Mediacheck

How to Drive Your Employees Nuts: CBC's Leaked Survey

The Mothercorp, wanting to blend TV and radio news reporting, imposed something called 'The Hub' and asked how staff liked it. Hubbub ensued.

By Shannon Rupp, 3 May 2010, TheTyee.ca

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Further evidence Satire Is Dead ™ can be found in the recently leaked survey of CBC national radio reporters providing management with feedback. It reads like something written by Ken Finkleman of The Newsroom. That's if The Wire's David Simon doesn't want to do a sixth season dissecting the crumbling institution of public broadcasting.

Via the survey, about 30 radio reporters tell a mind-boggling tale of institutional incompetence. It's a surprisingly amusing story, with great literary potential, and you might as well enjoy it: it's your tax dollars at work.

Like most listeners I'd noticed the sudden decline in CBC national radio news, but now I know the reason: The Hub.

Here's the back story. Management is trying to integrate national radio and local TV so one reporter can serve both outlets. This efficiency will be achieved through The Hub, a layer of middle management that is supposed to select stories for use across platforms.

Reporters grouse that The Hub is a world-class time-waster transferring newshounds from phone to phone or leaving them on hold like some pitiful cable customers. The Hub is a "black hole" into which story pitches disappear, yet reporters are forbidden to talk to the individual show producers.

The Hub is actively interfering with newsgathering.

"It's 1:24 p.m. and I have just received 'clearance' on my assignment," one correspondent reports, with barely concealed disdain for managers who don't know the basics of journalism. (A radio reporter could have filed five stories in that time, without breaking a sweat.)

More than 40 per cent of the journalists say they can't get a good story to air anymore. Apparently, The Hub is a barrier of TV-serving people "not qualified to be called junior reporters." A whopping 90 per cent of those surveyed say "radio culture" is much worse than it was a year ago.

A recurring theme is that there are too many chefs in the kitchen: "I'm not even sure who my boss is. Seriously. And I'm not the only one," one commenter reports.

Don't touch that dial

I'm sure The Hubsters are green, given that they don't know enough to lie about some things: "Most don't even listen to national [radio] news -- I know because they've told me," another reporter tells us.

I sympathize with that. I don't listen to CBC national radio news much either. Not since I awoke to the startlingly irrelevant announcement that Mackenzie Phillips would be on Oprah later that day telling us all about how her father (Papa John Phillips) had sexually abused her. At the time I thought some line-up editor was having a bad day. But now I know it's The Hub.

The earnest survey questions about this initiative elicit delightfully wry responses.

"Do you feel there are more or fewer opportunities?" our publicly-funded managers ask.

"If opportunities mean putting out fires all the time because mistakes are being made, then there are more opportunities," comes one response.

Asked if they felt valued by radio news managers, many wags piped up with some variation on, "Is someone managing radio news?"

Phil in the blanks

The survey develops into a weirdly compelling story as characters begin to emerge through the comments. One talented producer named "Phil" has his hard work acknowledged repeatedly by otherwise disgruntled bingo callers.

"I'm worried Phil will be fired," my computer consultant said, after reading the novel-in-comments. "Management is trying to kill the radio journalism culture, which means they'll kill all the remnants."

I'm worried about Phil too. But I'm cheering for the swashbuckler from the East Coast who is openly defiant of a system that asks him to do bad journalism in the name of being a good employee.

"I'm in rebel-held Halifax," he writes, explaining why he hadn't signed on to some practice or other.

I'm dying to know more about the Atlantic revolutionaries: is there a coup d'etat in the works?

When a Hub becomes 'impotent'

Of course there's the smarty-boots who can't resist calling the bosses idiots to their faces, with a cockiness that implies he or she is close to retirement.

"The Hub is impotent. What else do you expect when you have a level of editorial judgement that's removed from the actual program that is the end user of the content?"

And there's always one savvy reporter who is a little sharper than the pack. This one cuts through management's attempt to mollify its cranky staffers with a much-approved statement that "Radio has often been said to have a unique, strong culture."

"Culture smulture. We have different deadlines [than television]. We have an ability to tell stories when there are no pictures and no stars driving the story... This isn't a culture. It's journalism. What TV does is sometimes journalism. Usually it's just pictures with words."

Astute as that comment is, it's also a touch disingenuous. That commenter's view reflects the wider culture of journalism, which has always had contempt for TV. The nastiest critics include journos who work in the medium. I recall a video editor who used to refer to TV as "radio with wallpaper." One cameraman liked to call TV reporters "walking special effects." Another referred to them as "mic stands."

Keep it in the family?

Management's attempt to spin this at InsideTheCBC.com proves more of a confirmation of the staffers' views than a defence. They point out the morale problem is not widespread and the survey represents only 30 staffers. (Oooh, does this mean there are more leaked surveys coming?) Then they introduce us to Cathy Perry, executive producer of CBC news, who is credited with creating The Hub. She says it's unfortunate the survey ended up online. (For whom? I'm enjoying it immensely.)

"I think we just hurt each other here," she tells the site. "We should be able to have these debates and share opinions without having it go out on the Internet."

I hate to tell her this, but had she read the surveys she'd see the reporters felt ignored. Or maybe they just can't cut through The Hub to reach her?

There's no use crying over lost stories. CBC may be short on journalism these days, but this survey is a bang-up radio drama. Or in the spirit of the integrated newsroom maybe some webisodes?

I want to hear more from this plucky band of malcontents and the news-blind deskers who order them about. Perhaps we could flesh out the characters in the next installment?

I need to know if Phil survives the coming decimation. Will Halifax rebels succeed in a coup? And who is the real villain? There's a recurring character on The Hub with such lousy news judgment that he's relying on the newspapers to tell him what he should cover -- I nominate him.

Having seen that survey, I've no doubt the radio scribes are talented enough to write a series. And I understand they have lot of free time in the mornings while waiting for their assignments.

I can even suggest a tagline. The Hub: it isn't a problem, it's an opportunity. [Tyee]

Shannon Rupp is a Tyee contributing editor. Read her previous columns here.

24 Comments:

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  • Tangler

    2 years ago

    Driving Tyee Readers Nuts ...

    And the point of this column was ... what exactly?

    Honestly, if you were trying to make a point, you missed. And if you were trying to be funny ... you missed again.

    I expect a lot more from The Tyee.

  • David Beers

    2 years ago

    Administrator

    Tangler

    The column is about this (second paragraph):

    "Via the [CBC's own internal] survey, about 30 radio reporters tell a mind-boggling tale of institutional incompetence. It's a surprisingly amusing story, with great literary potential, and you might as well enjoy it: it's your tax dollars at work."

    But hey, don't drive yourself crazy. If you don't like one article on The Tyee, we post or link to lots more every day.

  • Takuan

    2 years ago

    so

    THAT'S what happened!

  • offended

    2 years ago

    The CBC logo

    is referred to by one of it's well known raconteurs as "the exploding a******". This article is but one explanation of why.

  • Kalindi

    2 years ago

    strange

    I have to agree with tangler, this article was very confusing. It began interesting, with something relevant to say, and then morphed into talking about someone named Phil. I kept on reading hoping to find out more of the problems this hub was creating.
    I have to say Mr. Beers, it would have been more appropriate for you to accept the criticism, because it is well founded. This article was just weird, as was your response.

  • Running Frog

    2 years ago

    Excuse me?!

    You are correct in your assessment Kalindi! The fall down has do do with the BC Liberal's very famous cuts.

    As in their Olympics media restrictions for example.. We just don't know right now how their straight jacket is strangling our 100% Canadian Award Winning CBC today..

    However; we do know that these opportunists have stolen our good media jobs.. Thousands of grads could and and should have been awarded our sovereign right.

    Why did CBC not morph into an umbrella style media; employing thousands from Emily Carr, Vancouver Film School, Capilano College, UBC. ETC!!! The Banff Centre has an incredible record in hosting co-productions. It should have been a no-brainer.

    Instead, we got the Americans?! HELL-O.

    I didn't personally spend $30,000. at VFS and a full year of 16 hours per day to sit and be a bitter blogger?!

    I want my career. SO DO THOUSANDS OF OTHERS. Toronto is a part of Canada; but we actually, want our jobs in Vancouver too.

    To suggest anything else is nothing more than TREASON.

    If you don't want to abide by Canadian laws; nobody is going to ask you to stay.

    These CONVOLUTE, DELAY AND DENY 'arguements' are not legal or valid.. It's merely called a DELAY TACTIC..

    QUACK QUACK QUACK!!!

    They don't call the NeoCons the worst possible government in Canada's history for nothing; now do they?!

    BRING BACK OUR 100% CANADIAN *AWARD WINNING* VANCOUVER CBC TV NOW.

    Losers will always come and go; but it's our very prized CBC that keeps the balance and sanity in our society. It is Canada's backbone.

    Not the NeoCons.

  • Ramona777

    2 years ago

    CBC Navel-Gazing

    I agree with Tangler and Kalindi. The focus of this story?
    But the CBC is becoming increasingly irrelevant. They hired an aged anchor in Vancouver, for what? And for how much? Isn't there good young talent out there that should be used rather than over-the-hill newsreaders, or is this part of The Hub?

  • Running Frog

    2 years ago

    CBC Supporter! ~:)

    Your arguement doesn't hold any water; irrelevant to whom exactly?

    They hired Tony Parsons from CTV; to provide the so called balance between left and right; which, includes the same audience too.

    And Ramona; the younger crowd very obviously already has lots of media/internet; and they are not the larger demographic. Your point still falls down.

    The hub sounds like yet another NeoCon temporary straight jacket.. Obama's 'icey waters' to be exact..

    You can float the boat; but will it?

    We all have everything to lose. There is no WIN in this equation kids!

    TBD.

  • cjsfpa

    2 years ago

    This is a great and important story!

    The merging of radio & TV news is not a good idea and it's not a new idea, it's mentioned with dread in the brilliant novel about CBC in Yellowknife in the 1970s, Late Nights on Air. I loved how this story filled in why it doesn't work. The Hub is also not unprecedented. Years ago I worked for NPR in the US and considered applying to be a Regional editor. A friend advised "you don't want that job, it's all about preventing reporters from getting their stories to the editors."

  • MichaelT

    2 years ago

    those complaining about this

    those complaining about this article are insane.

    It is a fine story one will not see elsewhere.

  • MichaelT

    2 years ago

    especially considering how

    especially considering how important journalism is to democracy and CBC radio USED TO BE the gold standard.

    I swear ever since they neutered Enright when he rightfully called the Catholic Church a criminal enterprise and Milewski went after APEC & Chretien, it's been a sycophants dream job where journalism was replaced with official sources spin and politically correct mewling.

  • Roger Evan Larry

    2 years ago

    who needs quality anyway?!

    This is an important story that goes to the heart of how the whole country and many of it’s most important institutions - from Parliament to the CBC - are being rewired to suit the needs of accountants and conservative politicians – all in service of plutocracy. People who read the The Tyee should care about the quality of CBC news because they know how few quality Canadian news sources remain - in any medium. The irreverence of the piece was appropriate given the tragic absurdity of this situation – irreverence is how us many us cope. Keep up the great work.

  • thelaloblog

    2 years ago

    What's not to get?

    I'm truly astounded at the commenters who fail to see the relevance of this story. It's a very smart encapsulation of everything that's wrong at the CBC, and the dedicated journalists who actually want to do their jobs. The "Phil" story is to let us know that there's a rebel faction, and that's important, too. I WANT to know this. It might be hard to appreciate, but it's important to the preservation of a media fabric that has defined us for a long time. Its erosion is to the detriment of us all.

  • dbk

    2 years ago

    Hilarious

    Thanks so much for this. I never worked for CBC but I think I know how the journos feel.

  • Spiritlifter

    2 years ago

    Hub...

    This deconstruction of Canadian society begins with its media. This ordeal began in Alberta circa 89-93. by, "Fanatical Albertans and small minded evangelical cranks" - Stan Roberts.

  • Booker

    2 years ago

    Great article

    Thanks for this rather depressing look at the inner workings of the CBC. I confess to not listening much to the CBC anymore because the quality simply isn't there. I haven't turned to private media because they are far worse. I mostly use podcasts from BBC, NPR, and some select CBC shows that I pick and choose from. It's sad to see such a fine institution deteriorate and it simply plays into the hands of conservatives who preach that anything "public" is bad.

  • dave49

    2 years ago

    Booker, I agree.

    Booker, I agree.

    I started wondering when last fall they started using theme music that sounded like Private Sector radio stations.

  • Just me

    2 years ago

    Important story if only

    If only it were a story. Perhaps the Tyee needs to post a "glib alert" on such tortured attempts at whatever the attempt was at.

    It would be good to see this story reported, not just played with. What source was contacted?

    It would be good to see something other than smart-alec wise-cracking about the significant and detrimental culture of so-called media synergy -- a dead '80s business concept that has found new legs among media theorists, especially media theorists first trained as accountants. According to these cross-platform enthusiasts, the message is the medium. The only journalism that matters is that which can be sliced and diced ad nauseum till it fits through the eye of the needle that is Twitter.

    Thank-you, David Beers, for the attempt to explain this piece of op-ed infotainment. It would have been a more credible and much more useful read had you written the original report yourself.

  • Tom Hawthorn

    2 years ago

    Good insight

    I think all the cranks should ask for their money back.

    The rest of us will savor a funny column that describes the travails of some CBC radio employees. Like all reporters, they just want to report the news. Now, if only management would get out of the way ...

  • Wake Up

    2 years ago

    Mourn The Loss of CBC's Soul

    The Hub sounds like a dementor of Harry Potter ilk, sucking the soul out of the single informational link we have across the nation. Has anyone out there actually tried to find a good radio station? That is, with intelligence, depth, and breadth? There is nothing which comes close to CBC, although I have to admit that I have bubbled with fury at some of the biased statements that have made it through on the news lately, and the biased angles that have also risen amidst the better stuff - purposeful or budget cutting or a bit of both? Well, at least now I KNOW why, thanks to this article. Much of the programming is really junkfood news; fluff that I thought maybe they were trying to reach a younger audience with - but not a smart audience. But at least, I rationalized, there is still the 6pm radio, and Barbara Bud and Terry O'Reilly. Can't say hearing about the traffic reporter's mother is very interesting with her ums and uhs, though.

    Okay, so my point is here that CBC radio is getting worse, but I still appreciate hearing more in depth, and consistently about what is going on across my nation, and your nation, btw. I can't speak about CBC TV, though I flip between CBC and BCTV, and do try watch some of the uniquely Canadian programming, though rarely. I commute and therefore radio makes more sense for me.

    And, FYI, the Phil part of this article did take me off track a bit, but the rest was good!

  • vanhatman

    2 years ago

    Tyee Readers driving me nuts

    WOW, I thought people that read the Tyee had a clue. Uh, this story is about the CBC, our public broadcaster, being stifled by bureaucracy. Maybe it's obvious that any large institution is prone to these kind of inanities, but this particular situation is NEWS. I dunno, maybe now that we know about this we could demand changes to our public institution? Thank you to the Tyee for bringing this to light.

  • kacbru

    2 years ago

    I didn't hear this story

    I didn't hear this story reported on CBC radio. The hub must have killed the story.

  • Snowrunner

    2 years ago

    The long and slow decline...

    ... it's not only the news that are on the decline, the "entertainment" division of CBC TV is also seriously lacking quality.

    For five or six years now the decline has been rather noticeable and I doubt we've seen the end of it. The CBC has hired American Management to "revitalize" the CBC and "bring it forward", or at least that's what we were told back in the day.

    So far, the way forward seems to be an organization that has abandoned what made it once great in the name of being "more appealing". From CBC Radio to CBC TV (or even online) it's just a bad joke.

    How come smaller outlets can break news in a timely fashion while it can take half a day or more for the same info to show up on the Radio / Online?

  • stace

    2 years ago

    unfolding drama

    Loved this story, not least because it reminded me of that old show "the Great Eastern"--no doubt *that* crew is a rebel insurgency!

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