A recent report from the lobby group ‘Friends of Canadian Broadcasting’ exaggerates the amount of foreign programming on the CBC.

According to Ian Morrison, a spokesperson for the group, “A full 25% of CBC’s prime time schedule is now devoted to foreign, mostly American, programs.”

^{A graph showing the number of hours of Canadian content on CBC TV during the spring season.}

Morrison made that remark on June 30th as the organization released a report examining the amount of foreign programming on the CBC between Feb 21st and March 13th, 2009.

What the report didn’t say however, is that the amount of foreign programming on the CBC varies widely according to what’s on the schedule in any given week. Although it’s true that there was 25 per cent foreign content on the network during the weeks they studied, more half the time that percentage drops to about 18 per cent.

It all depends what’s movie is playing in the Sunday night movie slot. If it’s a foreign movie, running for two hours, then you get 25 per cent foreign content for that week. If it’s a Canadian movie, which more than half of them are, then the amount of foreign content drops to 18 per cent. (Click here to see the Spring 2009 schedule).

The report also says “Canadian content during prime time on CBC English TV has reached a 20-year low.” But it’s worth noting that the real low point for foreign programming on the CBC was reached in 1981, 28 years ago, when more than 40 per cent of the schedule was foreign (click here to see the 1981 schedule).

In the eighties the CBC schedule looked a lot like an American network with shows like M*A*S*H, WKRP, Three’s Company, Mork & Mindy and Happy Days filling almost half the slots.

By the mid-nineties, the CBC had reversed course and introduced an all-Canadian lineup, but the prime-time audience share suffered, which is why CBC executives made the decision to bring back some American shows into the lineup.

What do you think? Should the CBC go back to airing as much Canadian content as possible, or should it stick to its current approach of about 80 per cent Canadian content?

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	CBC Television, Programming	Posted at 12:10 pm (02 Jul 2009)

The face of CBC News, whether it be online, on radio or on television will be dramatically different this fall as the monumental task of renewing CBC News picks up steam.

In a note to staff today, Jennifer McGuire, the general manager and editor in chief of CBC News, outlined some of the changes that are underway at the news department. As McGuire explains the news operations of radio, television and online will start to merge into a single news-gathering hub, which will be divided into content units that serve the needs of the three different platforms.

The news-gathering hub “will be the engine that drives our newsgathering “as it happens” 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,” McGuire wrote.

She also outlined some major changes at Newsworld, including more immediacy and breaking news “but offering it up in a way that engages viewers and has authentic personality,” McGuire said.

McGuire also unveiled more details on the Newsworld schedule, including an expanded two-hour politics show from Ottawa, a new business show that starts at the market close, a prime-time two hour flagship news show, a documentary block airing seven days a week under the umbrella of the Passionate Eye, and finally more international coverage around the clock.

The changes at Newsworld will affect many of the producers working there. Previously Newsworld producers would usually be assigned to a single show, now they “will ideally be assigned to a story,” McGuire said “and will follow that story through all of its incarnations throughout the day.”

McGuire said the “task we have taken on is nothing short of monumental. It is complicated and time intensive,” but McGuire added that she hoped “to be ushering in a new era at CBC News.”

Do you work in the news department? What do you think of the changes at CBC News?

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	News & Journalism	Posted at 7:02 pm (29 Jun 2009)

^{A shot from a user-generated video of the protest in Iran, dubbed the Neda video}

When you look at the blurry, shaky, low-resolutions videos that have dominated coverage of from Iran recently, you may be looking at the future of broadcast journalism.

“I’ve never seen anything to this extent - the Mumbai attacks had some, but not this amount, day after day,” Leigh Felesky, the senior producer for user-generated content at CBC News said today.

The lock-down on mainstream media in Iran, combined with vivid accounts captured by Iranian citizens, has propelled user-generated content to the forefront of many newscasts - and has blurred the line between professional and amateur coverage.

“It think it’s crossed over into that area where there’s no distinction anymore,” Felesky said. “It’s part of the everyday telling of the story, and it’s incorporated into the story-telling.”

In Iran, restrictions on traditional media have forced many broadcasters to turn to the internet for content. Producers are looking to Twitter and YouTube for updates on the story, while their reporters are stuck in hotel rooms; and that’s changed the role of journalists.

“We used to have to make a lot of phone calls… Now it comes to you,” Esther Enkin, Executive Editor at CBC News said.

According to Rachel Nixon, the new director of digital media at CBC News, journalists are increasingly “taking on the role of authenticators and verifiers.”

Although the situation in Iran is unique, the advent of user-generated news content creates opportunities across the board.

The reality is that no news organization is staffed to cover every story, in every location. But user-generated content “allows news organizations to get coverage from the scene, even when they don’t have their own reporter on the ground,” Nixon added.

The advent of citizen journalism also creates opportunities for professional journalists to build relationships with their audiences “by reflecting the world as they see it,” Nixon wrote in a email this afternoon.

“Our audiences are telling us that they want to participate,” Enkin said. The audience then “becomes partners on some levels,” she added “It’s not just a compelling images, it’s also a resource that we can use to tell the story.”

But as journalists rely more and more on user-generated content, there’s also risks. The content is hard to verify, the sources are often anonymous and when the material was shot is usually not clear. The New York Times highlighted this problem on their blog recently, when they pointed out that at least four videos appeared on MSNBC recently that were dated inacurately.

“We know we can’t verify this stuff,” Felesky said, and that creates a obligation for professional journalists. Felesky said that the online audience can provide a solution. She said users will often correct errors and can help in authenticating clips.

Nevertheless, especially with stories like the protests in Iran, where tons of material is being uploaded by motivated activists, there is obvious risk.

“The duty to ensure that we are not being manipulated is even greater than it was… but the upside is well worth the risk,” Enkin said.

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	News & Journalism	Posted at 4:58 pm (24 Jun 2009)

On the eve of his last day at the CBC, Don Newman is hosting a live chat today at noon Eastern Time.

Newman is widely respected for his parliamentary analysis and long-standing coverage of Parliament Hill. In 1989 he helped launched CBC Newsworld, since then he’s covered every political story and scandal under the sun. It’s rumoured that some Prime Ministers used to call him directly, sometimes when he was on the air, to tip him off about breaking stories.

You can submit your questions in advance, or log in and ask questions live during the Q & A session, by going here.

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	News & Journalism, Parliament	Posted at 7:54 am (18 Jun 2009)

An internal memo released today says that a CBC employee in Iqaliut has contracted swine flu.

It is the first confirmed case amongst CBC employees, Michèle Parent, executive director, organizational health and wellness said “There are a few other suspected, but unconfirmed cases there too, and one possible case at the Toronto Broadcasting Centre.”

“All affected employees have been asked to call their family doctors to arrange for testing if required, and are to stay home, up until tests results are proven negative, or if they are positive, up until their doctor finds them well enough to get back to the office. Workspaces have also been disinfected. Even though everyone has to be sensitized on proper hand washing and respiratory hygiene, there is no cause for alarm,” he said.

The internal link to the full intranet article is here. Unfortunately it is only available with a CBC login.

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	Health and Wellness	Posted at 2:54 pm (17 Jun 2009)

Two CBC reporters won individual awards for their work at a gala ceremony in Ottawa last night.

The award for Excellence in Science and Technology Reporting from the Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance in English language media went to Peter Nowak. He wrote about the award on his blog. He said “the award is particularly satisfying because it’s a stamp of approval on the type of journalism I try to do, which is issues-based rather than so much of the product-based tech reporting out there.”

Reporting on important consumer issues such as net neutrality, copyright reform and competition problems - like the woeful state of Canada’s cellphone market - often rubs those in power the wrong way, especially when exposing a lot of the bull that goes on, so it’s nice to see some back-up from the people who matter most: the readers.

The same award for French language media also went to a CBC reporter, Bruno Guglielminetti, according to Nowak, Guglielminetti said it was ironic that two CBC reporters grabbed the top honours, while the corporation is laying off hundreds of people: “The CBC, if you haven’t heard, is cutting 800 people, most of whom (myself included) are anxiously waiting until next week to find out if they have jobs or not,” Nowak wrote on his blog.

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	Awards, News & Journalism	Posted at 10:35 am (20 May 2009)

CBC President Hubert Lacroix send out a note today with a bit of good news.

After months of strict spending controls and cost-cutting measures, it looks like our year-end results will be slightly better (by a few million dollars) than anticipated. We are still going through our year-end audit with our auditors so I don’t have final numbers for you but I can confirm that we delivered on our promise to balance our 2008-2009 budget. We have thus created a bit of flexibility.

The savings mean that the CBC Radio operations in Thompson, Manitoba and and La Ronge, Saskatchewan will be saved.

Lacroix also said that about 40 per cent of employees eligible for the retirement package applied for it. The applicants will hear about the status of their application by the end of next week. Once the numbers are finalized, then the axe will fall - and that’s the hard part. “This is when the magnitude of the situation sinks in,” he said.

“In the week of May 25, the majority of people affected by the cuts will be given notice,” Lacroix said. Like pulling off a band-aid quickly, he said that they are trying to notify people of the layoffs as quickly as possible to cut down on the anxiety.

Otherwise he said the CBC is trying to sell some assets, and discussing the issue with the government. But there’s nothing to announce.

Hubert’s full letter is available on the corporate web site here.

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	CBC Policies, The Media Landscape	Posted at 2:21 pm (15 May 2009)

^{Roy Harris at the CBC Archives}

The CBC Archives department picked up two awards last night at a ceremony in London, England.

The Digital Archives website won for Best Use of Footage on Non-television Platforms, and long-time CBC’er Roy Harris won a lifetime achievement award. Harris thanked the CBC “for understanding the importance of bringing our collective history to new audiences on new platforms.”

Paul Gorbould, senior producer for the digital archives project, said the award was “really gratifying to win,” because he says archival work is crucial, “an archive has no value if nobody sees the footage it contains.”

The CBC has an amazing legacy, “There’s a great opportunity, now more than ever, to bring all this great material back into the public eye, to see how our collective history unfolded,” Gorbould said.

The award is one of many that the CBC archives has won over the last couple of years. They’ve also won awards from the American Society of Archivists - a first for a Canadian institution - an EPpy, a Webby Award, A Prix Italia and several others.

Unfortunately, their work is under financial pressure. The digital archives site was launched in 2002 with money from the Department of Canadian Heritage. The federal government discontinued that fund in 2009. So now it’s up to the CBC to keep the project alive. “As you can imagine, it’s not a great time to look for new money. We’re working… to find ways to keep it going.” Gorbould said. “Fingers crossed.”

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	Archives/Vintage Media, News & Journalism	Posted at 3:58 pm (06 May 2009)

Jennifer McGuire, who started her CBC career as a producer for Ottawa Morning, is now officially general manager and editor in chief of CBC News.

McGuire has been serving as the interim publisher of CBC News since November 2008, when John Cruickshank resigned. Click here for an article on McGuire’s remarkable career (internal CBC link - sorry guys).

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	News & Journalism	Posted at 2:39 pm (06 May 2009)

Veteran CBC broadcaster Don Newman has announced his retirement. Newman was well known for his work on Parliament Hill over many years - as much for his distinctive trademark drawl as his lack of patience with political rhetoric and his uncompromising interviews.

His interview with Jean Chrétien in the wake of the former Prime Minister’s retirement stands out as one of his many memorable interviews.

Newman told CBC News that he’d continue hosting the Newsworld show Politics until June. According to the CBC he has decided to take the retirement package.

Newman’s career spanned 40 years and included reporting on events from the Watergate scandal to the Meech Lake and Charlottetown accords. A member of the Order of Canada, he has been working from the CBC’s parliamentary bureau since 1981.

During his show yesterday Newman addressed his retirement with characteristic professionalism, saying that he had become something no “that no reporter should - a story himself.”

“I very much appreciate all the kind comments and good wishes that I have been receiving. But I am going to be here for another seven weeks and there is lot of political news still to report.”

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	News & Journalism, Parliament, Personalities	Posted at 11:35 am (05 May 2009)

Despite the growth of handheld video devices and TV shows on the internet, people still spend more than 9 out of 10 hours watching TV the old-fashioned way, on regular sets.

According to a survey from CBC’s research department, people spent 97 per cent of their time watching programming on regular TV sets, or with PVR’s, DVD’s or video on demand. Only two per cent of the total watching time was committed to watching television online.

The results seem to indicate that although Canadians spend a lot of time surfing online, they are not yet spending much of that time watching television shows. The average Anglophone Canadian now spends just shy of 14 hours a week online, compared to 15 hours a week watching TV.

Of the video content that is being watched online, amateur video is still the most popular, but it’s not growing in popularity. On the flip side watching professionally produced television online is growing quickly. More than one quarter of Anglophone internet users said spent time watching online TV in the last month, an increase  of 50% since last year.

And what are they watching? News. Of all the types of online TV content, news clips or newscasts are the most popular by a mile - 73 per cent of respondents said they had watched news clips or shows in the last month, sports came in a distant second at 46 per cent.

The survey results are based on 6,000 telephone interviews with Anglophone adults residing in all regions of Canada. The interviews were conducted from October 20, 2008 to December 21, 2008 and are considered accurate within plus or minus 1.3 percentage points 19 times out of 20. For more information on the survery contact the CBC/Radio-Canada Research and Strategic Analysis department.

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	Integration, Interactive TV, Programming	Posted at 12:21 pm (30 Apr 2009)

National Radio’s Health Reporter, Pauline Dakin, has some comments about language use in the flu story:

• “Suspected” means someone has symptoms but there hasn’t been a test to confirm a diagnosis.
• “Confirmed” means the diagnosis has been confirmed with a lab test.
• It is “a” swine flu, not the first. There have been previous swine flus. The World Health Organization has said regardless of pork producers’ concerns, there’s no plan to change the name.
• You can call it a “virus” or a “new influenza virus”…as in Joe contracted the virus, or he became infected, or even caught the virus.
• And we should not be using “pandemic” to talk about what’s happening now. We’re currently seeing outbreaks. If it becomes a pandemic, the World Health Organization will declare it.

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	News & Journalism	Posted at 4:30 pm (28 Apr 2009)

Michel Saint-Cyr, President of the CBC’s Real Estate Division has resigned.

The move comes as the CBC is trying to sell assets to finance the majority of a $171 million shortfall. CBC President Hubert Lacroix said on Friday that Saint-Cyr “created some one quarter billion dollars in value on a 10-year horizon…” by “monetizing” under-used assets.

Others, such as the President of the Canadian Media Guild, Lise Lareau are less charitable. “The impact of the Real Estate grip on CBC decision-making and the mantra of “monetizing” the public broadcaster’s space cannot be underestimated,” Lareau wrote on her blog.

“Desks were measured with a view to squashing as many people as possible into some newly leased space,” she added.

Lareau also said the real estate division precipitated the layoffs of 80 set and costume designers in Toronto, and that the success of the division served to mask the CBC’s financial crisis. “Here we are eight years after the creation of the Real Estate Power, with a $171M shortfall that Real Estate can’t fix, 800 layoffs on the horizon, and an unleased partly empty building in Toronto,” she wrote.

The impact of the resignation on financing CBC’s shortfall is unclear.

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	Executives, Real Estate	Posted at 10:55 am (27 Apr 2009)

To celebrate Earth Day, the CBC’s HR department is asking employees to switch to electronic pay stubs.

Every year the CBC prints and distributes 338,000 paper pay stubs, at a cost to the corporation of $44,000 a year. The goal is to cut the number of paper pay stubs in half by May 31, 2009. The electronic pay stubs will be available online.

To switch to electronic pay stubs all you have to do is send an email, for the email address and more information go here. Everyone who makes the switch will be entered in a draw to win an 8G iPod Touch, or four $25 gift certificates to the Keg restaurant, oh, and you’ll also get the sweet feeling of moral superiority for having done something good for the environment.

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	Financial, Human Resources	Posted at 8:16 am (22 Apr 2009)

It looks like the CBC’s Calgary-based drama Wild Roses will not be renewed next season. A petition is circulating online that reads: “We, the Undersigned, are fans of CBC’s Drama Series, Wild Roses, which has reportedly been canceled.” The petition has been signed by over 1000 people. 

The petition was created by Tom Niles. He said the news was announced on Facebook by Paul Christie, an actor on the show, who wrote a message on the
Facebook fan page:

As some of you may already know, we got word last week that the CBC has decided to pass on producing a second season of “Wild Roses”. To the disappointment of many, I’m sad to pass along the news.

Jeff Keay, the CBC spokesperson, said the CBC is currently figuring out which shows to renew for next season, and no announcements will be made for the next couple weeks.

Wild Roses averaged about half a million viewers during it’s thirteen-episode run. The petition says the show could have been more popular if it had received more promotion from the CBC.

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	Programming, Wild Roses	Posted at 8:23 am (16 Apr 2009)