Tonight the CBC gets serious about sanctioned corporate blogging by launching inside the CBC, a news/gossip/hype blog. But it’s not written by a committee or by a communications flunkie. It’s written by lockout blogger, podcast visionary, dot-com millionaire, high school dropout, CBC freelancer, and CMG member Tod Maffin.
They’ve given him free reign to write the official blog of the CBC, unfettered and unedited. And they’ve opened up the comments, too.
Keep in mind that its the idea of the Ottawa Corporate Communications Department, architects of Rabinovitch’s disastrous “silence is golden” media campaign of the 2005 lockout.
To go from that to this signifies a radical rethink.
For so long, the CBC has been in reactive mode on this stuff, like Stursberg’s recent clumsy stint at the Globe and Mail. To actually reach out to employees and audiences in a direct, unfiltered, honest way is a major shift in how we deal with each other and the Canadian public. And a good one.
The truth is that since the lockout last year, the CBC has been studying blogs – including this one – very closely. They’ve learned a lot.
The stakes are high. The CBC risks embarrassment if Tod fucks up or turns on them, and Tod risks looking like a corporate lapdog.
Then again, maybe the stakes are not so high after all? To fuck up is human, and Tod is no lapdog, I can assure you.
What’s the worst that can happen?
Whatever it is, at least we’ll get to see it unedited.
6 Comments
Ah yes the Canadian institution that’™s has an opinion of it’™s self far beyond arrogant and self serving. They will give you cultural and financial reasons why they must stay in existence to hold our country together????? They will tell you about the protection of Canada’™s private broad casters forgetting to mention they are the most protected of all with my tax dollars. They will sight England and France having more tax dollars paid per captia to public broad casting than Canada. They will also tell you Canada has the forth lowest level of public broad cast contribution of 18 Western countries.
They will tell you left on it’™s own Canadian programming would not exist. Who knows Politicians have been hood winked into propping up the CBC forever
They will tell you they are Canada’™s national broadcaster Forgetting the other net works who care equally if not for Canada
They will tell you they have a mandate which contributes to strengthening Canadian democracy, promoting and protecting Canadian culture and sovereignty. They say they will tell the country’™s stories in a Canadian way. Providing a domestic perspective on international events. What do the other net works do????
They will help audience’™s form their own opinions based on facts with unbiased factual information and help us also learn about each other. They will tell you with out considering the population is becoming more diverse there is a risk that social diversity could fragment us and cause isolationism but they can hold the country together. !WHAT! More Arrogance
In case any one at CBC reads this you are not the only ones who care about Canada.
Sorry to see job cuts
C
I have to agree with Johnny. It may be pretty but it’s nauseatingly bland, as well as horribly chirpy and outrageously optimistic. You’d think the CBC was a vibrant organization instead of a sinking ship with idiots as managers.As far as I’m concerned it’s just another piece of management propaganda. I gave it a week but now I’ve seen enough.
OK, I’ve given it a week.
Lapdog?
Are you being optimistic or kind?
“Inside the CBC” seems to be “the Grapevine” with slightly different formatting.
On a day when the National Post has an article “Heritage Minister cancels review of CBC Mandate”, this clown features stories about a sale in the CBC shop and his upcoming white-bread tour of BC.
Has anyone noticed that Ouimette looks like a very young Elvis? Maybe from Kid Creole?
That’s why you must read the Tea Makers every day, no matter what your boss says.
How come we have to hear this from you, Ouimet?
The ubiquitous Net Pub Eng sure has lots to say when managers are appointed. Where’s the Net Pub Eng announcement about something we could actually use?