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Note: this one came in a while ago and we forgot to post it.
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From: Kari [ ]
Date: Aug 27, 2005 2:26 AM
Subject: CBC lockout
To: Frulla.L@parl.gc.ca, Goldring.P@parl.gc.ca, Martin.P@parl.gc.ca, robert_rabinovitch@cbc.ca, jane_chalmers@cbc.ca
Cc: cbckeydemo@gmail.com
Dear all,
I wish to express my concern regarding the labour dispute at the CBC.
The CBC is many things to many people. Its importance as a cohesive element in our national psyche cannot be overstated. Whether they're catching the odd CFL game or tuning in to As It Happens every night after dinner, almost every Canadian has a direct connection with our national broadcaster.
But others have expressed this more eloquently and passionately. (Some who share my concerns have shared their views at http://www.cbckeydemo.blogspot.com/.) What I wish to offer instead is an account of the CBC's importance in my life.
It is difficult for me to express fully what the CBC means to me as a young Canadian. CBC radio, in particular, is a big part of my past. One of my earliest memories is of the Morningside theme playing from my aunt's radio. Whenever I came home from school in Calgary, the radio was on, tuned to 1010 am. I remember sitting in the driveway for what seemed like an hour, not wanting to turn off the car radio until the election results came in.
Until the lockout, the CBC was a big part of my current life. Radio One was the first thing I heard in the morning and the last thing I heard at night. Any major event came to me first by way of Judy Maddren or Ian Hanomansing, or maybe George Stroumboulopoulos. I mourned when Peter Gzowski died, deeply affected by his influence on the lives of Canadians across the country.
I hope desperately that the CBC will play a significant role in my future. When I allow myself to imagine my ideal career, I picture myself as Shelagh Rogers or Barbara Budd. It is my dream to work as a broadcaster on CBC radio.
More than anything, more than my disconnect from the local information I crave, more than my sympathy for the journalists whose work I admire, more than my concern for the public image of the CBC, it is my dream of being a broadcaster that motivates me to write to you. While the minutiae of the labour dispute are bewildering to outsiders like me, I know that there is a simple solution to this problem, and it is a solution which you actually have the power to implement: increased government support.
The workers at the CBC have demonstrated their desire to continue with the jobs they love: even while on lockout, they are publishing blogs, broadcasting on community stations, and offering streetside weather reports. The management of the CBC clearly wishes to continue to produce a quality product, given Mr. Rabinovitch's optimistic and positive message in the 2003-04 annual report: to say "Our goal will remain constant—to serve the citizens of this country by offering the best Canadian programming found anywhere" clearly indicates a commitment to this organization that we love and depend upon.
Your support will ensure that both the management and the workers can fulfill their vision. Your swift action will restore the national connection that will atrophy as long as original programming is off the air. Your continuous commitment is the only assurance that the CBC, a true national treasure, will be protected. With enough government support, the CBC will continue to produce quality programming, enduring personalities, and the reliable information we all depend on.
Please, for the future of broadcasting and broadcasters, do what is in your power to restore the CBC.
Kari
