CBC to boost newsgathering in Alberta, but drops Calgary Newsworld programming
The CBC will dramatically increase resources devoted to covering local and national news in Alberta generally and Calgary and Edmonton in particular.
Saying it’s moving to fulfill a commitment to local newsgathering announced nationally last year, CBC News will be doubling the number of newsgathering resources in Alberta by adding approximately 25 new assignments for television journalists based in Calgary and Edmonton to focus on local and national stories originating in Alberta.
At the same time, however, the CBC said it would move to Toronto the two hours of programming for CBC Newsworld, which are currently being produced in Calgary.
Actually, no, the CBC didn’t actually say it would “move” the programming from Calgary. The news release actually said it would “reconfigure to Toronto.” Wha?! “Reconfiguring” is the new corp-speak for “move?”
I guess it’s the same as executives not being able to ever say a show was “cancelled,” when, in fact, it was. The closest they seem to come up with is “Moved off the schedule.”
Really, who the hell is writing this stuff?!
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The news release also didn’t mention that 32 positions have been eliminated in Calgary as a result of the move to Toronto. Oh, sorry, make that “reconfiguration”.
“Yes, true. We don’t yet know how it nets out, taking into account the
new positions announced today.”
I’ll update this once I know more.
Thanks for the tip, Cobra.
who’s writing it? Our managers. That’s how bad things are around here.
Why do these internal notes always make you feel like you’re being spun like a top?
The headline “CBC News increases resources devoted to Alberta coverage” is not really the focus here. Do they really think we’re dumb enough not to notice that they’re pulling the last regional newsworld presence off the air and centralizing everything to Toronto? Oh yah and more than 30 people will lose their jobs.
They should just write it like it is. We’re all big boys and girls we don’t need euphemisms. We can handle the truth. If Hubert keeps talking about this being a partnership, then treat us like partners. Just give us the facts.
When a news organization cuts jobs or shows, it should explain itself using plain English. The changes in Calgary were announced in a strange e-mail that did not clearly explain what is happening. A simple sentence such as: “We are cancelling all the Newsworld programs in Calgary and cutting 32 jobs. But we are going to add 25 local jobs in Calgary and Edmonton.” would have been much better.
Instead we get another odd statement from management.
The new IO intranet was even worse. It shouted the headline CBC adds more resources in Alberta! If the people who run the news service are trying to spin us– can we really trust their ethical news judgement when it comes to journalism?
No, who the hell is writing this blog? Why aren’t there quotation marks around the first part if it is then going to be responded to in italics? Whose opinion is that? I don’t understand this blog.
Forgive me if I have the history wrong, but when Newsworld originally got their broadcast license, I though one of the conditions of the license was that programming was spread around the country and not simply offered on high from Toronto.
No?
Not surprising. CBC doesn’t like the conservative government so it punishes the regions that support it (Alberta) and help the regions that likes the liberals (Toronto).
This is the official CBC blog?
Morale must be low.
Let’s not forget that a similar operation was shut down in Halifax
a few years ago. In 1989 the CBC promised to de-centralize NW
in order to counter a “Toronto” bias and to counter an Edmonton based
24 hr news bid by Shaw Communications. Now that the license is well
secured, the Toronto-centric bias is exposed once again.
It shows how liittle the golden triangle (Tor. Ott & Mtl) really cares
for the regions. It’s fiscal strangulation in slo-motion. Pretty soon
everything will come from the TBC or Maison Radio-Canada.
RIP our “national” network.
Almost all French programming already comes from Montreal. And Toronto has a serious stranglehold on English services.
As for the “regions”: at the CBC “the regions” is simply a euphemism for “everywhere except Toronto.”
Wouldn’t it be fun if someone asked the CRTC to remove CBC’s NW licence for breach of conditions? Better still, how about a few Opposition MP’s raising questions in the House of Commons.
Sorry to spoil the fun of being in such high dudgeon, but here’s something to consider: the plan may well be to funnel news coverage generated by the local stations into Newsworld and cbcnews.ca. But the local stations, as generators of the material get first dibs.
maybe it will be ok. maybe the fact that all these resources for network progamming that already exist in toronto will actually make room for more news coming out of the regions. maybe given the competitive nature of the news business, our strengths in toronto should be used to centralize news decisions. thus making regional news stronger by doing more regional stories. the change could actually work out well, let’s see what happens….