THIS POST WILL BE CONTINUOUSLY UPDATED:
And now it can be revealed what is going on at TVOntario, as staffers are just coming out of a movie theatre hearing the good/bad news. The changes were unveiled at a news conference (video to come) jointly held by Ontario education minister Sandra Pupatello, the Minister responsible for Francophone Affairs, Madeleine Meilleur and TVO CEO Lisa de Wilde.
"Ontario will prosper in the future because we are giving today's students the multi-media learning tools and resources they need to prepare for a technology-driven world," said Pupatello.
There are three main prongs to the strategic overhaul.
1. As long rumoured, TFO, the French-language network, will be hived off, with a separate management and board.
2. As predicted, TVO will be refocused to "contribute to kids' success at school." That means more educational programming, more digital content for more platforms as well as websites and downloadable tools for parents to help their children learn.
3. Primetime programming will emphasis citizenship and engagement, whether social, politcal or economic, as befitting a public broadcaster.
That means Saturday Night at the Movies, should it survive, will get a new direction. No more westerns and such unless they have a citizenship teaching moment. The same goes for drama and documentaries.
The weekday flagship Studio 2 is cancelled to make way for a new flagship The Agenda to be hosted by Steve Paikin solo. His former co-host Paula Todd will stay on with her interview show, Person to Person.
The Agenda will be helmed by Diplomatic Immunity producer Dan Dunsky, a man whom I consider to be quite conservative on matters of foreign policy. (I know because I have argued with him -- and he still owes me money from our bet on Halliburton.)
(UPDATE: Dunsky, with Grant's approval, put the controversial Danish anti-Mohammed cartoons on the air, causing great divisions at TVO earlier this year. He has written for the National Review and the Star, criticizing Canadians for their less than enthusiastic support for the U.S.A. He was also instrumental in pushing getting Eric Margolis to quit off Diplomatic Immunity, where he represented a left-of-centre -- and ultimately accurate -- view of events in Iraq and the Middle East.)
There will be no job cuts, they say. Queen's Park is pledging $25 million for training and transition. Goodness knows that TVO's antiquated facilities need a boost.
Here's one union view which is positive:
"TVOntario needs to come into the digital age", says Gord Boyd, President of C.E.P Local 72M, "the government's commitment will give employees the tools and training they need to help the Authority carve out a niche in television and internet environments".
More as I get it.
UPDATE (2:23 p.m.): Studio 2 executive producer from day one (and creative head of current affairs) and Todd's husband, Doug Grant, has been fired as of tomorrow. (I have left a message for him.)
Studio 2 and More to Life journalists are in shock -- and are clueless as to their fates. They've been told to clear out their desks tomorrow. Their offices will be taken over by the Independent Learning Centre, which helps Ontarians earn high school diplomas via long distance.
The only journalist said to be beaming at the packed all-staff meeting I'm told is Dunsky, who, along with Paikin, knew what was coming all along. Their fellow Studio 2 staffers feel betrayed, I am told.
UPDATE (3:19 p.m.): Looks like Rudy Buttignol, creative head of network programming, may also be on the chopping block. When I asked de Wilde about his fate, she said she would ''get back to me.''
Rudy -- whom I consider to be a friend -- is one of the most respected commissioners of documentaries in Canada, and a valued member of the film and TV community. If he gets kicked out quits, it would be a travesty.
I am told he is considering his options.
As for Doug Grant, he just told me he was ''shocked'' and ''didn't know it was coming until 10:30 this morning." He added that he feels ''very bad about the people'' --about 20 producers, many of whom he hired right out of journalism school. But it's been a ''good run'' after 12 years on-air. "I am very proud of the show which was my baby."
UPDATE (3:57 p.m.): Just talked to Paula Todd who is recovering from major foot surgery. She says everybody around her is crying and that she feels very badly bad for all her fellow journalists at Studio 2, adding that she is ''grateful'' to still be hosting Person to Person.
UPDATE (6:36 p.m.) Just noticed this in one of the news releases:
Steve Paikin will host a live online Q&A from 1-2 pm Friday, June 30 on the topic of TVO's new current affairs show. Log on at tvo.org or leave a message in advance with your question by calling 1-800-613-0513, selecting 1 and then entering extension 2604.
Studio 2 staffers are upset that their show, after an incredible 12 year run, will not be allowed to go out with a bang. You know, a highlight reel, a look back, a whatever. It will just slink off the air tomorrow night forever.
UPDATE (9:00 p.m.): Just stumbled on the last couple of minutes of Paikin jawing with a bunch of white guys in suits. Preston Manning, Hugh Segal, David Peterson and another man whose name and face I didn't catch. What a range of opinion, from right to center-right. I guess this is what we have to look forward to on The Agenda.
(I stand corrected!!! A whole lot of you point out that the other two white guys in suits were NDPers: Floyd Laughren, Ontario finance minister for the NDP from 1990-95 and Allan Blakeney, NDP premier of Saskatchewan from 1971-1982. That's what happens when I watch TV, blog, write columns and eat dinner at the same time. Thanks.)
Incidentally, Studio 2 will go out with a whimper tomorrow night. Because of how it was axed, staffers didn't even get a chance to put together a highlight reel.
UPDATE (12:13 a.m.): Exec producer Doug Grant said that Studio 2 was averaging about 95,000 viewers a night, which is excellent for a show of its type in a very competitive time slot filled with sitcomes and reality shows.
Dunsky discusses The Agenda here.
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