I can’t let the host of Connect with Mark Kelley fade into the CBC sunset without a few words. The Spring of the Savage CBC Cuts has killed his show. But he’s going out in splendid style. Kelley went back to high school for a week to shoot BullyPROOF, a thoughtful, significant, emotional and […]
Quit Complaining, CBC, and Prove Your Worth
I’d hoped I wouldn’t have to write about the CBC for a while. In fact I’ve already checked out The Naked News (“The Program With Nothing to Hide”) as a welcome change of pace. Then I went to the Toronto Star’s vapid “Whither the CBC” discussion at the Toronto Reference Library on Monday. Only interesting […]
Seriously, This Is What the Media Complains About
Event: Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) convention Location: Fairmont, Royal York Hotel, Toronto Dates: April 27, 28, 29, 2012 Focus # 1 — So, what do 300 Canadian journalists bitch about when they get together for their annual conference? You’d think there’d be a lot of whining about fewer and fewer companies (a number of […]
Daily Planet Still Fails to Thrill
Full disclosure: Discovery Channel, which owns Daily Planet, was principal licensor and financial backer for my 2007 wildlife documentary trilogy Inside Noah’s Ark. Also, I was hired to coach a former Daily Planet host on performance (apparently not very well, because she was fired shortly thereafter). The Past — Last month, I wrote a review […]
CBC Cuts Produce — Surprise! — Good Programming
It couldn’t have come at a better time. Right after the brutal $115-million budget cut — while its enemies bash it for opacity and profligacy and its friends laud it as sacred Canadiana — the network has a triumphant evening. As evidence, I offer two of the CBC News department’s most venerable programs —Marketplace and […]
Have We Forgotten the Journalism’s Raison D’Être?
Traditional professional journalism is taking a beating these days. When challenged, both left and right sneer at is as “mainstream journalism,” implying that its somehow tainted because it’s general interest, rather than some rabidly one-sided screed which supports their every prejudice and excludes all else. So allow me to answer back. Ethical professional journalism is […]
Sun TV’s Right vs. Left Jabs on Brazeau/Trudeau Fight
As journalism goes, so goes democracy — Sun TV’s coverage of Saturday night’s Liberal/Conservative fight was a triumph of reality TV. Ezra Levant and Brian Lilley, two of Sun’s most opinionated poobahs, play boxing commentators for the fight. They clearly know little about boxing. But that doesn’t matter. Because they aren’t there, all dressed […]
Here’s How the CBC can Survive the Cuts
Date — Thursday, March 29, 2012 Subject — Open letter to the CBC president and CEO after the government budget announced this afternoon. Dear President Lacroix, By now, you know most of the gory details of the damage. Ten per cent cut to the CBC. Blood on the floor. From some, wails of anguish. […]
Why CBC Budget Cuts May Yield Better News
Unkindest cut of all — The dreaded 2012 Conservative budget comes out on Thursday and terror stalks the gloomy halls of CBC. HuffPost’s Althia Raj has learned that Heritage Minister James Moore, up to now a rare defender of the CBC in Conservative ranks, is going for the whole enchilada. Not just a five […]