The Southern Ontario/WNY Radio-TV Forum » The Craziest Idea From CBC Management Yet

RadioActive · February 25, 2025 3:24 pm

Regardless of whether you love or hate the Corp., if you've ever worked in TV news, this has to be the craziest idea yet. I just heard this on the Blacklock's Reporter segment on AM640 and frankly, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. But I have to admit, I laughed. Out loud.

And while the story itself is behind a paywall, the pertinent details aren't. To quote the available first paragraph:

"CBC reporters must fight climate change by riding to assignments on bicycles, says a corporate report. The document did not mention what action would be taken by managers who take overseas junkets overseas: ‘Bikes are a new and sustainable way to gather news.’"

This should have anyone who's ever worked in a TV newsroom howling hysterically. Can you imagine for a second carrying one of those heavy ENG cameras and all the other equipment you need for making a TV news story on an e-bike? Even in radio, it's a stretch.

For one thing, there's no guarantee you'd even make it to where you're going on time. And for another, it's pretty dangerous out there on the unplowed winter roads.

I fully support fighting climate change, but there are times when you need a vehicle. Maybe an electric powered one, but a real car. Needless to say, this suggestion has not gone over well with staffers and it's very unlikely you'll see it happen. But the fact some fat cat in an upper office suggested it at all shows how out of touch some of their management is.

ED1 · February 25, 2025 3:58 pm

Even with the smaller pro-sumer ENG camera and iPhone kits being used, there's still the matter of tripods, lighting, microphones, bonded cellular kits, etc., this is really not feasible. Go get a fleet of Nissan Leafs then if you want to save the environment, but don't make it hard for these one-man VJs to do their jobs.

RadioAaron · February 25, 2025 4:07 pm

Not to mention the physical discrimination. Encourage? Sure. Must? Nope.

Paul Jeffries · February 25, 2025 4:17 pm

That's not a parody site, is it? These days it's often hard to tell.

PJ

betaylored · February 25, 2025 6:06 pm

What a wheely bad idea.
Clearly this comes via a sneaky wormhole in the spaced out time continuum from April 1, 2025.
It's very Fringe final season-ish.

RadioActive · February 26, 2025 8:19 am

Paul Jeffries wrote:
That's not a parody site, is it? These days it's often hard to tell.

PJ

You might think that, but not only is it true, they actually tried it before. This 2023 article is from CBC Radio Canada itself.

Pedalling stories: Radio journalists use e-bikes to power their reporting

g121 · February 26, 2025 8:50 am

RadioActive wrote:
Regardless of whether you love or hate the Corp., if you've ever worked in TV news, this has to be the craziest idea yet. I just heard this on the Blacklock's Reporter segment on AM640 and frankly, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. But I have to admit, I laughed. Out loud.

And while the story itself is behind a paywall, the pertinent details aren't. To quote the available first paragraph:

"CBC reporters must fight climate change by riding to assignments on bicycles, says a corporate report. The document did not mention what action would be taken by managers who take overseas junkets overseas: ‘Bikes are a new and sustainable way to gather news.’"
.
.

re: And while the story itself is behind a paywall, the pertinent details aren't. To quote the available first paragraph:

Would be nice to see the whole article to grasp full context & framework. Assuming the provided paragraph snippet tells the whole story is barely more than simply responding to a Headline without reading the article which reeks of someone gunning to trash the CBC.

RadioActive · February 26, 2025 9:51 am

The managing editor of the site was on the radio Tuesday and went into greater detail about it, and I would love to read the entire piece (but a site subscription is about $400 a year - way beyond my budget.)

However, I think the fact there's an article from Radio-Canada itself that shows they've already tried it is a pretty good indication that it's not just a trash piece.

BowmanvilleBob · February 26, 2025 10:12 am

C'mon RA...The Rad-Can article pointed out that this was an initiative led by local reporters, rather than a top-down demand from management. It added that the experiment, such as it is now, is being driven by radio reporters, rather than TV crews who would have to carry bulky camera gear and mic kits. The article also points out that e-bikes are often faster and more efficient in crowded urban environments than cars, taxis or public transit.
For me, the fact that this story is getting such play on sites like Blacklock's, Rebel News and the Western Standard, none of which are particularly friendly to our national broadcaster, certainly smacks to me of yet another anti-CBC hit job.

RadioActive · February 26, 2025 10:30 am

I don't know, I just find the idea of reporters puttering around on e-bikes trying to get to the scene of breaking news, especially in the winter, hilarious. It's just not feasible. You can choose to believe whether it's true or not, but it is an insane idea and it made me laugh.

I will say I've been listening to Tom Korski from Blacklock's for a while now (he appears on both CFRB an AM640 several times a week) and the one thing you can say about their organization is they do their homework. They get hold of paperwork and often confidential memos no one else does and they actually read reports that are 900 pages long, to discover the one nugget in them no one else finds, often quoting them verbatim. That's why I enjoy his reports so much.

So far as I know, no one has ever successfully sued them for saying anything false. So as critical as they can be of the current government, I find them pretty credible. I hope they continue to keep up the pressure even if the Conservatives should win the next election. They're all worthy of closer scrutiny, regardless of party.

BowmanvilleBob · February 26, 2025 10:47 am

Really RA? My first job in radio way back in the early 80s involved working at a station in southwestern Ontario as one-half of a two person news department. The owner was a notoriously cheap guy who sold our station vehicle, which was shared by sales, sports and news, and I couldn't afford a car of my own at that stage. I rode my bike to cover town council meetings, sporting events and even fires and local cop calls in the middle of the night. Obviously, I couldn't ride in the winter months and no one expected me to, but in a small, urban environment, it made perfect sense for me to use the tools I had at the time to do the job.

Whatever your opinion of the CBC's management, I don't think they're stupid enough to require TV crews to lug heavy equipment through the snow on a bicycle. That simply defies common sense and would be the subject of enough union grievances to fill a filing cabinet. It's one thing to support a specific ideology that favours cut, cut, cut when it comes to the public broadcaster, but it's entirely different matter to suggest that management would endorse a set of policies that would endanger crews or put the outlet at a severe competitive disadvantage against their private-sector counterparts.

g121 · February 26, 2025 10:52 am

RadioActive wrote:
The managing editor of the site was on the radio Tuesday and went into greater detail about it, and I would love to read the entire piece (but a site subscription is about $400 a year - way beyond my budget.)

However, I think the fact there's an article from Radio-Canada itself (https://cbc.radio-canada.ca/en/your-public-broadcaster/blog/radio-journalists-use-e-bikes-to-power-their-reporting) that shows they've already tried it is a pretty good indication that it's not just a trash piece.

But the previous 2023 exercise was employee, not management, initiated. Sorry but this still reeks of gunning to the trash the CBC.

Some Radio-Canada radio journalists are putting a new spin on news gathering as part of a pilot project to use electric bikes for reporting. Spearheaded by Annie Desrochers, host of ICI PREMIÈRE’s Le 15-18 drive-home show, this two-wheeled initiative took root in late 2022 among a trail-blazing group of Radio-Canada reporters, producers and anchors.

RadioActive · February 26, 2025 11:10 am

I tend to believe Blacklock's credibility. They are not uber-nuts like Rebel News. They may lean a bit to the right but that doesn't mean they report lies. Every government has skeletons in its closet. They just happen to find them and report on them. And pretty hilariously at times, too.

And I would hope they keep doing it if there's a change in government, regardless of which party wins. For a $400 a year subscription (they charge so much because they don't take any government money to help keep them afloat), they'd better keep delivering the goods if they want to stay in business.

paterson1 · February 26, 2025 11:29 am

This is the problem with many who dislike CBC. I know I sound like a broken record, but those that hate the corpse, whether it's RA, Brian Lilley, Pierre Poilievre or whoever, tend to EXAGGERATE all the time. More important they leave out what the late great Paul Harvey would say..."the rest of the story."

I have no doubt that using an ebike for a CBC reporter is encouraged if the location of the story is relatively close by, or easier and quicker than fighting traffic downtown in a vehicle. Thirty years ago I worked at a newspaper where a reporter did exactly that. But it was on a case by case basis, and not "mandated" by management. I am sure this is the case with CBC.

The anti CBC crowd will leave this part out and make it like this is part of the corporations "master plan" to push their left wing agenda on staff and the Canadian public. Or maybe try to show how CBC is so out of touch with everyone else with laughable and unworkable policies.

I am sorry, this is just talking down to your audience. By only highlighting the areas that you don't like or against, and then trying to make like this is yet another example of the waste, a left wing out of touch agenda or something unworkable is really starting to get tired.

I am sure that some reporters at the Star, CityTV, CTV, freelancers etc. will opt for a bike when appropriate or if it makes sense. Especially if they are younger. If the CBC wants to encourage staff to do this, what is wrong with that? It is very possible their competition is doing the same.

Final note, Pierre Poilivre doesn't seem to be bringing up the defunding of CBC nearly as much these days. Mr. Trump with his unhinged 51st State deep thoughtsmakes it a lot more difficult for the conservatives to pile on the anti CBC rhetoric. I also saw a conservative party ad on CBC TV last week....

RadioActive · February 26, 2025 11:36 am

This suggestion apparently came from a senior manager in a policy document, as I pointed out in my original post. I never said it was CBC policy, only that it was suggested by someone in the upper echelons of management, who seems out of touch.

The reason I posted it wasn't to denigrate the entire Corp., per se, but the image of a TV reporter dragging his/her camera, lighting equipment, boom mic, etc. and anything else they might need was a hilarious image to me. Still is.

A newspaper reporter is not so encumbered. I don't think the comparison applies.

The fact some are taking offence to this suggestion may be the really interesting part of this story. It IS possible to criticize the CBC without wanting it to disappear from the face of the earth. A dumb idea is a dumb idea, whether it's on CBC, CTV, or Global. I still find picturing the scenario laughable.

paterson1 · February 26, 2025 1:22 pm

The thing is, the scenario you are laughing about wouldn't happen. And like you say, it is not CBC policy anyway. An idea suggested or encouraged from someone out of touch in the upper echelons of management is not only a CBC issue...I believe we talk about this all the time with Bell, Rogers, Stingray etc.....

RadioActive · February 26, 2025 1:40 pm

Well, I agree that dumb is dumb, regardless of where it comes from. But as far as I know, none of the others you mentioned have ever suggested this.

paterson1 · February 26, 2025 1:55 pm

RadioActive wrote:
Well, I agree that dumb is dumb, regardless of where it comes from. But as far as I know, none of the others you mentioned have ever suggested this.

Maybe because Bell, Rogers, Global, Stingray and a few others are not scrutinized anywhere near the extent of CBC/Radio Canada. It's tax money yes, but after a while the excessive complaining about everything CBC becomes ineffective and unnecessary.

RadioActive · February 26, 2025 2:03 pm

The others are private companies, as you note. The CBC is not and is supported by you and me and every Canadian. There's little doubt we have a right to know what they do with our money. Just like any other government supported organization.

Good or bad, wouldn't you want to know how they're spending all that dough and whether they're suggesting dumb ideas? I certainly do. I don't know why anyone would object to being able to find out that information. Being the CBC does not make them exempt from that responsibility.

Radiowiz · February 26, 2025 2:28 pm

A little early for April 1st.

paterson1 · February 26, 2025 7:11 pm

RadioActive wrote:
The others are private companies, as you note. The CBC is not and is supported by you and me and every Canadian. There's little doubt we have a right to know what they do with our money. Just like any other government supported organization.

Good or bad, wouldn't you want to know how they're spending all that dough and whether they're suggesting dumb ideas? I certainly do. I don't know why anyone would object to being able to find out that information. Being the CBC does not make them exempt from that responsibility.

Nothing wrong with CBC being held to account, but it shouldn't be needless whining and deceptive articles like this story that don't lead anywhere. Most, if not all of the "crisis at CBC" stories that have been peddled for the last 27 years in the National Post and Sun newspapers are nothing but hack editorial jobs on a crown corporation they don't like. These commentaries are intentionally misleading with a cherry picking of facts. So accountability is fine and expected, however this is not what these sidebar, waste of time stories are giving us.

RadioActive · February 27, 2025 10:03 am

According to a new study, Canadians are getting a good bang for their buck with the CBC, compared to other public broadcasters around the world.

It "examines government funding of public broadcasters in 18 countries and compares this to Canada. It finds that Canada’s national public broadcaster is Canadians’ most trusted news source and nearly the cheapest to fund. Indeed, of the 19 countries in the survey, only the U.S., New Zealand, and Portugal had lower per capita public spending than Canada."

Public broadcast funding in Canada gives Canadians the best bang for their buck

newsguy1 · February 27, 2025 3:28 pm

There must be more to it than this.
And I would be surprised if their union, The Canadian Media Guild, would allow this, even if it supports fighting climate change.

67GreenRambler · February 28, 2025 1:55 pm

'According to a new study, Canadians are getting a good bang for their buck with the CBC,..'

Just as a matter of note, the temporary notice at bottom right was removed this week ... after 4 years. (have a picture from 3 years ago after reading it for a year)