Monday, August 29, 2005
CBCXXXV: "They don't give a rats ass"
John Doyle in the Globe and Mail has been mining sources and has spoken to at least one National reporter who has been approached by a rival network. He says the same thing that I've heard, no one is prepared to move yet. (Get the paper at your corner box or variety store. The online version is behind the pay wall)
His source says:
Earlier today the Newsworld was taking the BBC. At this moment they are taking the local satellite uplink from an NBC affiliate in Mobile, Alabama. So the Canadian public broadcaster, paid for by the taxypayers for a Canadian voice, is using British and American feeds for a hurricane. If things were normal Newsworld would take a live feed from NBC or CBS, but David Common or Chris Brown or Neil MacDonald would also be in the storm zone.
(By the way anyone in television in the U.S. will tell you that a station's reputation, not always fairly, depends not on how good it is, but its market size. Mobile is the 62nd market in the US TV market.)
The current Environment Canada storm track now shows Katrina's eye (by then likely a tropical depression) churning through the middle of Lake Ontario on Wednesday further east than yesterday's track. After sideswiping Toronto, now it is likely to pass close to Montreal. If Katrina "wobbles," as the wind driven reporters are now saying in their live hits, the hurricane could hit Ottawa.
BUT if you look at the US storm track from the National Atmospheric and Oceanographic Service, the "five day storm cone" shows Katrina is taking aim for Toronto Wednesday and then arriving on Parliament Hill at about 1 a.m. Thursday.
(Note these tracks are often updated and may have changed if you click later in the day. Also I find that the Environment Canada track doesn't work well Firefox, so use Explorer)
So, if the US storm track is correct, how is the CBC going to serve the Canadian taxpayer? Even if they get a manager on the roof of the Toronto Broadcast Centre, the audience in Canada's largest market will be watching CTV Newsnet, CP24, the Weather Network and Global.
Quick note: If the person John Doyle spoke to is the same one my sources indcate is being wooed, it will be a major loss to the CBC. Doyle is right when he says "the longer the lockout lasts, the more plausible the scenario becomes...[that CBC stars] will sprint to a competing broadcaster."
But there is an indication this morning that this could be longer and nastier than everyone thought.
Doyle says
At the same time, manager Ouimet says:
Ouimet also says of the managers who had a briefing for locked in staff last week
Ouimet is right. They do have a plan, a long term plan. This was obvious last spring when the news of management's application for conciliation suddenly appeared in our mailboxes one afternoon, starting the clock ticking to the lockout. This whole thing is driven by a timetable, a detailed plan and that is why I believe the Guild is right when it says management is refusing to negotiate.
Question?: Does this long term plan also mean a long-term plan for the CBC mandate? If there is a long term plan for the future of the CBC, I doubt that it has been floated with the Prime Minister's Office or the Heritage Department. Time for the Heritage Committee in the Commons to return early. While it is unlikely and inappropriate for the committee to ask for the details of the CBC plan in labour negotiations, the committee should call Robert Rabinovich and Peter Stursberg and demand answers about their long term plans for the corporation itself.
Reading assignment: For whomever inside the CBC who wrote that long term plan. On your way into the building, drop by Chapters up John Street and buy Barbara Tuchman's The Guns of August. It's all about how strict adherance to war plans caused the carnage of the First World War. (John F Kennedy said it was because he read The Guns of August he was tough, but cautious during the Cuban Missile Crisis). Yike, that plan started in August, their plan started in August.
The Globe and Mail doesn't get it: Want proof that the Globe and Mail doesn't get the web? John Doyle is still behind the pay wall. Want to drive visitors to your site and get them interested in what else is there? Make Doyle public.
Technorati tags
writing, journalism, CBC, blog, news, lockout, hurricane, Katrina, Toronto, Ottawa
7:33 AM posted by Robin Rowland
Permanent Link
Links to this post
John Doyle in the Globe and Mail has been mining sources and has spoken to at least one National reporter who has been approached by a rival network. He says the same thing that I've heard, no one is prepared to move yet. (Get the paper at your corner box or variety store. The online version is behind the pay wall)
His source says:
I'm terribly conflicted to tell you that for the very first time in my career, I'm seriously thinking about my other options. It's hard to maintain a true passion for and dedication to public broadcasting when none of the folks at the top give a rat's ass about it.We know this morning they don't give a rat's ass. I'm switching between CNN and CTV Newsnet's live coverage of Hurricane Katrina.
Earlier today the Newsworld was taking the BBC. At this moment they are taking the local satellite uplink from an NBC affiliate in Mobile, Alabama. So the Canadian public broadcaster, paid for by the taxypayers for a Canadian voice, is using British and American feeds for a hurricane. If things were normal Newsworld would take a live feed from NBC or CBS, but David Common or Chris Brown or Neil MacDonald would also be in the storm zone.
(By the way anyone in television in the U.S. will tell you that a station's reputation, not always fairly, depends not on how good it is, but its market size. Mobile is the 62nd market in the US TV market.)
The current Environment Canada storm track now shows Katrina's eye (by then likely a tropical depression) churning through the middle of Lake Ontario on Wednesday further east than yesterday's track. After sideswiping Toronto, now it is likely to pass close to Montreal. If Katrina "wobbles," as the wind driven reporters are now saying in their live hits, the hurricane could hit Ottawa.
BUT if you look at the US storm track from the National Atmospheric and Oceanographic Service, the "five day storm cone" shows Katrina is taking aim for Toronto Wednesday and then arriving on Parliament Hill at about 1 a.m. Thursday.
(Note these tracks are often updated and may have changed if you click later in the day. Also I find that the Environment Canada track doesn't work well Firefox, so use Explorer)
So, if the US storm track is correct, how is the CBC going to serve the Canadian taxpayer? Even if they get a manager on the roof of the Toronto Broadcast Centre, the audience in Canada's largest market will be watching CTV Newsnet, CP24, the Weather Network and Global.
Quick note: If the person John Doyle spoke to is the same one my sources indcate is being wooed, it will be a major loss to the CBC. Doyle is right when he says "the longer the lockout lasts, the more plausible the scenario becomes...[that CBC stars] will sprint to a competing broadcaster."
But there is an indication this morning that this could be longer and nastier than everyone thought.
Doyle says
In another few weeks--or heaven forbid, months--it's the veterans and household names that will be giving serious consideration to career options at the competition.
At the same time, manager Ouimet says:
People are wondering how long management is willing to "let this last." Well, I've laid my hands on the contingency plan and it goes on for days and days and weeks and months. You would be surprised.
Ouimet also says of the managers who had a briefing for locked in staff last week
They are not stupid brutes, these people. Cathy Sprague [from Human Resources] is as sharp as a tack and refreshingly straight-talking, and all questions were answered in real language. All concerens were openly and honestly discussed.
I have to laugh when I hear people say that these guys are short-sighted and spineless. This is just not true. Their long-term vision might not match yours, but they have one. And they are tough, make no mistake about that.
Ouimet is right. They do have a plan, a long term plan. This was obvious last spring when the news of management's application for conciliation suddenly appeared in our mailboxes one afternoon, starting the clock ticking to the lockout. This whole thing is driven by a timetable, a detailed plan and that is why I believe the Guild is right when it says management is refusing to negotiate.
Question?: Does this long term plan also mean a long-term plan for the CBC mandate? If there is a long term plan for the future of the CBC, I doubt that it has been floated with the Prime Minister's Office or the Heritage Department. Time for the Heritage Committee in the Commons to return early. While it is unlikely and inappropriate for the committee to ask for the details of the CBC plan in labour negotiations, the committee should call Robert Rabinovich and Peter Stursberg and demand answers about their long term plans for the corporation itself.
Reading assignment: For whomever inside the CBC who wrote that long term plan. On your way into the building, drop by Chapters up John Street and buy Barbara Tuchman's The Guns of August. It's all about how strict adherance to war plans caused the carnage of the First World War. (John F Kennedy said it was because he read The Guns of August he was tough, but cautious during the Cuban Missile Crisis). Yike, that plan started in August, their plan started in August.
The Globe and Mail doesn't get it: Want proof that the Globe and Mail doesn't get the web? John Doyle is still behind the pay wall. Want to drive visitors to your site and get them interested in what else is there? Make Doyle public.
Technorati tags
writing, journalism, CBC, blog, news, lockout, hurricane, Katrina, Toronto, Ottawa
7:33 AM posted by Robin Rowland
Permanent Link
