By Naelle Le Moal and Roberta Rosa
Locked-out CBC workers are returning to their roots by speaking to the community through local university radio waves.
Since management locked them out on Aug.15, many CBC workers in downtown Ottawa have decided to turn their talents and attention elsewhere.
Lucy Van Oldenbarneveld normally co-hosts Ottawa Morning on CBC Radio. She now helps write the union’s website newsletter, www.ottawaguild.ca. She also hosts public events like the writer’s festival and produces a show at CKCU, Carleton University’s community radio station.
Locked Out Live is a news show that also highlights the CBC employees’ cause. It airs Wednesdays from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. from the campus studio.
“It was a symbolic gesture from CKCU to invite us to produce this show, the audience is very important to us. We don’t want to lose contact with the public,” says Van Oldenbarneveld.
CKCU station manager, Matthew Crosier, who also works part time for CBC, allowed around 20 locked-out CBC staff to present this new program. “They are popular radio people, so everybody gets interested and we attract more listeners,” says Crosier. The connection between CBC and CKCU has always been strong, as some workers first started at the community station before going to the public broadcaster.
For Alan Neal, who hosts Ontario Today on CBC Radio, it is strange and fun at the same time to be back at Carleton University. “There is a passion with that place, they are being very sympathetic to our cause and CBC listeners like what they are hearing,” says Neal.
On Mondays and Tuesdays he prepares the CKCU show. The rest of the week Neal works on his own and spends 20 hours walking the picket line with his colleagues. “Let’s see for how much longer we can stay receiving $300 (US) a week,” says Neal, referring to the amount of money received by pickets from their union.
The main issue in the CBC labour dispute centres on how much of the workforce is permanent and what proportion work on temporary contracts.
“We lost some colleagues who found other jobs. They have to pay their bills,” said Laurence Wall, a CBC Radio news reader. Wall now also teaches intermediate reporting in the journalism program at Carleton University.
Wall says the lockout has been an opportunity to meet different people in radio and television, and share experiences.