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/ .

Give the Asylum to the Inmates

Since the lockout began many criticisms of CBC have been aired. Some of them are ridiculous and not worth responding to. Others though are not ridiculous, they have been made repeatedly since long before the lockout. There are many who say the CBC lacks creativity, that it is out of touch with young people and with the regions (anyplace outside of Toronto), that it is inflexible and outdated.

Since the lockout began, on August 15th, CBC employees, who currently aren't being paid have produced (according to iTunes) the #1 pod-cast in Canada
A National news site and have taken to the air using campus radio stations as well as creating some apparently quite popular blogs. Even this one, far from being the most popular, has already generated almost 5,500 hits for the month of September.

As Lou Arab wrote in the rabble.ca article Don't Hate the Media, Be the Media

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.

The employees on the outside have demonstrated quite clearly that they are creative, flexible, modern, in touch with the young and the regions. As Carl Wilson of the Globe and Mail wrote

"When the talent sounds tougher and smarter when it's working against you, for free, the real threat isn't the fine print on their contracts."

So, I don't want to point fingers, but it is fairly obvious that the cause of the CBCs problems is still inside the CBC's buildings. Now, and I know that many of my fellow employees are very upset that the CBC is still operating at all, middle management is actually doing quite a remarkable job - a relative handful of them are managing to get something on the air on CBC Television and Radio as well as producing news and sports. Not to point fingers, but if the CBC is inflexible, un-creative and out of touch I don't think that middle management is really the problem either.

I think it is possible that when this is all over, if things are handled right, that the CBC could come back stronger than ever. However, because I'm not pointing fingers, I'll let you decide who needs to get out of the way.

It's not for everyone

Just before Labour Day CMG President Lise Lareau warned us to "Expect CBC management to try to divide us, by playing to us as individuals, in order to get what it wants. " So the sudden appearance, on blogs and message boards, of anonymous people claiming to be freelancers and contract employees and pulling out lines from management's talking points is certainly suspicious. These people have been lamenting their position and the CMG's apparent prejudice against them.

Now, I haven't donned my tinfoil hat on this one. The reality is that it doesn't matter. Even if we assume that they are who they say, it is nothing more than a display of their ignorance. If they think that CMG, or anyone at the CBC is calling for an end to all freelancers and contract workers then they haven't been listening to the union, haven't been listening to union members, haven't been on the line and generally haven't been paying attention.

No one is saying that there should be no temporary or contract workers. But, what may be 'the freedom of a contract' to one person is the 'unacceptable lack of job security' to another. It all depends on where you are at. Some people don't want to bounce from job to job. They are ready and willing to make a long term commitment to public broadcasting and to the CBC and want a commitment in return (ever try to get a mortgage on a short-term contract?)

Myself: I am in my 3rd year as a casual. I'd love nothing more than to be full time CBC, in any capacity - not only because I have children and would like the stability, but because I have tremendous respect for the CBC, and the people that work there. Of all the employers in Canada, I would still choose the CBC. This is not based on it's current (or recent) problems, but on the history, tradition and mandate of the CBC, it's future potential and the potential of the people I know there.

So, if you really are a freelancer, or a contract worker and you really feel threatened by what the Guild is saying and doing - go down to the line, talk to some people, listen to what is actually being said and then see if you still think we are after you.

Some stuff to check out for Tuesday

Before I say anything else, I should say that if you haven't read Tea Makers yet, you definitely should. Then you should visit Canned Clams who is dealing with a sick child and could use your good wishes, prayers or whatever other good karma you can send along.

I've really only got a few things to mention tonight myself. First, there is a yahoo group set up

For members of CMG, as well as supporters of the locked out CBC employees to discuss news and events surrounding the lockout.

It is my hope that this will help to link people involved in various projects, in various locations so that we can communicate better; share ideas, thoughts, news, insights, and recieve help and feedback from others.

Please feel free to invite co-workers (or co-picketers in this case), as well as friends, family, CMG supporters and other interested parties.

So if you're interested in such things you might want to check that out.

Second, I am compiling a list of CBC folks who have moved on during the lockout. If you know of anyone please send along a name, former location and job and where they've gone. If you've got a photo, that would be great too. This will be going online at some point.

Last, for now, there are a ton of photos from the Labour Day Parade in Toronto and the Debut of the CBC Unplugged radio show at the CMG Toronto site.

The Whole Vision Thing

Times are slow, it's the last long weekend of Summer, people (not involved in the Labour day parade) have finished their picked duty and gone to spend it with friends and family. Labour day (a Canadian invention) doesn't (let's be honest) mean what it used to. But, for hard working people to take some down time, gather with friends and family, and have a last barbecue and beer before the kids go back to school and the leaves turn and signal another cold dark winter would certainly be no insult to the people who fought for the rights of workers in the last century.

Since things are slow, and because we are embroiled in an argument about vision, I'd like to tell you what I see, or what I would like to see from the CBC for the foreseeable future. The CBC, starting at the top, should be well funded, much more than it is now, either by the Government, or by allowing private donations - allowing it to be both a Crown corporation and a legal charity at the same time. In exchange for this funding it should be something of true and lasting value to all Canadians, but I'll get back to that shortly.

Once the CBC is well funded it should be staffed by someone with a passion for public broadcasting (not a bean counter or a bureaucrat) - someone with solid industry credentials, a deep well of creativity and an inclination to build teams rather than order foot-soldiers. Management should be staffed by people who share these passions and ideals.

It should be staffed by people from a variety of regions, from a variety of social, cultural and economic backgrounds and a variety of fields who love what they do, who love Canada and who want to tell it's stories. When these people are found it should be the primary objective of human resources to entice them to stay with job security, reasonable salaries and benefits - in short the things that it will take to keep their minds on the work they love and not concerns over how to take care of their families.

Then in exchange for their tax dollars and willing donations the CBC should become, even more than it already is, the repository of the Canadian experience. It should both archive and remind us of our history, as well as always being there, with reliable coverage when history happens - even if (and this is a matter for lawmakers) even if someone else has bought the rights. It should be impartial in it's coverage, but should include the widest possible range of voices and opinions and cover events as thorough as possible. Even this can be done better. How often, for example, are new immigrants asked what they think of debates in Parliament? The constant flood of immigrants coming to Canada come with a vision that inspired them to leave their homes, friends and sometimes families to come here, knowing what that vision was could tell Canada alot about itself.

It should be steady and reliable, Canadians should know that if anything significant is happening the CBC will be there and will tell them about it. It should tell the stories of both ordinary and extraordinary Canadians from coast to coast to coast and the regional offices should be expanded and empowered with this goal in mind.

While it is being steady and reliable it should also be experimental and new. The CBC should include the arts as part of Canada's experience and should find, display and nurture talent that has yet to find a commercial outlet. The CBC's staff also should be encouraged to experiment and test new ground. After all, if these people have a passion for what they do, they should be allowed to express that passion without always having it stifled by those who do not share it.

The CBC should not be about ratings or revenue, it is a National asset, created for a purpose and it should strive only to fulfill that purpose. If the CBC stands up every day and says 'here is Canada, here are Canadians - for better or worse' and the public doesn't want to watch then the problem is not with the network. The postal service delivers the mail, even if you don't like the bills. Canada Revenue collects taxes, it does not have to be popular, it has to fulfill it's mission. The CBCs mission is more creative, but should rely no more on popularity contests than any other public service.

If I was a government, and I was going to design a public broadcaster that would be an asset to my country, and a national treasure now and in the future this is what I would build (and fund.) I don't know how current management's vision varies from this, but apparently it does rather sharply.