One of the rules I made for the Tea Makers was that I would never write about blogging or the Tea Makers itself. Seemed to me to be a bit too self-indulgent. I would assume that readers “got it” and I would get on with writing it.
But Joe Mahoney interviewed me over at his site and I talk about blogging, being Ouimet, and of course, the CBC.
Now, I met Joe. I like Joe. I like Joe’s blog. I think it’s great. Lately he seems to be striking a great balance between behind-the-scenes looks at CBC radio productions, bloopers, interviews, and personal musings. Joe was a lockout blogger, and post-lockout, he’s on to something worth reading.
The whole thing is as genuine as Joe himself.
And while I’m on the topic, i love radio.org is also on fire these days. Tod is right on track and now he has Dan Misener helping him.
I think the CBC should be encouraging employees to do more of this, if not paying them to do it. It’s fun, it’s another way to connect with the audience, and allows us to play more potato hockey.
2 Comments
Well Ouimet,
I’m cleaning out my favourites tab, click on you and find you’re still blogging. Who knew? Well, I guess a lot of people did, but I didn’t. At any rate, I just read your interview with Joe Mahoney. I’d like to make a point about creativity being gone once the agreement was signed. As a matter of fact, many people did want to continue blogging after the lockout. Except this time we’d be blogging about our stories. Blogging about our experiences in the field and in the news room and on sets. The kind of stuff newsies LOVE to get an inside view of. The answer was, of course, a big fat NO. It seems the CBC does not trust its reporters, producers and technicians to blog. I guess management’s answer to this is Tony Burman’s weekly cbc.ca letter. That, combined with the treatment most people have received since the lockout ended would sap the soul out of a gospel singer. So, I don’t know why you’re surprised that everyone rolls their eyes every time management imposes one of its ideas on us. I mean, have you READ the news study? With the exception of a few good ideas, it’s bunk. They spend good money on that and everyone is bracing for another round of layoffs? C’mon Ouimet, if we were all open and receptive and following this blindly, they’d be sending those rescue militants to kidnap us back from our cult. Management is running the place by intimidation. The worker bee’s are stunned into submission. How does one remain creative?
…. um, ok, but today was a lovely day, and the girl-watching around the TBC was great.
Couldn’t we negotiate paid lock-out days for these times? I must confess, I do miss that about the lock-out…