Torch Passes to CBC Unplugged

In Knolton Nash's 'Don't You Guys Realize what's at stake' (From the Globe and Mail, August 24) Nash states: "The CBC was the dream of the visionary founders of public broadcasting in Canada such as Graham Spry and Alan Plaunt in the 1930s. They wanted a CBC that told our stories and strengthened our sense of nationhood. It was to be a fundamental building block for a united, thriving, self-aware Canada. All this, it was dreamt, to be produced by idealistic creators more missionary than businesslike..."

If this is the case. If the CBC is a dream; more of an idea than a building, or a corporation then the torch for that idea has certainly passed to CBCUnplugged.com. While the Corp, those who control the keys to the building and the budget air reruns and news imported from abroad, the people at Unplugged (which is still in it's embryonic stages) is getting ready to do what the CBC is mandated to do. Once it is fully up and running it will be broadcast professionals, decidated to public broadcasting, telling Canadian stories to Canadians.

I was at a meeting earlier this week with some of these people. For nearly two hours I listened while they brushed aside concerns about whether it was good stragegy or not (to provide for free what they've always been paid for). The answer was always the same. These people have dedicated their lives to public broadcasting, they feel that they provide a real and valuable service and their desire to do their job and provide that service is strong enough that they will continue, even if they aren't being paid for it.

I hope Mr. Nash knows how to download a podcast. The dream and the idea of the CBC hasn't died, it's merely going to operate from a new building for awhile until those who think of it as a business, a television station like any other, remember what they are supposed to be there for.

Just a few random thoughts

Wednesday was fairly mellow, for me anyway, tomorrow won't be - the Hospitality workers BBQ and then Jack Layton will be out to speak. For today though just a few thoughts -

First, I'd like to encourage anyone reading this (if anyone is reading this) to join in thanking BECTU and NUJ (the principal unions of the BBC) for trying to help keep BBC content from replacing locked out CBC workers.

http://www.cmgtoronto.ca/guestbook/guestbook.html

Second, I've heard repeated comments on the line to the effect that if upper management were broadcasters, if they were people who'd risen through the ranks of the CBC that we wouldn't have gotten to the point we're at. The question, and this is really a question for Parliament, is: If veteran broadcasters are good enough to be the Governor General, why are veteran broadcasters not good enough to lead the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation??

Solidariday

It was a good day out there today. A whole new generation is being schooled on the meaning of solidarity and the purpose of unions. While no one wants the lock out to keep on, we are happily receiving a wonderful level of support from other unions and the community at large.

For example; Today we had free somosas donated by someone (someone fill me in if you know who) and free pizza donated by a local business (again if you know who the donor was let me know so I can give credit where it's due). Buzz Hargrove and the Canadian Auto Workers came out to the line and donated $25,000 to the strike fund. Then a number of bands donated their time to entertain locked out workers (something that is apparently going to become a once a week occurance on mondays) CMG went to support the Hospitality Workers in their rally in front of the Royal York and on Friday the Hospitality workers are having a Bar-B-Q for us in Simcoe before Jack Layton speaks.

I hope that the lessons of this lockout stay with people long after it's over and that CMG becomes more active in supporting other unions.

The Toronto Star

Just a quick comment on the Toronto Star article of Saturday, August 20 "Our Icons Under Threat". I understand that it was tongue in cheek. But I had to comment on the line "Lost Credibility in This Year" which according to the author (Vinay Menon) was 1937 in the CBCs case.

At our house the Toronto Star comes free. This happens periodically and for various periods of time. It starts and stops without notice and we are never billed. I can only assume that this is because they are trying to boost circulation numbers to increase ad revenue. I might suggest that a newspaper that gives away papers to people without asking to boost it's circulation numbers might think twice before questioning the credibility of others.

Why Upper Management’s position is wrong

I want to specifically single out upper management here. Middle management is not the enemy, most of them came from the ranks of CBC staff and, were they running the show, I don’t think things would have deteriorated to the point they have. I also want to remind you, as I said in my previous post, that I am a ‘casual’ contract employee at the CBC. Upper Management’s assertion that “To suggest that a contractual employee at CBC is a “disposable” worker is an insult to all those current CBC employees who work on contract.” Is not true. I don’t take it as an insult that CMG would rather we were all staff and I don’t think there is anyone on contract (unless they don’t plan on staying) that wouldn’t rather be full time staff.

The realities of short term and contract work are brilliantly illustrated by Sandra Cordon in her article Trend toward contracts over full-time jobs bad for society, say experts (You can read the full article here http://www.canadianbusiness.com/news/article.jsp?content=b081899A)

It says in part:

Short-term contract workers save firms millions of dollars on salaries and health care and pension benefits - normal employee perks that are rarely extended to contract staff. But unions and some workplace experts warn that a shift to greater use of contract employees will lead to lower living standards, reduce company loyalty and cut productivity.

And that, they say, will hurt the economy and society in the longer term as insecure workers find they can't get mortgages without a permanent job and steady income; can't put down roots or raise a family for fear their work will run out.

"The risk is that individuals, households and, hence, communities, will experience higher levels of insecurity," said Leah Vosco, a political science professor at York University in Toronto.”

At the CBC, a Crown Corporation, the reasons for avoiding this are more immediate and short term. The CBC is a Canadian institution, for all the reasons why the CBC is important see the post that precedes this one. Part of the reason that the CBC is able to do what it does, as well and efficiently as it does is the CBC family, older CBCers educate younger workers about the history and mandate of the CBC, about what traditionally has and hasn’t worked, new people are integrated slowly into a talented and experienced work force and their minds are on the job they have to do and not on whether or not their contract will be renewed, or where they will find their next job.

If upper management gets it’s way the trend will be to replace experience with cheap labor (wherever it can be gotten). In the Canadian labour force in general we don’t want to create an atmosphere where people are trying to underbid each other to see who will work for the lowest wages. Upper Management will say they will not do this but the history of business managers in the late 20th and early 21st century indicates that if they can, they will – maybe not today, but as soon as they need to improve the bottom line. Upper management will also say that they are only talking about new hires, not current employees. Again, as soon as the bottom line needs repair there will be nothing to stop them from laying off current employees and then re-hiring them a few months later as temps. If they can, they will.

CBC Lockout

Rather than get into the broader picture of what is going on in the broader National or International picture I'm going to focus, for the moment, on something closer to home. The CBC Lockout has been a startling development on a number of levels and I should say right off the bat that I'm on the lines in Toronto. I am not full time staff, I am a "casual" employee, under contract and come in when they call. But, today I'm not going to go into the management vs. labour issues, instead I'm going to focus on what makes the CBC worth saving and fighting for.

I have been quite disturbed by the number of comments I've read and heard disparaging the CBC, claiming that it is of limited value, and should not be subsidized. The CBC costs the average Canadian about $30 a year or about 2.60 a month. For this Canada recieves one of the best news services in the world. CBC News is well connected, experienced, reputable and reliable. They have neither a right wing, nor a left wing slant. The people who make this claim are not upset because CBC is biased, they are upset because CBC is not biased.

Because the CBC reported on the "Same Sex Marriage Debate" rather than the "Assault on Traditional Marriage" the right wing claims they are biased. Because they reported on the "Sponsorship Scandal" without specifically condemning anyone both sides claim the CBC is a government mouthpiece. You can generally measure how unbiased a source is by the claims of bias made by either fringe.

The claim is also made that the CBC, if it is providing a valuable service, should be able to function without govnernment dollars. I disagree with this as well. The CBC should not be about ratings, it should be about providing accurate and timely information, about telling Canadian stories, about providing a point of reference to a large nation whose regions have few ties on a day to day basis as well as providing local news to areas that otherwise would have no local news.

In addition to news, CBC provides music and entertainment, hilighting Canadian stories and Canadian entertainers and then of course there is sports, Hockey Night In Canada, the CFL, curling etc., and there is high quality children's programming.

There is a claim that all of this would be provided by the private sector if the CBC dissapeared, but I see nothing to back this up. In the US, where PBS has been allowed to fall further and further in terms of budget, the void has been filled by networks that provide less real news and more cheap sensationalism. No other Canadian network has the depth of coverage, or the international coverage that the CBC does and what they do provide, I would argue, is there because they have to compete with the CBC and much of it would dissapear quickly if the CBC were gone.

Do the people of Canada really want to rely on U.S. news outlets for international news? The same outlets that accepted without question that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and ties to terrorism? CBC is not, and should not be about ratings, or making money, it should be about providing quality, reliable programming for those who want it - not about more pablum for the masses and if this is not worth $2.60 a month to you, or even a whole $3 (the approximate cost of a good capachino) then it is not the value of the CBC that is in question, but your values.