Where Are They Now: Rae Hull

Rae Hull, former director of CBC Television in Vancouver, has been immersed in her new responsibilities as Director of Partnerships with the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad for more than a year now. Her job is to develop a “framework” (those old management-speak words just keep following her around) with both government and private sector partners which will maximize nation-wide participation by Canada’s provinces and territories and their cultural engagement with Vancouver 2010.

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  Where Are They Now? Posted at 12:47 pm (02 Jun 2008)



BREAKING: Tony Burman becomes managing director of Al-Jazeera

The former editor-in-chief of CBC News has been hired as the managing director for Al-Jazeera Television.

Tony Burman was recently with CBC News until, according to a recent print article in Ryerson Review of Journalism, he clashed with CBC Vice-President of English services Richard Stursberg.

In an interview with InsideTheCBC.com shortly before his departure, Burman played down the idea of working for a private network:

It’s too early for me to shut any doors, but I doubt if there’s any possibility of me wanting to work for a commercial news organization in Canada. My tribal passions for CBC News are too strong. I respect CBC’s competitors but now is not the time for me to switch horses. However, there is a lot to private broadcasting than simply ‘news’ so I’m always open to stimulating, intriguing ideas and initiatives.

Burman’s job won’t be easy. A number of journalists have left Al-Jazeera recently amid claims of a revolt over working conditions. It is also facing a potential £1m discrimination case brought by the former English head of planning.

Former CBC host and journalist Avi Lewis went to the network last year to host a program about the U.S. election.

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  Executives, Where Are They Now? Posted at 12:50 pm (14 May 2008)



Former CBC prez Rabinovitch to head Prix Italia

Just weeks after leaving the CBC, former president Robert Rabinovitch is starting a new job as president of The Prix Italia, a respected international radio, television and web competitions. He succeeds the BBC’s Caroline Thomson for 2008.

Rabinovitch was elected by delegates of The Prix Italia’s member organizations, which comprise 90 companies spread over 40 countries and five continents.

The Prix Italia awards prizes for quality productions in the fields of drama, documentaries, the performing arts (television) and music (radio). The competition is held each year in the second half of September, accompanied by a series of major cultural events and performances.

CBC/Radio-Canada has fared well at the Prix Italia in recent years. CBC Radio won for Radio Music in 2006 with Spillville Then and Now. In 2005, CBC Radio won for Best Work on Music for an episode in the series The Change of the Sound in 2005, and CBC Television’s Sex Traffic won three awards: best TV drama, the President of the Republic’s Silver Cup, and the Special Students’ prize. And in 2003, CBC/Radio-Canada Radio and Television Archives won for best Web site in the Cross Media category.

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  Executives, Where Are They Now? Posted at 1:17 pm (15 Feb 2008)



High School Confidental — The Answers

Last week, I thought I’d see if any of you could guess who these four CBC personalities are (photos taken from their high school days) and nobody even guessed! Anywhere, here are the answers.

  Amanda Pfeffer -Reporter, Montreal CBC News at 6
1982 — Grade 10, Montreal West High School, before it became Royal West Academy. I was 15 years old. Charlies Angels was the big show, as you can tell by the hair. And I played Eliza Doolittle in the school play, with current Montreal West Mayor’s son Andrew Simms playing Professor Higgins. We thought we were sooooo cool.
 
  Chuck Regehr, CBC Radio business columnist
1965 — the year I graduated from Sharon Mennonite Collegiate in Yarrow, B.C. For me.. the age of innocence and yes… a little Brylcreem. The hippe revolution had not really arrived in Yarrow in 1965.
 
  Michel Godbout, Host - Montreal CBC News at Six
It was 1981. I was in secondary 3 at l’École Mont-de-la-Salle. I didn’t come from the area and didn’t live near the school so I had to make new friends. I made ONE over 3 years! It was a good 30-minute bus ride to school but I decided to go there because of it’s modular schedule, the same kind you have in CEGEP and university, but this was at the high school level. It taught me responsibility early on. Being able to plan your own schedule was the best thing about it. You could assign yourself a couple of 7 class days and take Friday off.
 
  Steve Rukavina, CBC Radio reporter
This is me in grade nine in the mid-80’s. I remember that shirt very well, because it was the first I ever had with a “button-down” collar, which was quite in fashion at the time (or at least I thought it was). I believe I was experimenting with hairspray at this point as well,hence the flip in the hair. And of course there was the awful tortureof orthodontia, which in my case was compounded by a missing tooth. Bring it on, ladies!

More high school photos on this CBC Montreal web page.

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  Fun Stuff, Personalities, Where Are They Now? Posted at 1:37 pm (15 Oct 2007)



High School Confidential: Before they joined the Corp…

Good Monday, er, Tuesday morning. To get this week started off on a little fun note, here are photos of four CBC personalities taken from their high school days. See if you can identify any of them.

1.

2.

3.

4.

Remember, this is not a competition, it is only an exhibition — please, no wagering.

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  Fun Stuff, Where Are They Now? Posted at 8:01 am (09 Oct 2007)



Where Are They Now?: Ben Chin

Where Are They Now?

Ben Chin, regular weekend anchor of The National, is now the host of a series of Internet videos that attack the Conservative party in Ontario.

Ben ChinLast year, Chin became the nominee for the Liberal party’s run in a provincial by-election. Chin lost the election and now campaigns for the party.

Chin had worked for City TV and CTV News prior to joining CBC News. He was considered by many to be a rising star in the ranks, but in September 2003 he left the Corporation to join new TV station Toronto 1. When the station’s news programming was cancelled, he joined Global TV’s national newscast, but left to joined the communications staff of Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty before he was ever on air.

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  Personalities, Where Are They Now? Posted at 12:03 pm (31 Aug 2007)