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| Bill Tieleman with Mark Kelley in April 2011 shooting a show in Vancouver during federal election |
We often hear the bad news about job losses and cutting spending in an abstract way - today I learned that the great CBC TV NewsNetwork show Connect with Mark Kelley has been cancelled as part of federal budget cuts - and it stinks.
I have been honoured to appear on the show with Mark several times - most recently last Thursday about the F35 fighter jet controversy - and think Mark is one of the brightest lights at the CBC.
Now he and his staff have been driven into the ditch by Conservative government budget cuts and CBC management decision making.
And Mark's many fans from coast to coast have been deprived of an intelligent host with an engaging show that looked more in depth at a variety of issue on a daily basis.
Mark is too talented to stay off air - so I hope he remains in a new role somewhere in CBC TV - but he is also someone that any network in the world would love to add to their staff.
Mark's dedicated on and off air colleagues may not be as fortunate, though they are very skilled and hard working. I wish all the producers and other staff I've dealt with good luck in finding new work.
But for viewers, well, there isn't going to be any good luck. We've already suffered from ongoing cuts to CBC TV and Radio - and I sadly note also the loss of Dispatches with Rick MacInnes-Rae on Radio One - and it is far from over.
More Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune - cheap American game show TV - is what we will get instead of real news and current affairs reporting, original Canadian drama and comedy and a commitment to public broadcasting.
I urge you to support Friends of Canadian Broadcasting, the non-profit group fighting to save and improve the CBC and public broadcasting in this country - before it's too late.
Lastly - the only thing for those of us who oppose the Conservatives shortsighted and wrongheaded position is to make it vote determining in the next election.
UPDATE
Not only are these CBC cuts wrong - they are another broken election promise. On May 3, 2011 Conservative Heritage Minister James Moore stated:
"We have said that we will maintain or increase support for the CBC. That is our platform and we have said that before and we will commit to that."
Moore, Member of Parliament for BC's Port Moody-Coquitlam-Port Coquitlam riding, should be held accountable for what he promised.
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14 comments:
How do we dare leave a monster, such as Harper in charge, for three more years? He is giving Canada to Communist China, resources, jobs and all.
We have lost our country, because of Harper. Harper has permitted China to buy up the tar sands. China refuses to pay Canadian wages. Harper is allowing China, to bring their own people to work their vast tar sands holdings. Harper is permitting China, to bring thousands of their own people over, to build the Enbridge pipeline. China refuses to have the dirty tar refined in Canada. They pay their own people, starvation wages, to refine it in their own country.
Campbell shipped our mills to China, and our raw logs. Hundreds of BC mill people lost their jobs. China also owns BC mines. They are sending their people to school, to learn English. The Chinese will work the mining jobs too.
Everything Christy has said she is doing, is all for the convenience of China. The roads, and the millions towards the Enbridge pipeline....all for China. And, absolutely nothing for the people.
The first thing Harper and Campbell did, was muzzle the media. Harper has hated CBC for years. I have been donating to the CBC, but it looks like that was in vain.
There is so much fluff on the CBC and yet "they" chose to cut a leading-edge progressive show like that? Sure sounds like a targetted hit to me. For shame.
What fluff, you ask? How about francophone services in areas with virtually no franco audience!
"How do we dare leave a monster, such as Harper in charge, for three more years? He is giving Canada to Communist China, resources, jobs and all. "
Should have spent more time in the NDP campaign office on the phone to undecideds, sport. Whining and crying doesn't do anything.
The CBC's subsidies have to go. Let it compete in the market.
Why do we even need in Vancouver CBUFT (French CBC)?
Donating to the CBC? That's a laugh. Every taxpayer has.
Also laughable that the smae people who cry and wail against the mainstream media which includes the CBC now want to save it.
Hypocritical!
Somewhat ironic given the role former Progressive Conservative PM RB Bennett played in the birth of the CBC.
"Somewhat ironic given the role former Progressive Conservative PM RB Bennett played in the birth of the CBC."
Somewhat ironic that left wing mainstream hating blog contributors would actually care about a late 1940's Conservative Prime Minister's support for the CBC.
If Kelley had even a hint of being Conservative, there would not be the crying about losing his Tv show.
if the CBC is to survive, they need more quality revenue programming to relieve the taxpayer from the costs. Other than Hockey Night in Canada, The Beachcombers, Wayne and Shuster, and the Rick Mercer Report, the CBC hasn't come up with big revenue generating programs.
good point! The whole Harper debacle really clarifies the difference between a progressive conservative and a reformer !
The CBC should be privatized except for a basic news service on radio, television and the web for those people who live in remote areas where media access would otherwise be limited or unavailable. The obvious conflict of interest entailed in a public broadcaster "reporting" on the hand the government from which that broadcaster receives its funding is irreconcilable. Moreover, the same people who will whine about the precious CBC having to cut spending will also be first to demand ever greater spending on numerous social programs. It is during debates/discussions like these that the abysmal numeracy skills of the average Canadian become horrifyingly apparent. With regard to Mark Kelley, he is a particularly worthy target for cuts as he does not even offer a pretense of objectivity, but instead indulges his biases and prejudices at every opportunity.
Note to Anonymous 10 April 2012 8:20:00 pm pdt.
PM RB Bennett was a prime minister in the 1930s not the 1940s
The CBC is an institution I can't do without, so long as they reverse their tendency to suck up to government to avoid facing cuts. Although, they certainly can cut some largesse from the trough, I hope it does not continue until thay are a spent force. As far as the cancellation of Mark Kelly's syruppy and sanguine magazine come tabloid regurgitations, good riddance!
Mark appears to think he's one of the brightest light's anywhere, but I won't miss him. Could probably keep him and Solomon and many more for Strombo's pay packet I could get behind that
To Tuesday, 10 April, 2012 8:20:00 PM PDT..PM RB Bennett was prime minister in the 1930s not the 1940s
The CONServatives are not a progressive party, they are Republican "mini-me's".
The NDP isn't pogressive either, they are Canadian "those".
To Tuesday, 10 April, 2012 8:20:00 PM PDT..PM RB Bennett was prime minister in the 1930s not the 1940s
to:Wednesday, 11 April, 2012 2:55:00 PM PDT
Good on you for taking the time to do the homework.
Quate a few of the blog contributors here do nothing but complain, cry and whine about everything that they don't like in politics.
PCparty-bad bad bad
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