CBC North’s shift to digital will mean fewer resources for TV, radio

CBC North has escaped unscathed from the latest round of CBC job cuts, but it hasn't gained any positions either, which means the corporation’s shift in emphasis to digital media could result in fewer resources for radio and TV programming.

CBC announced last June it plans to deliver more and more of its programming through smartphones and computers, and the websites, apps, Facebook pages and Twitter accounts that feed them.

The shift in focus is happening in the North and other rural areas with plenty of information about the demand for digital, and hardly any information about how much listeners and viewers value CBC's TV and radio.

"I'd like to hear from audiences," says CBC North’s managing editor Archie McLean. "What are the things that they really value, what are the most important things that we do and where are some areas where we could do things differently?"

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Nobody can say for sure how many people tune into CBC North’s morning radio broadcasts, or watch Northbeat or Igalaaq on a given night. Unlike in Canada’s urban centres in the South, no one gathers those statistics.

But every time someone clicks on a CBC North web page, that click is counted, along with how much time the person spends on the page and where they’re located.

About half of the traffic on CBC North's web stories comes from southern Canada. Mobile devices account for about a third of the web page visits.

One of the programming changes already being considered is shortening the evening Northbeat TV newscast from an hour to half an hour. McLean says an announcement will be made in about a month, but any changes won’t come into effect until next fall.

Other suggestions so far include cutting or shortening radio newscasts, and changing the way material for television is gathered.

McLean says any changes will not abandon people who rely on CBC North’s TV and radio programming.

"We have to keep those people in mind. We have to provide them with quality news and information like they always expect, while also serving our new digital audience. I think that's the balance."

Janice Stein, CBC North’s managing director, says there’s no question the change to digital will require new approaches.

For example, some reporters spend three-quarters of their day working on stories for television.

"Does that make sense?" Stein asks. "Is there a better way we can give that service to the audience in television in a way that doesn't require somebody spend three-quarters of their day to do that?"

Stein and McLean both say there are no thoughts at this time of reducing the amount of aboriginal language broadcasting CBC North provides, though conversations are underway to figure out how to put more of that programming online.

Recognition that the North is different

Stein also says the shift to digital will happen at different speeds in different regions of the country.

"There's no question about it that in the urban areas people have better access to digital," Stein says.

Allan Gofenko, the northern director for the Canadian Media Guild, which represents unionized workers at CBC North, says the CBC as a whole has recognized that the North is different.

"Our infrastructure issues are recognized by the corporation and when there are discussions about how we're going to do things, what we're going to do first, what speed we're going to go at, there's special consideration for the circumstances we're under in communities right across the territories."

Gofenko also points out that CBC North is now working with fewer people.

Since 2009, 13 positions have been cut at CBC North in Yellowknife. The station now has 53 staff members, down from 70 five years ago.

A new way to tell stories

McLean says the shift to digital offers new ways to tell stories, citing the recent example of Death in Cape Dorset, a feature story about problems related to a nurse in that community.

"We had a beautiful layout that involved text, it involved audio, it involved video. It was an exciting way to tell a story. I think what the web does is use the best of what we do in digital and audio production and put it all in one place."

He says the CBC has already put more emphasis on Twitter and Facebook.

A year from now, he predicts there will be more news stories online, more content on social media, and possible changes to the news broadcasts.