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Locked-out CBC employees creating Internet broadcasts to stay on the air

JAMES KELLER

HALIFAX (CP) - Locked-out CBC Radio staff have started producing Internet-based audio broadcasts to fill the void left by the labour dispute at Canada's public broadcaster.

And union members say the growing collection of recorded programs - digital audio files known as podcasts - represent a small taste of what CBC listeners can expect if the lockout of the Crown corporation's 5,500 employees drags on.

Last weekend, staff from Fredericton's Information Morning radio program launched one of the first, staff-produced podcasts in the country.

Podcasts are typically recorded as MP3 audio files, which are designed to be played on desktop computers and portable audio players, such as Apple's IPod.

Offered to listeners via a website set up by members of the Canada Media Guild, the seven-minute digital file features interviews and stories about the lockout.

"Our listeners know us through the radio, so we had to communicate with them in an audio format," said Jacques Poitras, a CBC reporter who wrote the script for the podcast and appeared as a guest representing the union.

More podcasts quickly followed in cities across Canada.

"I guess that's what happens when you get 5,500 creative people with nothing to do," said Poitras.

The Fredericton production was also broadcast on the local university radio station. Similar broadcasts have been broadcast from university stations in Calgary, Vancouver and Ottawa.

The CBC locked out its employees in English Canada on Aug. 15 after the two sides failed to reach a tentative agreement after 15 months of negotiations. There have been no formal talks since then and none are planned.

At issue is the broadcaster's desire to create a more flexible workforce by hiring more contract and part-time employees. But the Canadian Media Guild said such a move threatens job security for full-time staff and limits opportunities for future employees.

Since the CBC lockout began, station managers have been putting together scaled-down programming that includes brief newscasts.

The official CBC website currently features a handful of news stories and includes a link to a site explaining the CBC's position in the lockout.

"They're using the CBC brand to communicate one side of the dispute, and we're using a union-labelled brand to communicate the union side of the dispute," said Poitras.

CBC spokesman Jason MacDonald said it's no surprise the journalists are creating content during the lockout, but added that the podcasts won't help end the dispute.

"From our perspective, the focus right now needs to be on bargaining," said MacDonald. "Anything that's not related to that is just a diversion away from the real problem, which is the need to get an agreement in place."

While staff in some cities plan new podcasts of their own, plans are in the works for a national news website produced by locked-out CBC employees.

Meanwhile, the crew that normally produces of the noon-hour radio call-in show based in Halifax planned to stage an in-person version of the show at a local farmers' market on Saturday.

Union spokesman Keith Maskell said from Toronto the locked out workers started the websites, podcasts and on-stage productions on their own. But he said the union will support the sites while negotiators look to end the lockout.

On the web: www.cbcunplugged.com