February 26, 2009 @ 08:19
If you've been a follower of this blog for any length of time you know that before wrestling control of the Corus Radio Empire in Peterborough, I was a frequent guest on "CH Live @ 5:30" with Donna Skelly and Mark Hebscher.
I thoroughly enjoyed doing the show because it was wide open. I was never given any boundaries and it was fun to bang heads with Donna, Mark and whoever "the other" guest was.
There was something about doing "Live @ 5:30" that put me in a comfort zone that always left me wanting more, in fact in the back of my mind I was constantly thinking of ways I could unseat Hebscher and thus become the permanent co-host of "Live @ 5:30" with the delectable Donna.
Unfortunately for me, head transplants are not yet possible, so Hebshcer was safe.
Meanwhile, it appears that if something doesn't happen quickly, nobody will be hosting "Live @ 5:30" because CHCH won't exist.
During my frequent visits to the station over a two year period I got a weird vibe in the halls. Canwest was pulling all kinds of weird moves and it was making the staff feel uneasy.
The company is in dire financial straights and part of their recent repositioning strategy was to put CHCH up for sale, a wonderful TV station with a fabulous history of community service and local programming.
Something Canwest never seemed to respect.
Since buying the station a few years ago they've ripped it to shreds, and word is, if they can't find a buyer soon the station could shut down within weeks robbing Hamilton of what is rightfully theirs.
However, Donna Skelly has come up with an idea to save CHCH while keeping it out of corporate hands.
It's ambitious and there will be a few mountains to climb, but you've got to give the woman credit for taking action.
Yup, she's a darlin'
The Hamilton Spectator
(Feb 26, 2009)
CHCH staff members are proposing a new plan for their troubled station that would allow it to be owned and controlled by community members.
Donna Skelly, the station's former union chair and co-host of Live at 5:30, is spearheading a group of 100 CHCH staff members who are approaching the CRTC with their community-based business model.
If successful, the TV station would use a governing structure similar to a hospital. Rather than being operated by a large media company, CHCH would be governed by a board of directors made up of community leaders.
Canwest, CHCH's current parent company, has put the station on the market in light of Canwest's dire financial situation. If a buyer does not step forward, the station could be shut down within weeks.
"We can't wait for this. We have to intervene," Skelly said of the group's decision to take action.
Skelly says the station is a perfect candidate for a new annual CRTC funding program designated for local news that would allow the group to go ahead with its plan.
The funding, which amounts to $40 million for English programming, is generated by a 50-cent per subscriber fee from cable providers.
The recipients of the CRTC funding will be determined in April, Skelly said.
"We believe that we are the primary candidates for this fund. We are the only station in this market. We need this funding to survive."
Along with the CRTC funding, the station would also need to raise $500,000 from the community to go ahead with the plan.
The new model would also allow for local businesses to purchase advertising at a greatly reduced rate. Currently, CH's ads are priced out of the market for most local organizations, Skelly said.
The station would provide mostly local news, Skelly said, and no American programming.
Category: Television
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