Bonus Cuts Attract Attention
The announcement that the CBC will freeze executives salaries and cut executive bonuses in half has not gone over well with CBC staffers.
“This means that the compensation for each of our eighty or so top managers will on average be reduced by 10 to 20 per cent next year,” CBC President Hubert Lacroix wrote on Wednesday.
Lise Lareau, president of the Canadian Media Guild, told the Globe the clawback “rang the wrong way” to many people. Most CBC staffers don’t receive performance and incentive bonuses, “What’s a bonus?” a commentator on this blog asked. ”You remember that time there was half a sandwich left in that boardroom and you got to it first? That was your 2008 bonus,” another replied.
The reaction was covered in a story by the Canadian Press last night.
CBC spokesman Marco Dube explained that cutting the bonuses and freezing salaries will save the about $1 million this year. Based on those figures, even if the bonuses were eliminated entirely the savings wouldn’t likely amount to more that a couple million dollars a year, which would help, but it’s a long way from addressing a revenue shortfall that stands between $150 and $200 million.
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It’s all about the optics. The brunt of cuts at the CBC have fallen on the reporters, camerapeople, producers, editors, PA’s, EA’s, newsroom staff. radio board operators etc. The talented folks actually making the the programs we watch. CBC management have traditionally wiggled out of major lay offs with minimal impact on their numbers.
If the CBC will have radical cut backs it’s time to look at the bloated corporate structure and the bureaucrats that occupy a larger than necessary part of the CBC.
Eliminate the bonuses and all together and let them keep the meager 1.5% increase we’re all getting.
How about full disclosure on who makes more than 100K in base salary?
As I posted in an earlier thread for every 100 staff positions eliminated one of the top 20 will needed to be let go also. This way they may think a little harder on where they make their cuts.
Well, I guess that’ one way to look at it. “why save a penny when you need a dollar”,
A bit like AIG “is too big to fail”
2 mil is also 40 jobs.
I can’t believe this is happening again. I’ve already been laid off twice! I only have a few years to go before I can retire. I think the chances of my small station being closed completely are pretty good. To complicate things my wife also works at the same station! It’s so tough waiting and wondering. I’ve been with the corpse off and on since 1973. It’s a shame the gutting continues. I’m not sure what to make of cutting senior management bonuses by 50 percent. They probably thought it was a good move. Shows how out of touch they are. On the other hand cutting the bonuses completely could lose you some good managers. (I guess.) Watch the smallest locations take the biggest hits as the corpse shrinks into the major centres in each region. It’s much easier to give a layoff notice to someone you don’t see everyday. Those champions of the smaller stations are few and far between these days.
I would argue that the smallest stations are the most important ones.
I just can’t believe all this bonus crap that is hitting the media these days. We have AIG, Nortel and CBC. Bonuses should not be given out when the compnay is in financial trouble. It’s just that simple. Why do others not get this? You hear these companies say that if they don’t pay these bonuses they will lose executives. Now really folks, what executive in his right mind is going to leave voluntarily in this economic enviroment? If they choose to make themselves redundant in this enviroment then you should be happy. They are nutbars and have clearly illustrated this by giving up a good job to join thousands of unemployed people looking for good jobs. They have done you a favour.
Please kill these bonuses. This is not the time for bonuses. Poeople get bonuses to celebrate a companies success not failure.
Side note on CitiGroup. Don’t take TARP money then spend $10 million on renovating your CEO’s office.
What’s the likelyhood that they will follow what the BBC did for cutting back mainly in London, i.e. the “head”quarter? Hehe.
I am also wondering why don’t they streamline the redundant CBC/RadioCan management structure while cleaning up the “suit people” in Montreal and Toronto. Two birds one stone!
I find the wall in between the two network most disheartening and am not surprised one bit that we are so dysfunctional as a country culturally and linguistically. For instance, I can’t even submit similar comments on the French side. Malade qu’on dit dans la langue de Molière. Pas imaginaire…
I find it completely and utterly unbelieveable that CBC is still going through with the bonuses for executices. 50 % cut be damned. In these financially troubling times when most people are worried how they can stay afloat financially it is so unbelieveable that CBC has the nerve to continue this practice when they have financial problems already ???….. Gentlemen and I use that loosely , you should be ASHAMED !!!
[...] debate circled around the CBC financial woes and the role of our national public broadcaster. There was talk of partisan politics, francophone [...]
I’m supposed to care about a 20% executive paycut when I’m facing layoffs and may make 100% less? CBC sees fit to pay me less than $42K/year, I never get my breaks and I’m almost always forced to work through my lunch, yet we seem to have money to reward executes (80 of them!) who have lead us to a $200 million short fall. Now that’s leadership!
Wow, a Canadian AIG.
Bryan, in my company, who will remain nameless, I know exactly what you are talking about.
The money we are making barely pays our mortgages and feeds us.
It’s really absurd AND WRONG that execs get bonuses off our backs, when we are doing all we can do to meet #’s, jump through hoops etc.
Good luck AND hopefully someone will REVERSE that decision an cancel the bonuses
A couple of views on the state of television from the Star and Globe & Mail on Monday March, 23, 2009.
Is there a Radio Canada version of insidethecbc.com?
Debate on CBC is English-only, so far.
Chantal Hebert. The Star
http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/606564
Focus, people: Saving local TV is the top priority.
John Doyle. The Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20090323.ADOYLE23/TPStory/Entertainment/columnists
Bonuses? The CBC is going down the tubes are the people in charge are getting bonuses? My god…
Let’s keep it in context. A million dollars keeps a full northern station up and running. If you cut out all bonuses that would be 4 to 5 stations! More considering each small station is being cut in half. I’d like to see management explain next year’s bonuses when all the programming is nothing but repeats. I don’t even know why management is even being offered a bonus because they certainly failed when it came to the budget! What’s the purpose of a salary when you get big bonus for work the people being cut are doing!