with Bob, Roger, Luba and John from the Air Farce. When I was in high school I was an unofficial 'intern' for a few weeks with Bob Robertson and Linda Cullen from Double Exposure, and made friends with Todd and Gary, their producer and technician. I've played frisbee with Gloria Makarenko and her two children. Once, I went down to the CBC building after my first day of classes and ran into Jurgen Goth, who asked why I wasn't in class (we'd met before). I explained that it was just a half-day on the first day of classes. He then went into the Disc Drive studio, live, and said in his deep, soft voice: "and for all you teachers, it's the first day of school so kick back, pour yourself another B-52 and get ready for the next 9 months." I've sat next to Shania Twain and David Usher at the Junos. I listened to more classical music than I can clearly remember over the years (sadly I wish I could retain it better). I crawled through the log on the Fred Penner's Place set.
Over the years I have also seen the CBC get downsized again and again, as the federal government continually slashed its budget. I watched my mother's department shrink more and more, and continually be "restructured" as manager after manager was flown in from Toronto in futile attempts to make the underfunded, overworked, ever fewer employees produce as well as they used to with more money and in more numbers.
I went to visit my mother at work last year, it had been about 6 months since I had last been there. I was shocked to find that most of the floor she worked on was now empty. It was so changed that I thought I had made a mistake and got off on the wrong floor. The once-bustling floor was eerily quiet, its desks empty and bare, and it seemed like much too great a distance as I ventured to the far end of the floor, and discovered my mother and her co-workers. My mother's department had for the most part been forced to move out of their individual offices and into cubicles (situated in what used to be the hallway). I was told that this was the latest manager's idea to increase employee productivity, by sacrificing their privacy.
A little over a year ago the CBC in Vancouver closed its scenery shop because it didn't have the budget to keep operating. Most of the studios lie empty, waiting for an outside film or TV shoot to rent the space. I recently learned that they've decided to sell the parking lot adjacent to their building to a condo developer. The development will be called "TV Towers".
Some of my friends say that the CBC, especially CBC radio, is doing poorly because it isn't relevant to young Canadians. A few years ago Radio Sonic, CBC's Vancouver-based "alternative music" program went off the air. CBC Radio 3, the CBC's internet-based radio station, and Zed, CBC TV's late-night independent film program, are rumored to be on the chopping block, as is Brave New Waves. These are some of the CBC's most progressive projects aimed at younger listeners, projects that are relevant to (and developed by) people my age. I can only guess how long they will survive after this lockout, especially if the CMG fails and employees' rights are further eroded.
This spring, my mother was informed that her entire department, as well as all regional public relations departments across Canada were to be closed and replaced by a single, Toronto-based advertizing firm.
And now we are in the midst of the lockout. The CBC has flown managers from across Canada to Toronto, where the corporation is putting them up in hotels and giving them per diems to keep basic services running. While the CBC plays reruns of old programs it is saving millions of dollars, trying to stretch out "negotiations" as long as possible to exhaust union funds and demoralize the union membership.
And in the middle of all this bleakness, some hope. I recently found the CBC Unplugged and CBC Unlocked websites, two of many sites developed as a response to the lockout. Fed up with management, CBC employees are trying to do their jobs anyway, independently. CBC Unplugged's podcast can be found on the site (as well as on iTunes) and it is incredible to hear the hosts and correspondents I have known for so long fulfilling the CBC's mission of truly public radio, completely independent of the corporation. The last CBC Unplugged podcast (recorded at CiTR at UBC) was apparently the number one podcast in Canada; I have never been more proud of these people as I am now.
And now a favour to ask you all. Please do not brush this aside because without your help the union will run of money eventually, and employees will buckle and accept the corporation's 'offer'. Please go here and find out how you can help. And if you've already done your part tell your friends about it, get them involved. Please. The more pressure the government and the corporation feels, the better it will be for the union, the CBC in general, and ultimately for all of us.
posted by Mike at 12:17 PM
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