Lacroix, you let this ‘crisis’ go to waste. So much for the much hyped, cuts at CBC.
When my job was eliminated, the percentage of cuts were much bigger and had about 2 months of grace. I feel bad for anyone let go, it sucks. I’m a three time veteran, four if you count the one that was deserved. I’ve found though that usually it’s the best thing that happens.
But when the Conservatives are rumored to cut similar amounts, it is fire and brimstone with moaning from all the lefties. We hear about apocalyptic scenarios of local stations closing, popular programs cancelled, no more broadcasting to the far out regions, basically the end of Canada as we know it.
This time it is just, ho hum, standard restructuring. Some jobs lost, continue on mostly as before. I predict that Canadians, on balance, will not even notice a difference.
Hopefully (more like wishfully) next year when the Conservative cut the CBC drastically, they will point to today’s barely noticed CBC cuts and the lack of response from Canadians.
The cuts should have been 100%, with a sell off the hard assets and real estate and the funds raised to be applied to the national debt.
CBC should get out of television
entirely. It would solve a few problems.
Radio and Internet. Awesome.
Hundreds of millions still in
the budget?
The web is the definitive content
delivery medium for Canadians.
What is so hard about this?
Traitor! CBC is the glue that binds the fabric of our Nation!
Without CBC,I can’t even imagine…….
Would the sun still rise,would the night give way to day…?
And lastly, if the CBC closed it’s doors tomorrow, would anyone actually notice?
I admit that I used to be a fan of CBC. Back in the days of Gzowski and such I listened to CBC Radio all day at work. The most common reaction by everyone when it came up that I was listening to CBC was …. What For?
CBC TV …. not so much …. except as background noise when I worked from home. Problem for them was that the escalation of BS in their news coverage became so blatant that it was intolerable.
Their sports coverage declined continuously over the last 3 decades and what finally killed that for me was HNIC shoving Toronto games down the throat of the entire country.
So far as I can tell there are fewer people watching or listening to CBC than ever … let it die.
10% is nowhere near the 100% Canadians deserve. 2 years is not the same thing as next month.
There should be riots in the streets!
Just remember that 657 people are about to lose their jobs. No reason to gloat.
Will Strombo be one of the 600 let go? I can’t stand that smug moron. If they laid him off there would be exponential savings since they wouldn’t have to host $1 million parties during the Toronto International Film Festival so that Strombo can get to “hang out with really cool people”.
PhilM >
“…657 people are about to lose their jobs. No reason to gloat.”
I’m always happy when people get off the government teat and find real jobs for themselves.
Think of it as giving them the opportunity to have some self-esteem.
Then they can get jobs in the private sector, being the hot shots they are.
cbc is like the penny, snail mail & buggy whip manufactures – time to go.
Robert;
Where have you been? Strombo jumped ship months ago. Over to Rogers and the new and improved HNIC. He saw the writing on the wall and like all good rats jumped ship.
I recently sent a letter off to CPC HQ with a rant of which one item was the continued funding of the CBC. Harper’s strategy might be death by a 1000 cuts but there is no guarantee that his government will survive long enough. The CBC’s entire reason for being is to promote progressive thought. I thoughtfully pointed this out to HQ. I suspect the loss of HNIC will accelerate the decline of this sad excuse for a pillar of Canadianism but not fast enough for me.
HNIC was pretty much the last thing I watch on CBC. If I ever figure out how to use that PVR I can record and not watch the commercial BS that comes with it. I am sure the politicans will cry about the lost viewership come election time. No one to watch their pleas for votes!
Robert l, haven’t you heard? Strombo is going over to Rogers to host Hockey Night in Canada. You’re going to get endless exposure to him “hanging out with all the cool people”. Isn’t that great?
“basically the end of Canada as we know it.”
Rick…..and this is a bad thing how????
PhilM….really? You are sad that 657 parasitic,commie leeches on the Canadian taxpayer are going? Either you or the missus must work for the Commie Broadcasting Cabal. Think of it as a chance for them or you to really put your “investigative” skills to work,or the great gubernment,trough-feeding,teat sucking network you have. And no,I don’t want fries.
“Hope & Change” – the Liberal left will love it, yes?
I remember reading an article somewhere comparing the coverage of a specific event (it might have been the Olympics) and saying the private network had sent a crew of 4 or 5 to cover it and the CBC shows up with a crew of over 20. To do the same job as the other guys. And that to me was the problem with the CBC. It’s just like any government entity. They have a budget to spend and so they do because next year they want the budget to be increased. It doesn’t compute for them to turn a profit and try to use less tax dollars.
It’ll be interesting to see if the CBC will be racially and gender bias with the layoffs.
Someone should start an “equality” poll to keep tabs on who stays and who goes to work.
I love Lacroix’s use of the term “the regions”. Why not just come out and say it like you mean it, Hubert? “The CBC is deeply committed to serving Canada, as well as the rest of you hicks living out in ‘the regions’ beyond the GTA.”
My own (enormously well-informed) opinion here: http://the-legion-of-decency.blogspot.ca/2014/04/cbcs-enemies-are-not-without.html
CBC should cut the fat and focus on what a taxpayer funded media source should do best. We need well researched documentaries without political bias. The kind of programming that Canadians can’t get from the entertainment media. Also good drama, uniquely Canadian like Republic of Doyle, Intelligence, Borders, Cracked, and classics like Corry and the National. Just to hear Rex Murphy’s viewpoint once in a while.
CBC should stop trying to compete with sports channels, and ‘biased news’ for the Liberal-Toronto-Centric demographic, the other networks do it better.
600+ people lose their government jobs…where is the downside?
These people do not provide any kind of a public service…again…where is the downside.
Why use a hatchet? A chainsaw would be much more effective.
That’s 657 times the $100,000 or so per peep, that will be left in Candian Taxpayers POCKETS, phlip!
Or is math too hard for you?
“That’s 657 times the $100,000 or so per peep, that will be left in Candian Taxpayers POCKETS.”
But unfortunately they will probably get big severance packages. A last FU to the taxpayers. Leftists have a huge sense of entitlement and an even bigger sense of contempt for the people who pay their wages.
As much as I loathe the CBC, this is a shitty way to conduct cuts. For the next two years, employees are going to sit anxiously waiting for the axe to drop. The increased amount of stress on these people will result in many jumping the gun and finding work before they find themselves out of work. Of course, this is by design, because then no severance would be necessary. It’s a cheap and lowdown way to cut costs on the cheap.
Which tells me their senior management are a bunch of chickenshit assholes.
If they had any respect for their employees, they’d announce that the cuts had to be completed within a month and get it over with, relieving both the layed-off and retained employees of the stress while offering fair compensation.
Sadly we lost Jim Flaherty today, but hopefully this day will be the beginning of the Commie CBC s departure from our culture once and for ever.
I agree Rob. The company I work for just downsized by 7000 employees globally. The cuts were swift, and mainly managerial positions. Also, unprofitable divisions were sold off. There wasn’t much time to breath in between the time the “cuts” announcement was made till when they were executed, and for most received a decent compensation. I am happy to still be employed, but if no actions were taken many more cuts would have been inevitable.
I hold no tears for CBC even though due to some programming changes by Corus here in Alberta, I have started to listen to CBC radio much more often. If the CBC has any good assets(and there are some), they will survive on their own merits; without the prop up of tax payers dollars.
My family chose to absolve from cable, being forced to pay for the CBC is just wrong.
Those 650 people can come work on the oil patch. We’ve got effectively 0% unemployment in the Leduc/Nisku area.
Ed Minchau >
“Those 650 people can come work on the oil patch”
Seriously?
Those people would be incapable of working in Alberta’s oil patch!
And would you want them?
There’s enough Eastern Canadian and other Third World useless turds walking around the downtown core of Calgary playing oilfield these days.
I hope they cut Radio Canada too. Never a good word for Canada, the federal government or (gasp) PM Harper.