TORONTO – Sometime next week, CBC’s locked-out Canadian Media Guild members will launch an Internet-based media service.
It will present journalism, and eventually other programming, produced by the reporters, researchers, writers, hosts, producers, technicians and support staff, says the Guild.
At launch, the production will be audio-only.
This project is coming together very quickly and the Toronto group is close to finalizing office/studio space. “We have a good name, which will be announced shortly for maximum publicity; and we have the skills to remind the audience of how professional CANADIAN journalism looks and sounds,” says the union.
Various ad-hoc groups have been meeting in Toronto and around the country to develop the idea, according to the union. The CMG leadership has now approved the project and, since the workers are without a collective agreement, there are no conflict issues to prevent them from doing it.
“We plan to begin with a text and picture site. It will be followed closely by an English National daily newscast which will be available via podcast and downloadable file at 6 p.m. EDT (our French colleagues are also developing programming suitable to their audiences). Once those streams are running, we could expand to provide more local, regional and national news, current affairs and entertainment content….and even some ‘moving picture’ TV elements,” says the CMG.
The union is now in the process of asking its 5,300-plus locked out members to volunteer, so that the new service will be credible and of sufficient quality.
Any time spent working on the news service will count for up to 10 of the workers’ 20 hours per week of lockout duty (which is primarily picket duty in order to get lockout pay).
“We need writers, editors, reporters, photographers, camera operators, researchers, technicians, resource experts… every position that you would find in any other newsroom,” says the union.
