Nonfiction #2

Depending on who you talk to, the first Nonfiction night at the Drake was a good laugh or a frivolous stab at creating a branded Toronto Media Party, the Spacing for frustrated media hacks. Maybe the whole concept is doomed.

The CBC has been in a state of crisis for 70 years. I’ve never had a problem with taking on a losing proposition. So when they asked me to take part in #2 I was thrilled.

The idea is that we tell some juicy stories over drinks, just like we usually do, except for $5.30 you can listen in. I usually let it all hang out on this blog, but there are a few things I’ve never written about here that I’d like to talk about.

I’m open to suggestions, however. If you have any ideas for me, drop them in the comments.

AMENDED TO ADD: I’ve had a family issue come up that means I’m going to miss this. But I highly recommend it to the rest of you guys as a great night out. Hopefully they invite me back for #3.

7 Comments

  • cbcfrank says:

    I was going to post on CBC Slave because that blog is more relevant to the CBC’s central problem (of management) than has been the TeaMakers lately.

    I decided not to because I’d have to open another blogger alias. As for Allan’s concerns, I can only say that I don’t have an ego issue writing comments – I simply unload as a blog subject warrants. Whose blog that happens to be at is largely irrelevant. The efficiencies Allan seeks by finding a central clearing house for CBC commentary suggests that someone actually gives a shit. Nothing in my 2+ decades here suggest that that is the case.

    In fact, without sounding too deprecating, I find Allan’s goofy exuberance, that ‘By Golly, WE can save the corp!!’ attitude as possessing much of the same ignorance that the present (shamelessly appointed) management has. The present lot have neither broadcasting savy, nor hard business (MBA) knowledge. They simply figure that if they hold enough meetings, someone who actually knows something might pipe up and teach the rest something.

    I’d suggest that they (and Allan) might consider interning in a studio/control room/edit suite and follow the whole broadcasting sequence from stem to stern (also including the writing and producing/budgeting) before they dare to suggest they can manage. Do we need to drag every manager through a Radio and Television Arts programm, then the more promising ones through business college?

    Yup, though it’s possible to cultivate a corporate culture that builds on carefully evolved policies and procedures in stead, but remarkably none of this exists. For all the years the corp has existed, there are virtually none. To this day, a new manager is simply given an office and a desk and told to ‘go at it’. NO quality control of management whatsoever. And given the recent sackings, there are now even fewer experienced people to promote to a management position.

    Enough venting: Allan, if you like, feel free to cut and paste this wherever you feel the best clearing house blog is, assuming that there’s any value to what I say.

  • Anonymous says:

    Have them sign a non-disclosure agreement prior to your taking off your rubber Stursie mask…

    I, for one am enjoying the spam-feedom of the “shorter” tm.

  • Anonymous says:

    yeah i’d like to know what you can’t talk about in this blog!

    And in response to the very serious rules about not recording the event – why would anyone want to record it anyway?

  • Enik Sleastak says:

    A burqa? A goalie mask and an axe?

  • Allan says:

    You might consider discussing why you can’t discuss certain things at Tea Makers anymore.
    With the new policy for comments, I’m even hesitant to point to a link that discusses Tea Makers because it contains a link to a blog that no one is supposed to see.

    Oops …

  • Kevin says:

    How are you going to maintain your anonymity? Interesting lighting? A hood? A proxy?

  • Anonymous says:

    Ummm, how about “my favourite CBC nepotist”?

    Perhaps “adventures in personality journalism”, wherein the host of a news program gets plenty of airtime to warble tunes in a folksy northern bar…

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