PBCA Meetup Group on Yahoo

PBCA Meetup Group on Yahoo

If you'll notice the box in the left column I have created a group on Yahoo - this will, replace the majordomo groups. Those groups were created because I had the capacity after starting up the site, but Majordomo is not very popular and is difficult to customize. So, if message boards aren't your thing, and you'd rather your comments, questions, statements etc were not visible to those who are not actually involved in the discussion please feel free to sign up using the aformentioned box in the left hand column or by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pbca

While no actual meetups are planned for the moment, it is an opportunity for podcasters, bloggers, artists, and fans to network, share feedback, tips, suggestions, and discuss issues related to Canadian Content, Technlogly, Broadcasting, Blogging, Podcasting etc.

Feel Better Now

I know it's right before the holiday's and people are very busy (myself included) but I should be posting more regularly now. I have, for the time being, the site where I'd like it to be - I'm sure there are still some tweaks to come, but I'm much happier with it than I was - and there is now room to grow fairly painlessly and (I hope) without it all being too confusing. Please let me know what you think and happy holidays.

Stay Tuned

Sorry for the lull from me folks. I'm afraid it's going to go on a bit longer - I'm in the midst of a re-do for the site (publicbroadcasting.ca) - giving it a cleaner interface and (hopefully) improving the ease of use while adding more info, more feeds and just generally more - if you have any good blogs, podcasts, vidcasts etc., that aren't already included - or other suggestions - now would be an excellent time to pass those along. Otherwise, please stay tuned.

Fair Warning: Never Mind the Bullocks

I've been looking for an anology to explain to people who don't seem to get it the importance of Podcasts and Vidcasts. I think that I've found one that works. During the 1970s street kids in cities like London, New York and Los Angeles rejected what was being offered to them by society and by the mass media. The found the music of the day overly produced, excessively packaged and lacking in substance (even if many of them couldn't articulate it in this way and used terms like 'bullocks' instead.) So, the kids created their own form.

The media critics scoffed, derided and dismissed it. From their point of view there was no relevance. The level of talent varied wildly, some of the performers didn't even know how to play their instruments. But, punk happened anyway, and it changed everything and it's descendants continue to change everything. Music has never been the same, nor has any other medium and those who didn't catch on were quickly and in some cases permanently reduced to second class status or vanished altogether.

There is not a direct link between punk and podcasting, it is not quite the same revolution but it has many of the same traits. The level of talent varies wildly, some of the performers do not know how to play their instruments (although with the technology available this is becoming less and less of a requirement.) The important thing is that now anyone with something to say can say it. Anyone, with little or no money or experience, can have their own radio station, syndicated column, or show (audio or video). Who they are doesn't matter, sure a lone individual with an idea and a computer in Thunder Bay, Ontario has a greater hill to climb than, say the CBC or Chum, but the number of individuals with an idea and a computer is so much greater than the number of established media outlets that traditional broadcasters do indeed need to worry about the new competition.

The new internet, with blogging, podcasting, vidcasting, internet radio etc., will, change everything, forever and those that don't catch on, who choose to take the ostrich method and deny that it's happening because it's uncomfortable for them will quickly and in some cases permanently be reduced to second class status or vanish altogether.

Congradulations to 'Air Out My Shorts'

Podcasting is fairly new to Canada, and most Canadian podcasts haven't gotten a great deal of attention beyond our borders. This week, however, Ontario's own "Air Out My Shorts" with Preston Buttons and the Word Whore is featured on Podcast 411 a web site and podcast about podcasting.

Air Out My Shorts is a drunken romp through racy, bizarre and at times just disturbing short stories. You can hear the interview with Preston Buttons and the Word Whore here and if you are, yourself, a podcaster don't forget to add yourself to Podcast 411's frappr map

Politics Blogs

I've added considerably to the politics blogs (given that we are in an election now it seemed a good place to spend a little time.) If you are interested in such things, and there are some good blogs that I've missed (I'm sure there are) please let me know.

Satellite Radio vs. the Dodo

In an tech column today Greg Michetti raves about the value of satellite radio.

Here's the deal. The SIRIUS Canada service costs $14.99 per month and for that you get 100 commercial free stations; 60 of which are music while the other 40 are of news, talk and sports like the NHL. Ten are Canadian music and information stations made available nationally in both English and French. Structurally, SIRIUS Canada is a partnership of CBC/Radio Canada, Standard Radio Inc and SIRIUS Satellite Radio (U.S.).

The gang at SIRIUS arranged for me to try out a demo Starmate model, a 10 cm x 2.5 cm unit that slips into a swivel like arm that in turn "suction cups" to the inside of your auto's windshield. A pair of thin rubber cables, for power and connectivity to your auto's built in radio, run from the Starmate and into the dashboard.

I'm sure Mr. Michetti liked his demo, and playing with the new gizmo, and satellite radio was a good idea, about 5 years ago. The reality now though, as I see it, is that the window for Satellite radio is closing fast. Soon, very, very soon - anything available online, and much that isn't available online yet will be available to anyone, anywhere, on their pda, cell phone, iPod, laptop or, of course, desktop. People will be able to listen to literally thousands of radio stations across the world, a small (very small) sampling of them are available on this site, and there are about 10,000 available here, even on publicbroadcasting.ca there are over 120 public, university and community radio stations listed. Then, add to this all of the available podcasts and now vidcasts, and the fact that TV will soon be as available as radio online (there are a few thousand feeds here already) and then peoples private collection of music and video plus, of course, video games, email, web sites, text messaging, phone calls...

Once all of this is available to you whereever you are, on virtually any device, largely for free (or for the cost of your cell/internet connection, who exactly is going to be paying "$14.99 per month" for "100 commercial free stations" on a separate, proprietary, device that doesn't do anything else?

I'm sure there are a few out there, Mr. Michetti and other tech columnists for example, or people who just like technology and want everything on the market, perhaps a handful of people who don't understand the internet, cell phones, iPods etc and just want something that plays music - but is this going to be enough of a market to sustain a company and all of the stations that company represents?

Suggestion Time

I've rearanged the bones of the site a bit, to make it more easily navigable, and to build a structure that will support alot more content. I'd like people's overall impressions of the site, and I'd also like suggestions for what to put in a survey - I'll be running one next week. I've added some new podcasts and a few blogs this week, but I'd also like input. Please send me links to your favourite Canadian blogs, podcasts and sources of info (how to sites, broadcasting sites etc - for the learning secion). I won't have much time this weekend but, the room to grow is now huge.

Heritage Committee Transcripts Available!

A big, BIG note of thanks to Antonia Zerbisias and the folks at Friends of Canadian Broadcasting; While Charlie Angus, Sam Bulte, and the Clerks at the Heritage Committee ignored my requests for transcripts of the 'Gang of Four' hearing, Friends of Canadian Broadcasting got them. I'm posting them on the site, take them, print them, read them, pass them around. Click here to download the .pdf!!

CBC Races Toward Commercial Broadcasting

A flurry of recent moves by CBC's current management call into question how much longer Canada will have a national 'public' broadcaster.

CBC's recent placement of advertising in company washrooms, a move as classy as fishing for pennies in a fountain, has been discussed pretty thoroughly. If you add that to a pair of announcements yesterday, it becomes questionable whether current management has any interest in being a public broadcaster any longer.

First came an email from the CMG stating that the CBC is "negotiating to outource national archive sales to a business unit of the BBC." While the BBC is a public broadcaster and partnerships between public broadcasters are common and generally acceptable, outsourcing the sales and marketing of Canadian History to another country is, to say the very least, questionable.

Next came the big one, from the Globe and Mail

AOL Canada Inc. has forged a partnership with CBC that will see the on-line giant sell advertising for the broadcaster's website and tap into its vast pool of video content.

The deal calls for AOL to become the exclusive seller of advertising to CBC's website, beyond the on-line business the broadcaster brings in through its own TV and radio operations.

AOL officials said the two operations will share the advertising revenue generated by the arrangement. Terms were not disclosed for the ad deal, which began in August but was only announced yesterday, along with the video-sharing strategy.

CBC joins a stable of sites that AOL Canada's parent company, America Online Inc., has the exclusive right to sell advertising for, including TimeCanada.com, CNN.com and SportsIllustrated.com.

This, to me, is a deal that falls squarely outside the bounds of public broadcasting and will make it terribly difficult for the task force, called for by the heritage committee to justify additional funds, or even maintain current funding for a broadcaster that is evidently intent on being commercial and competing with other commercial broadcasters.

I can only hope that Our Public Airwaves campaign for 'A New CBC' has some success. If Canadians want a national public broadcaster, dramatic changes will be needed.

Just Because It's Quiet Doesn't Mean Nothing is Going On

Just Because It's Quiet Doesn't Mean Nothing is Going On


Things have been quiet with publicbroadcasting.ca lately but that doesn't mean that nothing is happening. I've added a bit of content, including putting Rick Mercer's blog in the directory , and adding the Ryerson Review of Journalism to the Journalism directory and to the latest journalism feed. I'll be trying to add more to these in the coming days and, as always, feel free to offer suggestions for sites, podcasts, blogs and vidcasts of interest.

I have also included the feed links of various podcasts, blogs and vidcasts so that you can add them to your own sites, blogrolls, etc., if you like and I've put in a steal these feeds page if you'd like to use the publicbroadcasting.ca feeds. The new 'what's on' section includes the newest episodes of podcasts listed in the directory though obviously not the CBC podcasts as free and unsolicited promotion apparently irritates their lawyers. Video casts are also included in the 'what's on' listing, but only commandN is listed there at the moment. Although Etherworks is also listed in the directory the feed from there does not seem to validate.

I'd also like to take a moment to congradulate all of the fine CBC folk who took home Gemini's over the weekend. Most especially Alison Crawford and Conway Fraser who blogged out of Winnipeg to us during the CBC Lockout.

Heritage Committee Task force to study the future of the CBC

Thanks to Antonia Zerbisias for pointing to this in her blog. A motion by Conservative Heritage Critic Bev Oda calling for a "an independent task force on the role, mandate and level of service of the CBC-SRC" has passed the heritage committee.

The press release from the Conservative Party of Canada goes on to say "The goal is to reach a solid understanding of what Canadians expect of the CBC-SRC, and then use the objectives that are set out to determine the long-term funding needs of the public broadcaster.” While there is still a chance that this will be lost in the election shuffle, it is an idea long past due.

Heritage Committee Show

On October 27, Robert Rabinovich and other senior managers at the CBC were thoroughly grilled by the Heritage Committee over the lock out, past decisions and their present and future plans for the CBC. Sadly, it would appear that the show we saw in the Heritage Committee was just that. Public anger at CBC management demanded a public spanking - but that's all it was. I've contacted the Clerk of the Committee twice, as well as MPs Sam Bulte and Charlie Angus to ask for a transcript of the October 27 meeting, and to ask about Mr. Angus' bill calling for Rabinovich's resignation. I have, to date, received no reply whatsoever to any of these requests. There is also nothing on the committee's web site that would indicate that there is anything further planned on the matter.

At this point I think it is safe to assume that for whatever reason, the matter has been dropped, that the committee has no plans to pursue the matter, would rather not be reminded of it, and with an election looming the whole thing will likely vanish in a puff of indifference.

I do not know what else to add. Unfortunately, it appears that a new improved CBC has no support in the current parliament.

The Future of Podcasting?

Amber MacArthur (of TechTV's Call for Help ), Mike Lazzazera, Brian McKechnie, and Jeff MacArthur bring you commandN - a weekly video webcast from Toronto about, appropriately, technology.

commandN is, as far as I know, Canada's first and only vidcast and they have a good head start. There are currently 21 episodes available on the commandN website. Whether or not technology is your thing, stop by and watch a few. This is surely a sign of things to come.

CBC content restrictions

Today I am going to be taking the CBC's pod-cast feeds out of the digests (the 'latest' pages). I considered putting CBC's news headlines in a corner of the page, but then I read the CBC's terms of use for it's RSS feeds and it appears I'm not allowed.

Many people have commented, before during and since the lockout that they wish the CBC would finally 'get it' with regard to podcasts and blogs, but the RSS terms of use make it clear that, at the decision making level, they don't really get the value of html and hyperlinks yet.

The Terms of Use reads in part:

ANY USE, REPRODUCTION, ALTERATION, MODIFICATION, PUBLIC PERFORMANCE OR DISPLAY, UPLOADING OR POSTING ONTO THE INTERNET, TRANSMISSION, REDISTRIBUTION OR OTHER EXPLOITATION OF THE CBC FEED OR OF ANY CBC FEED CONTENT, WHETHER IN WHOLE OR IN PART, OTHER THAN EXPRESSLY SET OUT HEREIN, IS PROHIBITED WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN PERMISSION OF CBC/Radio Canada. WITHOUT LIMITING THE GENERALITY OF THE RESTRICTIONS ABOVE, YOU SHALL NOT PROVIDE ACCESS TO THE CBC FEED OR FEED CONTENT FROM ANY MOBILE WIRELESS SERVICES OR ANY INTERACTIVE TELEVISION SERVICE.

Since placing these feeds on the publicbroadcasting.ca site would clearly constitute a "public performance or display, uploading or posting onto the internet, transmission, redistribution or other exploitation of the CBC feed or of any feed content whether in whole or in part" they obviously cannot be used.

The terms of use also contains this:

you will not do any promotion or advertising involving CBC/Radio-Canada, the CBC Feed or Feed Content without the prior written authorization of CBC/Radio-Canada;

Since displaying the feed on a web site would, in and of itself, be a promotion of the feed and feed content - it is clearly not allowed to be displayed.

The internet runs on links. Links are the reason that html (hyper text markup language) was developed in the first place. By putting these kinds of restrictions on the use of their RSS feeds the CBC is essentially saying that they don't want people just going willy nilly and promoting their content. It is not, after all, as if people would be stealing their content - merely providing summaries of their content; ads (in a way) for their content and people would have to go to the CBC's site to access that content.

I can understand the CBC being concerned about the alteration or theft of their content, but to restrict the promotion of their content - regardless of who is trying to promote it - is essentially the same as saying that 'our website doesn't need any more traffic, our radio doesn't need more listeners, our television doesn't need more viewers. This, generally, seems like an odd thing for a broadcaster, especially one that is concerned about it's finances, to say. But maybe that's just me.

If I'm wrong: If I'm not reading the terms of use properly, I'd be delighted if someone told me. Until then I'll separate links to the CBC's content from everything else until the rules change and hope that the CBC gets up to speed and learns what the internet is for at some point.

Michael Geist on the CBC

If you happened to miss Michael Geist's article on the CBC at Canada.com today you should go now and unmiss it. Geist is, according to his website , the Canada Research Chair in Internet & E-commerce Law, University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law and his article echoes much of what has been said, in various forums in discussing what the future of the CBC should look like.

I do not agree with him completely, but I rarely agree with anyone completely. For example:

While the 500-channel universe may have eroded the need for publicly funded programming choices,

is not really a statement that I can get behind. I think that the erosion of commercial funding is going to make publicly funded, or at least subsidised programming a necessity if Canada is going to have a voice in North America or the world.

But beyond that, Geist points out steps that the Norwegian, British, and Australian public broadcasters have taken to create a more user friendly, on demand, content rich, interactive public broadcasting experience. As you know if you've been reading this blog for any time at all, I'm all for that.

Public Broadcasting's new test kitchen?

I was reading Tod Maffin's post "Public radio should embrace technology. Or not" and the related articles. It occurs to me that podcasting and vidcasting (coming soon) can serve public broadcasting in, at least, two ways.

The first is obvious, it provides a means of reaching more eyes and ears. It allows people, as tivo and digital cable have done for television to watch or listen to the programs they like regardless of when those programs are scheduled to air. It allows people who do not live in Canada (whether they are Canadian or not) to have easy access to Canadian programming they like. In short it allows radio to adapt to listeners lives and schedules rather than the other way around.

The second, and perhaps most exciting for public broadcasting is that it allows for more content. Air time is expensive and is limited to 24 hours a day (per channel). Server space is cheap and virtually limitless. This means that programming, developed by broadcasters or independents can be tested and developed with a live audience. This is especially valuable to public broadcasters where a successful show is usually a result of creativity rather than special effects and star power (creativity costs way less). Because of the interactive nature of the internet audience feedback can be taken into consideration and kinks can be worked out before a show is brought to air, or brought to a broadcaster for a 'pitch'. It is even possible that shows can be brought to broadcasters with an established audience (which should help considerably with that pitch.)

There is no question of whether or not to accept new technology - if you are in the media you have to accept new technology, and asking whether broadcasters should serve their current, loyal audience or go after new ones is also a non-starter. Audiences are not static, ratings go up and down and this weeks mega-hit can be next weeks bomb. Broadcasters have to keep up with audiences and deliver quality programming to them, in the way they want it and now at the time, place and in the format they want it. New technology makes it considerably easier for broadcasters, especially public broadcasters, to determine these things.

What's Changed?

That's been a hot question for awhile, everyone knows that the CBC Lockout has changed things, but what has changed and how has been a question. The lockout allowed, or perhaps forced, CBC employees to explore new technologies. It also put a new twist on how you do a labour action. What has changed will be something that we can't answer definitively for years. It is likely that only looking back historically will anyone be able to say what changed. But, I think I've found one thing that you can say for sure that has changed and if you are a boss, an executive, a CEO, especially a secretive one, or one who enjoys power a bit too much this is going to be bad, bad news for you.

We've entered the age of public anonymity. With a few elementary precautions any of your employees, customers, clients, partners, fellow managers etc., can blog all over the internet and there will be no way to figure out who they are. Hotmail or any number of other places will let you set up an email account without giving any personal information, or at least they don't check to see if you are lying or not. Once you have an email account you have all you need to set up a blog, or two, or three from blogger or any number of other places.

With that done, people can say whatever they want and as long as they don't say anything that directly gives away who they are they can say whatever they want - attack management, second guess decisions, blow the whistle on questionable activities, etc., and there will be no way that anyone can ever prove who they are. Welcome to the new world.

Mid Stream on the Heritage Committee

Rabinovich is currently in the middle of being raked over the coals - there seems to be no support at all for his position on the Heritage Committee. It would appear that he is in serious trouble. I'll have more on all of this later, but I just wondered: Has anyone else noticed that some of Rabinovich's talking points seem to have come directly from the blogs? Which side of this was he on again?

Quiet Monday

Not much to say about anything today, I am currently working on the publicbroadcasting.ca site - combining the public broadcasters list with the internet radio list to make a single list that includes both web address' and links to internet radio by region so that you will have a few hundred channels and can take a virtual tour of Canadian public radio (CBC, university, community and other public radio) from your desk top. After that I'll work more on the pod-casting section.

More on funding

I think, in the case of the CBC, that parliament might want to consider a new classification; the Crown not for profit Corporation, although this should be applied to the CBC I think Parliament might find it useful in other areas as well in the future. The idea behind the Crown not for profit corporation would be that, obviously, it is expected to provide a service, but not to turn a profit - it would be subsidized by the government but would also be able to accept tax-deductible contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations.

It must also be made clear though that nothing is purchased with a donation. So, in the case of the CBC, a foundation could not say 'we've made significant contributions and now we demand air time'.

This would allow additional revenue to flow to the CBC, aside from the additional appropriations mentioned in my last post.

Suggestion #1: Funding

Just to throw it out there here is a proposal for the future of the CBC that primarily deals with the issues around funding, and also makes the CBC more regionally relevant.

First, we need to start with a pool of about 2.7 billion, or about 3 x the CBC's current government funding. Plus possibly some additional funds initially to help with the digital transition.

Where does all this cash come from? Well - Tea Makers once suggested

First off, broadcast licences are too cheap. They are the cheapest in western civilization. So that needs to be cranked up, and we'll take that extra money. We're going to gouge you guys on this, but you can afford it.

In return we're going to get out of the advertising game. That's about $400 million worth of ads we won't be running, and those clients will be coming to you. Play your cards right, and you'll do well.

So maybe that's part of the answer, maybe not - if the entire amount came from tax revenue it would raise the average Canadians monthly bill to 7.50 a month, which is still considerably less than what the average Brit pays for the BBC. So, once the money is there what does the average Canadian get for their $7.50?

1.5 billion (about what the CBC operates on now, including advertising) would go to the CBC National service. The CBC would continue to operate it's cable channels, but would turn over the main CBC broadcasting to regional branches.

1.2 billion would go to set up regional 'branches' of the CBC: semi-autonomous stations operating in each province. The provinces (who would largely control their regional 'branch' would have the option of adding additional funds and/or combining the efforts of the CBC with existing public broadcasters (such as TVO in Ontario and the Knowledge Network in B.C.). Additionally mechanisms would be set up to allow for private and foundation donations to provincial and national CBC operations.

The CBC would, in return for the additional funds and facilities, drop all advertising and all foreign content (with the exception of international news coverage), this means no more BBC series, no more BBC news, and no more American movies.

The provincial CBC branches would be run by boards of directors, appointed by provincial or territorial governments. The chair of each branch and a chairman appointed by the PM and ratified by the Heritage Committee would make up the National Board. The boards would, as they do now, hire management. If they happen to be reading this 10 years from now, I have one suggestion: It is easier to have a creative manager with a CFO to reign in their enthusiasm than it is to try to get a bureaucrat to think creatively.

Back to the subject at hand: The national CBC would make national programs and acquire programs for nationwide distribution, the provincial branches would make regional programming.With the exception of any programming mandated to be carried by the board, such as perhaps 'the National' or other programming deemed key to the overall brand, each regional branch would be able to build it's own schedule made up of it's own programming, programming created or acquired by the National CBC or programming created or by other provincial branches.

An afterthought

In addition I'd add this to the CBC's new mandate, if I was writing it - a minumum of 20 hours a week of purely instructional programming, this would be available to schools, or individuals who wanted to further their education without returning to school - via the internet, for free.

Topics might include such subjects as

Languages such as French, English or Mandarin

Basic Economics such as - primers on income tax, home budgeting and the stock market for beginners.

Canadian and World history primers

Backgrounders on political issues

Health and Wellness issues

etc.,

etc.,

Stations would be able to use these (and they could be either audio or video) on the air, or they could be downloaded (in the case of audio) in MP3 format or in video formats for cell phones etc., so that people could learn a language, or increase their knowledge on various issues while they commute, ride the street car, etc.,

Is there a future for the CBC?

This question came up over and over during the eight week lock out. Since the lock out ended though it seems to have almost completely gone away. Yes there is still a hearing coming up in which the Heritage Committee will question senior CBC executives but the question "Is there a future for the CBC" will not be answered in that hearing. Members of senior management will talk about the CBC, it's present status and their actions up to and during the lock out but nothing they say will answer the question about the future. The lock out may have brought some of these questions to the forefront, but it did not create the questions - they have been there for a long time.

The CBC has many challenges ahead. This is especially true for television but radio and the internet will have their challenges too. A way must be found for the CBC to become commercial free (or become just another broadcaster - without a mandate) and increase it's available funds at the same time. The CBC must find a way (in keeping with it's mandate) to acquire more Canadian content to replace the BBC (news, Coronation Street etc), American movies and other foreign content. The CBC must find a way to become more relevant and regional.

Technology, in all media, will present huge challenges as well: It won't be long before all content (radio, television, and internet) produced by anyone, anywhere in the world, ever - will be available on demand and commercial free, 24/7/365 to all consumers via their televisions, desk tops, lap tops, cell phones, and other devices and the CBC will have to compete for eyes and ears in this environment - with or without Government subsidies, but almost surely without ad revenue.

The CBC is currently locked in a cycle of diminishing revenue, downsizing, increased foreign content and labour disruptions and until some questions about the CBC's future are answered, until strategies are developed to meet the coming challenges and meet them in a way that makes the CBC more successful than it is now - the cycle is likely to continue.

It has been disappointing to see how little response there has been on publicbroadcasting.ca to any of this. Hopefully it will not take another crisis for people to begin talking about these issues. I don't know how many more of those the CBC can withstand.

Another Glimpse into the Crystal Ball

There has been some talk - not only recently but going back quite some time, about whether CBC should receive public funding, or whether they should be expected to survive in the commercial television universe. One of the problems with this, and another factor that Canadians and the CBC have to take into consideration in the years to come is that commercial television is nearly over. Already devices like TiVo allow users to skip commercials.

In the years to come 'convergence' will mean that any content - telephone, text, video, sound, etc., will be available on a variety of devices - cell phones, lap tops, televisions, desk tops ... the content will be delivered on demand and commercials will be optional. In some cases producers of content - television, film and music production companies will sell directly to consumers, in other cases it will be sold to distributors who will put it in bundles and sell those bundles to consumers.

In addition to the disappearance of ad revenue, broadcasters will say goodbye to most sports - there will be no reason for the NHL or CFL to use a 'middle man' when they can sell directly to consumers on a pay per view or 'season ticket' basis. Most big first run movies will also be distributed directly be the producer or distributor. Likewise, the BBC will have no need to sell programs to the CBC or anyone else when they can get more money by selling directly to consumers, or content companies (cable and satellite providers.)

For Canadian content the challenge will be that Canada will not be enough of a market, by itself, to pay for production. So, without subsidies Canadian content will also have to appeal to US, European or other foreign markets. CSI has done that successfully as have a few musical acts (Nickelback most recently) but, according to most, the reason for the success of these snipets of Canadian content is that no one outside of Canada knows that they are Canadian. Even if Canadians are content with content that gives no indication that it is Canadian, it does not solve the problem of local news, especially in markets where the local population does not financially justify anyone producing news for them.

The questions Canadians have to ask themselves is will they be satisfied with American and other foreign content alone? Or with Canadian content that pretends to be American in order to be financially viable? Will they be satisfied with CNN and Fox being their primary sources of news and information? If the answer to these questions is no then we are back to subsidized content - which begs it's own questions. If Canadian content is going to be subsidized so that Canadians can continue to tell their stories, without pretending to be American then would you like those subsidies to go to for profit corporations who have few if any rules about what they produce or to public broadcasters who have strict guidelines regarding the quality and substance of what is produced?

It is my belief that those who say that the CBC and other public broadcasters should lose all subsidies and simply compete with the commercial networks are really just trying to save a bit on their taxes and do not understand what is coming in terms of technology, or they do understand it and simply don't believe that Canadians have anything relevant to say.

On Not Writing for Television

I am not a television writer and don't pretend to be, but I'd like to pick up on something that Matt Watts talked about in his blog yesterday. Now, perhaps because I'm not a television writer I don't hate Lost. I actually think it's a pretty good show, but I do see Matt's point:


For instance, there's the hatch. It was found by complete accident (or was it?) and Locke and Boone spent the greater part of the first season, digging it up. Finally, they BLOW THE HATCH! Whoo-hoo, they go down the hatch but how are they going to deal with Hurley getting down there? He's too fat. And we can't have the characters going up and down that long shaft every week, SO.... There's a GIANT METAL DOOR.

It was easy to miss, because it was BEHIND A BUSH.


Many, ok most, successful television shows end up 'jumping the shark.' HBO seems to have worked their way around this to an extent by pulling the plug on shows after a reasonable amount of time and by not making as many episodes a season.

What I wonder is: When you sit down to write a new series, why don't you write a story - that is a single story with a beginning, a middle and an end. Next you figure out how many episodes you need to get from the beginning to the end. Shows would still have to be renewed season to season but it seems to me that if you know the story from the start, it is easier to stick to and tell that story and when the story is over it's over.

Shows wouldn't go on for MASH or Friends like runs but I think you'd end up with better shows, with no flashback shows, no christmas specials, in short no filler - in future when these were sold on DVD people would be more compelled to own the entire thing, because there is no filler - it's a single story.

Just a thought, as I said, it's not what I do.

That Lovin' Feeling.

I have not actually been back in the building yet, such is life as a casual. I have heard from the inside though that many are experiencing a sense of loss since the lock out ended. People are feeling that everything has returned to normal, that the sense of purpose and unity are gone or fading fast. I've also heard from a few that things aren't back to normal because they are not 'going the extra mile' anymore: no more overtime, postponing lunch etc.,

It doesn't need to be that way. The unity we had on the line can continue and in many ways the new mission is going to be more challenging than ending the lock out. A big part of the reason we were as successful as we were in fighting the lock out was that the public knew that what the CBC does is more than a job. It's a public service, an essential part of Canadiana: Telling Canada's stories, and bringing news and information about the world we live in to their televisions, radios and computer screens.

In order to accomplish that, to prove it a worthwhile task to the CBC's detractors, to win back the audience that was lost, and to build a stronger, healthier CBC to hand down to future generations we have to have unity, we have to have a sense of our mission, and we have to go the extra mile.

Whether you are one of the public faces or voices of the CBC, a reporter, producer, ap, technician, set builder, designer, fixer of broken things, a clerk, an accountant etc., etc., etc., we all have our roles to play in what goes out to the public. Try to keep the whole picture in mind as you work - both the big picture you see and hear on the air and the small picture of what everyone around you contributes to that big picture.

I know that everyone is very busy getting the ship righted and moving forward again, but maintaining our unity is a flexible exercise. Take a minute to go for a coffee with friends outside your department, take an evening on the weekend for a meetup at a local pub, take a few minutes in the evening to send emails to new friends just to say hi, there are also several ways to stay in touch through publicbroadcasting.ca and you can even do this anonymously if that suits you better.

Keep talking to friends, family and co-workers about the CBC, about it's future, about what changes can and should be made to make it better and stronger, about what changes we have to prepare for based on new technology and social change.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record; the battle was won but in many ways the war just got harder. What, after all, was the point of saving our jobs if we are just going to let the institution that provides those jobs and more importantly provides the Canadian public with a vital service continue to die a slow death taking those jobs and that service with it.

The unity and sense of purpose are still there, if you want them.

Off Topic: BC Teachers

Although, this blog is, has been and will be, primarily about Public Broadcasting: With the lock out just barely over and with there being an undeniable link between education and public broadcasting, I have to take a moment to send some love out to the British Columbia Teachers' Federation

During the CBC Lock Out I remember commenting on how good BC's labour laws were, because struck work is actually illegal there. But, when it comes to the teachers - when there was an impasse in contract talks, the BC Government simply drew up a contract on it's own and tried to impose it on the union. The Teachers have walked out in violation of a court order and risk large fines and even the possibility of arrest because of their actions. (And you thought we had tall odds.)

So, I completely retract everything I said about BC Labour Laws. Any province where an employer can force a unilaterally written contract on workers and then threaten them with arrest if they fail to comply, effectively has no labour laws.

If you are in BC contact your MLA if you are not in BC consider contacting B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell or Labour Minister Mike de Jong. I would also urge you to consider signing this letter in support of the Teachers.

PublicBroadcasting.ca is 'on the air'

Granted, it is a work in progress. It is likely to remain so for a long time to come. It is, after all, at it’s core, about evolution and change. So, rather than keep quietly adding bits and pieces I decided it was better to launch it on the day most of the CBC returned to work, and let it grow and change from there.

So, if you are a CBC worker, a CBC Manager, work for TVO or the Knowledge Network or another public broadcaster, college or community radio, are a student who hopes to one day work in public broadcasting, are a public broadcasting viewer, listener or surfer, are a blogger or podcaster etc., etc., in short if you want to see strong, vibrant, relevant, public broadcasting in Canada then you are the kind of person we are looking for to join the discussion at publicbroadcasting.ca - have a look around and see how you can contribute.

Building

After an 8 week lockout, CBC's negotiations team and upper management accomplished nothing that they could not have accomplished on August 14th. Regardless of whether you believe in the leadership of Rabinovich, Stursburg, Smith, & co., or not; One thing is undeniable, when the 'troops' loose faith in their 'leaders' it is easier to replace the generals than the entire army. So, it is my opinion that, for the good of the CBC and to improve it's chances going forward that CBC's top brass should go.

That said, while I understand the anger and resentment toward these people, there is something that I do not understand. Since the 'agreement in principle' was reached on October 3rd, anger at so called 'middle management' seems to have increased. I have heard of a few (only a few) instances where specific lower-level managers acted in ways that deserve such anger. For the most part I firmly believe that middle-management was, throughout this, kept in the dark about what was going on. They did not ask for a lockout, they were not consulted, and did not get a vote.

The CBC is in a critical phase, there is alot of damage to repair and I believe that anger and hostility toward front line supervisors and others in middle management is counterproductive. We will need the help of these people to right the ship. I would urge people who really, deeply believe in the CBC and it's mission to focus on the feelings of teamwork and solidarity that we have experienced these last 8 weeks and to try to share that with 'middle-management'. If that spirit becomes the dominant one inside the building the CBC can become stronger than it has ever been and we can, hopefully, avoid repeating the lock out come 2009.

A divided workplace will not improve the CBCs long term chances and the fate of the CBC is tied directly to the fate of the CMG and it's members. By all means, stay involved, urge Parliament to give the CBC stable and increased funding, urge them to insure the Board of Directors has the kind of people on it who can lead the CBC into a brighter future, urge the board to appoint the kind of leadership that can help build and nurture that future. Retain your anger at those responsible, hopefully they will be held accountable, but avoid misdirecting your anger at people who were not responsible.

Not over yet, by a long-shot

The lock out may be coming to a close, but the underlying causes of the lock-out remain. We need a better run, better funded, ideally commercial free, public broadcaster dedicated, almost exclusively if not entirely, to Canadian Content - Canadian national and regional news, arts and entertainment, comedy and drama - online, on tv and radio and on demand. The CBC needs to be more connected to and interactive with the public, the people who pay the taxes to fund the CBC and who will be asked to give even more.

Connections must be made with younger people and, I hope, that by going commercial free that the CBC can achieve that: People, especially younger people, are distrustful of corporations and government: If the CBC is ad free then we can present the company as free of corporate influence. If changes are made to CBCs funding structure and if provisions are put in place to preempt further labour conflicts (such as an automatic trip to binding arbitration if agreement cannot be reached within 14 days of the expiry of a contract) and if some type of parliamentary vetting process can be put in place for nominations to the board - such as public disclosure of their qualifications followed by ratification by parliament then the CBC can sell itself as free of direct Government influence. If the CBC is seen as independent of Government and corporations, and then presents a variety of views from a variety of people in a variety of locations then the CBC can be sold to a generation (actually a few generations now) of cynics as reliable.

As much conflict as there has been between CBC Management, the CMG and even members of parliament it is the Canadian people who own the CBC and they need to be reminded of that and given a product they can take great pride in owning and that they find useful to their daily lives - from coast to coast to coast and across the boundaries of age, region, gender, culture, religion, and politics.

The lockout is coming to a close, but the work is just beginning.

This blog is just not ending. I may not post as frequently for the next little while, I have work to do as the lockout ends, and PublicBroadcasting.ca is under heavy construction. But, here too - the battle is won, but the fight goes on.

Congratulations!

An agreement in principle has been reached between CMG and CBC management. I know it's not completely over yet, but before people begin to drift away and get back into work mode...

To the employees of the CBC and members of CMG - Congratulations! At first glance anyway, CMG appears to have won on every point (although I haven't heard anything re: layoff/recall yet) and Rabinovich & Co. are still expected to have to explain themselves to the Heritage Committee.

To all the people I've met, talked with and emailed since this started thanks for putting the silver lining to all of this: I've met and talked with alot of great people who I might otherwise never have encountered.

To all the bloggers and podcasters : You already know, but I'll say it anyway - you've rewritten the playbook for a labour dispute.

To all the viewers, listeners, organizations and other unions who have come out to support the CMG, your support is what turned the tide

To APS/Middle Management while I've heard a few stories about 'managers behaving badly' anyone with anything to answer for already knows. But generally what I want to say is peace you didn't cause it, you didn't have any of say in it, and CMG and APS are going to have to work hard and in concert to put CBC back together.

As for me , personally, it's back to my normal state of limbo. I haven't heard how/if this impacts casuals, but my guess is 'not much' and that there will again be many weeks where my CBC pay doesn't equal the strike pay I'm getting now. If anyone has a better alternative to this I'm all ears.

PublicBroadcasting.ca is still going ahead, the account hasn't been activated yet, but if you're interested in contributing anything, or have suggestions (even if you don't have the time/inclination to work on it yourself) let me know.

PublicBroadcasting.ca

This blog is moving. I have registered publicbroadcasting.ca and have found a host for it. There is no hard and fast deadline yet, but it will be a matter of days, rather than weeks or months before it is publicly launched. I do not plan on being the sole contributor to it though. I hope that this site will become many things.

First and foremost it will be an advocate for public broadcasting in Canada - not just the CBC but all public broadcasters. It is not the intent to undercut Our Public Airwaves or Friends or Canadian Broadcasting but to promote them.

The site will monitor news related to public broadcasting and advocate for better managed, better funded, more representative and regional Canadian Public Broadcasters as well as advocate for the ideal of public broadcasting and the promotion of Canadian content and Canadian culture.

The site will also be a of a broadcaster or sorts, actually more of a narrowcaster, in and of itself. PublicBroadcasting.ca will host and link to blogs and other writing, podcasts, video, and even music that meets the criteria of 'about Canadians, by Canadians, for Canadians'. The contributors to this can be in public broadcasting, students hoping to one day be in public broadcasting or they can be people operating independently who are, in their own way, doing public broadcasting. This content does not have to be 'about' public broadcasting, just about Canadians and can fall into the categories of News and editorial, Arts and Entertainment, culture, etc., So long as it does not go AGAINST the basic principle of advocating for public broadcasting.

Contributors can also, if there is a need, publish anonymously or under a pen name. Content will only be rejected if it violates the basic spirit with which it is constructed, or because of space concerns, (although there is a great amount of space to start with so this is not currently an issue) or because of legal concerns.

One other thing the site can and will do is host listservs and other forums and anyone who wants/needs one will be able to sign up for a @publicbroadcasting.ca email account that can be accessed through your computer's email program (outlook, Mac Mail etc) or via the web from anywhere.

When the CBC Lockout occured there was a great amount of confusion. People lost the use of their cell phones, their CBC.CA email accounts, and scrambled to find each other again and to organize themselves to resist the attack by management on Canada's national public broadcaster. Should this situation ever arise again there will be no confusion, the employees of the CBC and their supporters will be in contact and organized to fight back from the moment they are escorted from the building.

There is no intention, at this point, to involve money in this. The hosting so far comes to very little, if demand for bandwidth becomes too great or if it should reach the point where it needs a real (full time, non-volunteer) staff to maintain the site then finance will obviously need to be explored but, that's not an issue at the moment.

If you would like to be involved in any way, if you have any suggestions, feedback, questions etc., please leave comments below or contact me here: contact@justinbeach.com . Otherwise, stay tuned for updates.

CBCUnlocked not locking up.

Contrary to the rumors there is currently no plan to fold up CBCUnlocked. From a reliable source

the CBCUnlocked crew is still going strong, despite talk of folding our laptops for good today, Friday. We are gearing up for a "The Puck Stops Here" all-hockey blowout in time for Wednesdays NHL season opener. Tom Harrington is our Editor-in-Chief. Submissions welcome!

Meet Up pt. 2

Last night's meet up was not quite what I expected. There were too many people, spread over too large an area to have a single conversation. However, in smaller groups, we did stick to the proposed topic(s). I also understand, though not from Tod himself, that there was some hostility to the idea of recording the conversation on how to apply what we've learned outside to build a better CBC and giving it to management.

I find it very unfortunate that this did not happen. It's something that I think many in management need to hear. The argument, apparently, was that as long as we're locked out we shouldn't do anything to help them. I understand people's feelings on this but at the same time; while we may be in a state of mutiny right now, we do not want to sink the ship. If the CBC goes down, we all go with it.

At any rate, while it was not a single conversation there seemed to be consensus on several points (at least amoung those I talked to.)

1) Blogging and podcasting are here to stay and video podcasting is coming. There are already cell phones and iPod like devices that handle video, and there will be more. Long before most people have a HD television, most (or at least a great many) will have mobile devices that handle phone calls, email, play music and video files.

2) Once this lockout is over CBC's lawyers need to spend the next 16 months on internet clearances for all of CBC's content - in short everything we still have copies of radio and television inclusive.

3) The CBC will have to start producing alot more content, though as the lockout has shown this need not be terribly expensive.

While the traditional radio, television and cbc.ca audiences will still be there (assuming we can get them back), in the year 2012 a good part of our audience may work something like this:

Joe gets on the commuter train, he sits down, flips open his phone and checks his email where he also gets the latest headlines from CBC.ca, he watches last nights National on the screen. Joe skips over the ads with the press of a button. (say goodbye to most ad revenue). When a story appears about wildfires in BC Joe is interested because he is on his way to the airport to board a plane to BC so he clicks on a link on his screen and goes to the blog or podcast from the reporter covering the BC fires to get the latest update. The toddler next to Joe is restless so he then switches his phone/tv over to CBCKids to appease the toddler so that he can take a nap before he gets to the airport. On the plane Joe has to close his internet connection, so he listens to his favorite CBC radio shows (which he archived to the MP3 player the night before). He also might watch some episodes of This Hour has 22 minutes which he pulled from the archives.

This is not science fiction, it is going to happen, and it likely will happen before 2012. If you don't believe me, have a look at the MIT Oxygen Project . Everyone ready?

Security AND Flexibility?

I'm sure better, and more legalistic minds than mine are working on all of the issues surrounding the new contract but, just to throw out some food for thought what if - current staff remained as it was and new hires worked like this:

The first year is probationary, you can be let go for any reason during the first year, call it a no-fault trial run.

After the first year you become staff, but it doesn't mean forever: You work on 5 year contracts, during that five years there are peer reviews (under a system instituted by management) and supervisor reviews. Every 5 years someone (preferably a panel) sits down with accumulated (anonymous) peer reviews, as well as manager/supervisor reviews and based on those alone decides whether to renew you or not. 5 years worth of accumulated reviews averaged out should rule out your being dismissed based on - discrimination, bad chemistry with a single person (or a few), any temporary rough patches in your life, etc. Continual bad scores on these assessments are the only reason you can be denied renewal.

Additionally each year you are required to attend, for example, 25 (minimum) and 50 (maximum) hours of skills training, this is counted as work time and paid for by the corp. What skills you work on is established by conversations between the employee, their supervisor and human resources and are based, in part, on the assessed future needs of the corporation. This should insure that the current workforce is sufficiently skilled and flexible to meet the future needs of the CBC, even if the role they are currently employed in should become redundant or obsolete and will provide an opportunity for workers to expand their skill set and take on new challenges.

Despite the 5 year 'contract' these employees are treated as 'staff' with full pension and benefits.

Democracy Inaction

Since all of this began, I have heard a great many complaints - about the CBC, the Government, and even the CMG (though I won't name names of give quotes). I would just like to point out, to the members of CMG, that all of these things belong to you. The CMG belongs in total to you and the Government and the CBC belong to you as much as they belong to any other Canadian.

If you are unhappy with the Guild, talk to your union reps, go to Guild meetings, vote in guild elections and if you can't find a candidate you like in the Guild elections, run yourself. If you are unhappy with the Government, or the way the CBC is being run, write to, call, go out and meet your MP, the Heritage Minister or whoever it is that you are unhappy with. Tell your friends, family, neighbors, the people at your class reunion - or whoever else you can find and have them do the same.

Ask them to appoint people to the board with a history in and demonstrated dedication to public broadcasting, ask the board to appoint the same kind of people to management positions. Ask the Government to fund the CBC in proportion to it's importance to Canadian culture.

In short, if your level of involvement consists of complaining to your spouse, partner, parents, coworkers, cat etc., nothing will happen. People cannot represent your views if they do not know your views. It can be alot of work making your views known, you have to decide if the amount of grief caused by not having your views represented is worth the work involved.

I'll try again

I had thought that I would comment on the new Management offer but got bogged down with updates to the CMGToronto Photo Gallery and, sadly, the Fond Farewell page. Then, no sooner had I finished that than the offer was unceremoniously shot down So, now that we're back where we started, I'll comment on something else I've been thinking about in a bit.

More guarded optimism

Again, It may be undue optimism but it sounds as if Fontana has given the negotiators something like a 48 hour deadline to get a deal done. I don't know how realistic that time frame is after 16 months of failing to negotiate, but even if they exceed that time limit somewhat I can't help but feel that a deal is approaching. The alternative would likely be binding arbitration and I don't think that either side really wants that.

Much has also been made today of Rabinovich's refusal to participate in the negotiations and so I need to chime in briefly. The entire issue of 'contract vs. staff' was supposed to be part of Rabinovich's vision for the future of the CBC, but since this started he has been absent. He has made no attempt to get the people he locked out, managers inside the building (or so I've heard) or the Canadian public to understand this vision, understand what it is or given us any reason to buy into it. He has made few public comments at all about the situation, he has completely ignored calls for his resignation from outside and inside the CBC and now he has refused to be a part of the negotiations or to have further meetings with the Minister of Labour. I can only assume that Rabinovich does not feel that he has a stake in any of this, which would lead me to believe that a resignation is coming at some point after the doors are open.

Once a deal is actually done there is still one more major hurdle to overcome and that is ratification. I don't think, after everything that has happened, that anyone is in a mood to simply rubber stamp anything that comes out of negotiations. That said, and again this may be overly optimistic, I can't help but feel that the negotiators are aware of that and won't come back with something that is going to be voted down.

Once that is done, the real challenge begins. CMG's membership, whether they wholeheartedly support the union or not, has pulled together admirably, supported each other selflessly, and shown amazing initiative, creativity, determination and resourcefulness during the lockout. People in locations, urban and rural from one end of Canada to another have shown amazing dedication to their co-workers and to the mission and mandate of the CBC.

Once the doors are open, we must find a way to bring that same energy inside and, without skipping a beat, put it to work for the Canadian people with the full resources of the CBC. I'm not, in any way, trying to imply that people at the CBC don't normally work hard but, in the case of the lock out, most of the damage was done long before August 15. We cannot be caught sleeping again. We have to monitor and have an opinion, at times a vocal one, about board appointments and managerial hirings. We must get the MPs who supported CMG during the lockout, and some who were reluctant to get involved to push for a better, and stable, funding model for the CBC.

We have to connect with our audience in a way that not only brings back the viewers we had before the lockout, but that brings in new ones, and earns their loyalty, trust and respect. I think that part of this involves talking with and not simply to the audience (just one small lesson from the lockout.) I am only a 'casual' and I don't have, or pretend to have all of the answers, I don't know the ingredients of the magic formula, but I do know that in spite of the hardships that what has happened 'on the line' has at times been nothing less than magical - and the CBC, now damaged and abandoned by many could use some magic.

I'll be posting some more thoughts on this later on the CBC Renewal discussion group (and yes I probably will keep plugging it) and still more after Thursday's meetup (which is like a meeting, but with beer, wine and food) "From Blogs to Podcasts: Technology and the Future of the CBC."

Guarded optimism and New Beginnings

I honestly don't know if we are near the end of the lock out or not. The pressure surely is increasing on both sides to reach a settlement. I won't rehash all of the events in and around Parliament today, those have all been pretty thoroughly blogged and guessed about elsewhere. I will add that it appears that there may be an emergency debate in the house of commons as early as tomorrow. It appears that it is being pushed for by members of both the Liberal and NDP party. I do not have many details at this point but if you are interested in what I do know, please drop me an email .

Parliament aside for the moment, I have started to consider what happens after the lockout on a much more regular basis. This is due, in part, to Tod Maffin's planned get together on Thursday which should be very interesting. It is due, in part, to not knowing if I will be able to return to the CBC. But, beyond those things I picture what I see happening when the lockout is over - lingering tension and hostility between some in management and staff which could create an unproductive and uncomfortable environment. I also picture what needs to be done when this is over, which is alot of teamwork, brainstorming, hard work to recapture CBC's lost audience and make the CBC even stronger than before.

The Lockout Yahoo group I created on September second has served it's purpose well in the sharing of resources and information. But, it was always fated to be short term in nature, one day the lockout will end and then there are real challenges ahead - in many ways challenges greater than the lockout itself. To this end, I am going to attempt to do it again.

CBC Renewal

The purpose of this group is to monitor and comment on the politics surrounding the CBC, including financing, appointments to the board, appointments to senior management by the board, and other issues involving the present and future of the CBC.

Additionally, it is to share information, resources, knowledge and ideas on how to make the CBC better, stronger, and more relevant and dedicated to its mandate than ever before.

It is hoped that improved communication can help to avoid future labour disputes as well as prevent questions about whether or not the CBC is needed and wanted in Canada. To help insure free and open communication, this group is being established outside the control of the CBC itself. Anyone who wishes to participate is welcome.

The purpose of the new group is not to discuss the lockout itself, to keep score on the lockout, or to vent lingering resentment. It is for people, whoever they are, who want a better, stronger, CBC and anyone who is interested in building that is welcome. If you are interested go here.

Divination

I don't know what the future holds for me personally. There are no guarantees whatsoever that when the lockout is over that I will be going back. I am, as I've said, a casual and had no guarantees at the best of times.

I think though that once all of this will over, it will be one of the scariest and most exciting times in CBC history, certainly recent history. The CBC is going to have to come back better and stronger than ever. It's staffers are going to have to be creative and inventive and someone is going to have to figure out how, and why blogs, podcasts, streaming media and other low/no cost technology have helped in making the lockout one of the highest rated and most talked about events in recent CBC history.

To this end, Tod Maffin is organizing a meet up at Casey's on Front Street in Toronto this Thursday to discuss technology and the future of the CBC and such topics as

Should our shows have their own blog?
Should hosts directly post on them?
How do we interactively dialogue with our audience (i.e. not talkback)
Should reporters blog in the field?
Should we be using information from external blogs on air?
How do we journalistically verify photos sent from cameraphones?

I think all of this is interesting and worth discussing, and I have some other ideas as well, I think that non journalists and non hosts have a role to play in all of this as well, but before Thursday I would like to hear from as many people as possible. If you can't be there on Thursday but have some ideas about these topics, please send them along and I'll bring your comments with me.

Feel free to use the comments section of this blog or contact me at contact@justinbeach.com.

P.S. If there are typos in here, and it seems shorter than it needs to be please accept my apologies - I have an accidental disagreement with some glass and the bandages on my hand are negatively impacting my typing skills.

-J

Grit's Step Up!

Who would have thought that Ottawa might get involved?Not me. As recently as yesterday I was predicting finger pointing and big words but little action out of Ottawa. But it appears that Labour Minister Joe Fontana is going to make Rabinovich and Amber an offer they can't refuse. His office has said as much: According to Fontana spokesperson Peter Graham ""I don't think this is an invitation either of them can turn down,"

Then this afternoon . Sam Bulte was out , Bulte, parliamentary secretary to Canadian Heritage Minister Liza Frulla. said

"We need you," Bulte told locked-out CBC employees on the picket line in Toronto. "You are the strongest cultural institution that we have. Without you we are not a country. "[The federal government] will do everything it can to build the CBC back because that's what we need for this country."

Bulte's full comments can be heard on CBCUnplugged, (Thanks Tod.)

Come what may on Monday, we can at least go into the weekend, and start week 7 on a positive note. Deep breath everyone - it's not over, but it's different!

A Clue

According to Tod at CBCUnplugged

CMG negotiator Arnold Amber has told picketers gathered in Simcoe Park that CBC negotiators were "pissed off" that the Guild presented a settlement offer. Arnold also says CBC management requested that the Guild not post
details of the settlement publicly on its web site. Discussions continue today.

The CMG extended an olive branch and CBC negotiators were 'pissed off' and asked them to keep it a secret. I think it's time for CBC negotiators to face a few realities.

1) This battle is being fought very publicly, virtually every detail is out there somewhere, in case the negotiators haven't had time to check the internet is overflowing with web sites, blogs, and more dedicated to this conflict. Every detail and possibility is examined, debated, contemplated, and reviewed for the world to see.

2) The Guild and the members feeding content to these sites need and demand information so it's fairly (but not completely) safe to say that there will be no media blackout or anything of the sort.

3) Once an agreement is finally reached, in whatever time exists between the release of that agreement and the vote, the agreement will be placed online, read, reviewed, dissected, analyzed, scrutinized, compared to other labour agreements (CBC and otherwise) by the members of CMG and other unions, all quite publicly, and then there will be a vote. None of it will be secret, nothing is going to be 'snuck in' the fine print will be scrutinized closely.

This is not other labour disputes, it is this one and in this one the rules have changed.

CMG extends olive branch

The lockout of CBC employees, now in it's 6th week, has been a disaster for management. From a long term management perspective it made about as much sense as George Bush deciding to invade Wisconsin and since day 1 management has lost the, very public, argument.

"The CBC's current paralysis has displayed to the whole country a profound management ineptitude of which the industry at large has been aware for a long time." - former CBC chairman Patrick Watson

"In the public-relations and psychological war that is the CBC lockout, the locked-out workers are winning, hands-down. ... The lockout has also had one unexpected result. Far from being fatigued by the lockout or engaging in in-fighting, the workers have been galvanized." - John Doyle, Globe and Mail

CBC management has slick websites, expensive advertising campaigns and a national network of TV and radio stations to tell the public why they locked out their employees. But they are getting stomped in the public relations war by a handful of computers, a few digital cameras and some cheap recording equipment. - Lou Arab, Rabble.ca

The list could go on forever. Now, despite the boards decision to ignore the situation, and ahead of next week's start of parliament (where Rabinovich & Co. would undoubtedly take a daily poinding in question period), the CMG has offered CBC Management a pre-packaged exit strategy. Today the CMG placed on the table a comprehensive offer on outstanding issues that delivers the flexibility that management needs (if less than it's asking for) while protecting current staff, freelancers and contract employees.

For a breif summary of the offer go here or here for the full text of the offer.

All management now has to do, is accept or accept with minor modifications the offer and the 5,500 CMG members who have been walking in circles for 6 weeks can come back inside, roll up their sleeves and try to repair the damage done by upper management's 'vision'.

Board: Everything's Swell

After their first meeting since the lockout began, the CBC Board of Directors released a statement today that seems to say - all is well.

On CBC's Audience:

we thank CBC/Radio-Canada listeners and viewers for their support
of the Corporation's creative talent and its programs. We are inspired by the
personal messages of the importance of public broadcasting to Canadians, and
we will do our best to keep faith with them.

On CBC Management:

we believe management's proposals are reasonable and prudent,
given the reality of our funding expectations.

and

We want to pay tribute to the President of the CBC/Radio-Canada, Robert
Rabinovitch, for his commitment to public broadcasting. We fully support the
strategic vision of his management team.

On the locked out workers:

We also want to pay tribute to the talent, skills and hard work of the
CMG members. They have produced work that is part of Canada's national
treasure. We look forward to welcoming them back to the jobs they do so well.

So, not to worry folks - the Board is responsible for the survival and health of the CBC and they seem to believe that everything is peachy.

One hopeful note though: Based on comments on another blog: If, as management insists only 5% of CBC employees are non-permanent (as opposed to the CMG number of 30%) perhaps this can all be ended with the following proposal - In exchange for consessions on other outstanding issues, the CMG could allow a full 10% of CBC to be other than full time permanent. (That's twice as flexible as before.)

Scattered

I'm feeling a bit scattered tonight, so forgive me if I ramble. I'm somewhat involved in many projects at the moment and many thoughts are racing through my head, some of which are somewhat related to those projects I mentioned.

I don't know what, if anything is about to happen, but I cannot help the feeling that somewhere wheels are turning (albeit a bit rustily). In Ottawa Parliament is about to resume and several MPs are making general unhappy noises about the lockout. In Montreal in a super secret bunker , shielded from high level radiation and Lise Lareau the CBC Board of Directors is meeting and at a hotel in downtown Toronto CMG and CBC negotiator tentatively agreed on pizza for dinner until the CBC side left to make a phone call and came back claiming lactose intolerance.

As I said, I have no idea what will come of it all, but I'm sure - given the public outcry - that if nothing else, Parliament will deal with the situation (right after softwood lumber and marijuana decriminilization).

Roncesvalles

No big news or immitations of profound insights tonight. But I would like to take a moment to congradulate the folks who braved the Roncesvalles Polish Festival this weekend.

From Susan Mahoney:

A group of locked-out CBC workers set up an information table at the annual street fair on Roncesvalles Avenue in Toronto's Parkdale-High Park riding. We felt it was a very successful activity. We collected hundreds of signatures on postcards to the prime minister, and on a petition to be presented in the House. It was also very heartening to hear from so many listeners and viewers who really miss our services.

Also, because it was a community event, we were able to connect with our MP, Sarmite Bulte. Ms. Bulte is parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage. She has been very active making telephone calls to the Minister of Labour and members of the CBC board of directors, and says she will do what she can to get us back to work as soon as possible.

Also, for anyone who hasn't done so, snag the Barenaked Ladies live track from cbcunplugged.com - it's definitely something worth holding on to.

Where we're at

CMG and CBC Management have apparently knocked out knocked out a few more minor issues at the table. Unfortunately there seems to be little progress on the major issues of contracting out, and perma-temp jobs. Until there is progress on these issues, there really isn't progress. The rest, I believe, could have been resolved without a work stoppage.

It is also now evident, to me at least, that there is no event which will cause management to back down. Hurricane Katrina has come and gone, the Terry Fox 25th Anniversary has come and gone, CBC has decided not to cover the Governor General's nomination, the fall season has launched, and it appears unlikely that hockey will start without workers in the building. I no longer believe that even an election or the Olympics will end this.

Upper management evidently does not understand public broadcasting in general, and therefore do not understand it's mandate. They appear willing to allow the CBC to die a quick brutal death if they are not allowed to proceed with their plans to kill it slowly.

So, what do we (meaning both CMG and the supporters of public broadcasting) do about it ? Well, I'm only one person and this is only my opinion but first, focus on those who can do something about it. Namely Parliament since they ultimately control the purse strings and the very existence of the CBC, the CBC's Board of Directors since they are responsible for hiring or removing management and will, should the CBC fail, be ultimately responsible and Rabinovich's inner circle. These are the people who can actually do something, they are the only ones worth fighting.

Those of you who are spending your time taking pot shots at others are not really helping anything. Most middle managers, and generally those outside the inner circle may not agree with CMG about everything, but I believe that most of them do not support Rabinovich's plan to kill the CBC either. Most of them, from what I've gathered and heard from them directly do understand and believe in public broadcasting and the people who make public broadcasting happen.

The other thing that I think needs to start happening is: We need to start at least contemplating revenue streams and names without CBC references for webcasting, online news and other projects. It's possible that without some kind of intervention that the "CBC" or at least a national public broadcaster in some form will have to be rebuilt without the buildings and without the CBC's other current assets and revenue.

Is this all very pessimistic? Yes. Is it realistic? Who knows, maybe it's just my mood today. But, I believe it's time to add 'hope for the best, plan for the worst' to the playbook.

Escalation

So the Terry Fox event in Newfoundland is cancelled, management's press release , which the media seem to be ignoring so far, alleges that

It has become clear that the CMG would require children participating in the events on Signal Hill to cross a picket line.

In fact it was adults - technicians hired to do the event, that wouldn't cross the line. No one had any intention of interfering with the event itself, only it's broadcast. There are children in and around the Toronto picket lines on a regular basis and as far as I know, none of them are scarred for life. There was never any intention to do anything but stand aside as the children came through and CBC Management is well aware of this. If people actually pick up this press release and do anything with it, they may win a short term pr victory, but as I've said before Sun Tzu they aint.

At the same time CBC Management whines about slow progress, they escalate the battle of words. It is apparently now fair game to, essentially, lie to score points. So, if the guild now turns around and says that Management's sole purpose in locking the doors was to try to starve the children of CBC employees, and cost people their mortgages, that would, according to management's new rules, be fair game. What a truly shrewd way to expedite negotiations. Apparently when CBC News covered the Daulton McGuinty 'evil reptilian kitten eater' fiasco Management wasn't watching.

Sorry for the rant. In happier news, Michael Moore has weighed in.

Looking Forward

I've been looking long and hard for the bright spots in this, I know that they are few and far between, but there have to be some (even if they are very small) right? For example, we're getting lots of exercise, I've met alot of people I wouldn't have otherwise, that has to be a good thing right? I'm talking with CMG people across the country, (largely via email but still) not a bad thing. I've certainly learned alot, about CMG, the CBC, labour issues (ours and others), and, of course, blisters - Tessa has some good info on this.

I also think there is the potential for one more bright spot. Whether they love the CBC or hate the CBC, we have alot of people's attention. Many have been reminded of just how much they do want and need the CBC and these blogs have generated an enormous amount of attention from people who really want to know what's going on.

So my question is, what if it didn't stop. I mean when it's all over. Obviously we'd stop the picketing, and the politicking, and probably the podcasts too - or at least most of them. But what if all the blogs kept going, giving people the inside story on the CBC and what is happening in the buildings. I don't mean trade secrets, or stories that are about to break, but just the day to day, what kind of things you're working on. How things are going on the inside. What your job is like and how it's going. How your daily life is as a CBC employee. Apparently people are genuinely interested in this, and I think they might be when it's all over too.

Perhaps it would help put a human face to the 'corpse', and build some public support. It could be a good way to interact with the general public and hear their ideas, and concerns. I'd genuinely like to know what people think about this, especially if you are not CMG and are a listener or viewer. If you don't feel like posting a comment. Please email me

A few thoughts for the day

First, as I said on @Lagerheads today. I have heard tons of rumors about when this is going to be over. I'd like to point out that the people on the line have no way of knowing when it will be over. No one on the line can simply say 'today it's over' so, if that is the source of a rumor, it's not true. Lower level managers, inside the building(s) have no more control over it than you or I do, so if that is the source of your rumor, it's wrong. Upper management and the CMG and their various negotiating teams are negotiating, they can't control how the other side negotiates and so - they can't really say on what day the negotiations will be over, so if that's the source of your rumor, it's wrong. I suppose it's possible that CMG or Management have a date by which it 'must be over' but I doubt it, I think they are waiting to see how things go - in negotiations and outside and whatever they come up with still has to be ratified by the membership (that's us.) so if that's the source of your rumor it's wrong. No one, and I mean no one, knows when this will all end. Everyone can guess, but their guess is likely no better than yours or mine. All of the rumors are just wishful (or pessimistic) thinking. It will be over one day, but until there is an official announcement from the negotiators don't get your hopes up every time someone says - 'I heard that it's going to be over _________' because in truth, they don't know. I'm not trying to be pessimistic, or dash anyone's hopes, but I don't see how the source of any of these rumors would know and I don't want to see people continually dissapointed.

Second, I've heard comments from several journalists that they are uncomfotable being very out front on this because they need to remain impartial and will have to cover labour actions again in the future. That is, to an extent, understandable. But, it seems that when labour actions do occur it is frequently only covered as a business story. Sometimes, if it is a public sector strike (teachers, bus drivers, medical workers etc.) the impact on the public is covered. What is rarely covered is the impact on the workers, the reality of weeks and sometimes months without a paycheque, or benefeits. I hope, while retaining impartiality, that this aspect of strikes and lockouts gets a little more attention in the future.

The Perma-Temp Issue

First of all I would like to congratulate and thank the Society for Energy Professionals who have stood with CMG since the beginning of the lockout. In case you haven't heard, after 105 days (15 weeks in case you don't want to do the math) on the line their case was referred to binding arbitration today The CMG isn't the only union facing issues such as outsourcing and perma-temp work ('job is temporary and may remain temporary based on our whims'). Perhaps one of the silver linings of all of this is that with the publicity generated by the CBC lockout, perhaps more Canadians will become aware of the situation. To me this is as an important an issue for Canadians as the future of health care and the CBC itself. It is also, when it's boiled down, one of the things that separates Canada from the United States.

As those of you who know me know, I am an expat, having immigrated to Canada from the US in 2002. The primary reason for the move was that my wife is from here and wanted to come home. But, I had no serious objections. I never got being an American. US culture simply made no sense to me. There are a great many things that separate Canadian and US culture beyond health care and guns.

Now, I hope everyone will forgive the following generalities. No one can say anything is absolutely true about an entire group of people. The following is based on my experiences and observations.

The US is, I think most will agree, in a decline. It has not been helped by 9-11 or hurricane Katrina, but neither of those is the cause of it's problems. Americans in my experience (or at least too many of them) seem to have stopped seeing others as their responsibility, and seem to have lost any sense of the broader societal impact when others suffer. They seem obsessed with personal short term gain at the expense of everything else.

One of the root problems, in my mind, is the near abandonment of the education system, another is obviously health care, but the one I'd like to focus on is Reaganomics. Since the election of Ronald Reagan and the rise of the neo-cons American jobs have been outsourced, downsized, off-shored and perma-temped.

As a result they work hard, they are driven to try to achieve unrealistic expectations so that they won't be downsized, outsourced etc., in the next round. They move, and expect to move, frequently because they have to follow the job market wherever it leads. This has meant the breakdown of extended families as family members move to the farthest reaches of the country following whatever career path they are on. I have seen it, in several cases, result in the breakdown of immediate families (divorces and separations) when spouses are unable to reconcile their particular career paths. It has meant the breakdown of communities and neighborhoods. When no one plans on living in a particular place for very long and everyone works extended hours and/or commutes great distances there is little inclination or opportunity to get to know your neighbors or get involved in your community. To the contrary, people, living in a community of strangers tend to become isolated and are prone to the culture of fear that Michael Moore described so eloquently in 'Bowling for Columbine.' Far from banding together to take back their neighborhoods and stand up against the decline of their society, they throw up walls, and become more defensive and conservative for fear of losing even more.

I hope this is not what Canadians want. I do not think it is what Canadians want, but in this case the long-term consequences of the erosion of decent, secure jobs are not easy to see. Corporate spokespeople make it sound necessary. They use terms like 'efficiency', 'competitiveness' and 'flexibility.' In other words a short sighted attempt to improve the bottom line at the expense of the society that supports that bottom line in the first place. It is 'what's good for me, personally, right now' as opposed to 'what's good for everyone in the long term'.

It is true that permanent, secure, well paid workforce with benefits may be more expensive. It may mean that Canada loses out on a factory now and then. It may mean that the cost of some products is slightly higher, and/or that the government may not be able to cut taxes as swiftly or as deeply. But, the question Canadians must answer, after carefully weighing the pros and cons of each side is 'what kind of country, province, city, neighborhood and household do I want my family to live in?' As I said earlier, the CBC is just one example, the Society for Energy Professionals is another example, there are countless examples and governments, politicians, corporations and individuals are going to have to decide which side of the fence they are on.

Worth the Money?

It's amazing to me that people would even question whether the CBC is worth the money. I think, as an institution, a provider of information and Canadian entertainment the CBC is worth far more than what it gets. It is interesting to me that the people who bash the CBC and question whether or not it's worth the money do not question the tax money that goes to say... CTV, City, Global, Alliance Atlantis, Warner Brothers, Universal, Fox, and countless others.

I've listened to Hollywood producers rattle off lists of what is required ( % that must be shot in Canada, % of cast and crew that must be Canadian etc., in order for them to get money from Telefilm. So, the reality is that everyone - every major film studio (inside and outside Canada) and many independents as well as most, if not all, of the privately owned television stations, and television production companies in Canada get 'tax money'. The difference is that CBC has a mandate to provide quality reliable programming as a public service and that, being publicly owned, the tax money that the CBC gets does not go into the pockets of people who are already very wealthy. Everything is spent on operations, acquisition and production.

Just a little reality check. Now, before you start going after Telefilm and the Heritage Department, which has many other subsidy programs for the arts; I would point out that, relative to its population, Canada has an unusually large number of internationally known actors, recording artists, comedians, authors, film makers, etc., I believe that it is in part because of these program, and in many cases thanks to CBC that this is true and I believe it's worth every penny.

In other news, a document has surfaced that was produced in 1996 by the Cable Television Ass'n - which was headed at the time by Richard Stursburg. Please see Robin Rowland's Blog for details - this is the must read of the day.

Also, a TTFN to Ouimet who is departing for the time being saying "It's a long, strange story and kind of hard to explain. " but is also encouraging others in the building to take over.

If you have some extra time, pay a visit to Conway who is filling in for 'Locked Out Employee 100000223' while she takes a long weekend. You might also want to say hello to I Said Walk in Windsor, who is has recently taken up blogging.

Finally, just as a reminder, for anyone who doesn't know there is a yahoo group for locked out CBC employees and their supporters at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cbclockout/ .