Factual size

They named another manager at CBC-TV yesterday. Julie Bristow, the recently-appointed executive director of Factual Entertainment, itself a new position, announced the hiring of Sandra Kleinfeld as ''executive in charge of production, Factual Entertainment.''

Sandra joins the newly created Factual Entertainment Division directly from Canwest MediaWorks, where she held the position of Production Executive, Original Programming. In this role, Sandra was responsible for the development and commissioning of prime-time programs for two conventional and three specialty channels, managing many series from program development through all phases to delivery.

Sandra has worked extensively with the independent production community on all matters editorial, financial and administrative, and actively manages the broadcaster/producer relationship. During her time at Canwest MediaWorks, Sandra was directly responsible for developing and overseeing the social issues documentary strand ‘Global Currents’.

... blah blah blah ...

Before joining Alliance Atlantis, Sandra was the Senior Producer of the Bottom Line, the nightly flagship studio-based talk show for the Report on Business Channel, and before that was a field producer at CTV working on W5. Many of you may know Sandra from her years at CBC-TV, when she worked as a producer on The Health Show and as a researcher and associate producer at the fifth estate.

Sandra will report to me in this new position and will be responsible for commissioning and developing Factual Entertainment programming for CBC Television.

Whew.

I am starting to wonder if the organigram at CBC-TV is going to collapse under its own weight.

Comments

[Sony 800]

Just what the CBC needs: More management. Does anybody actually do anything other than manage at "Factual Entertainment"? As opposed to Non-Factual Entertainment? Gotta love that title. Sounds like the name of an unmetionable news show in TO. But what the H does that department do?

[Nbob]

Factual Entertainment ???? WTF ?????
How about a Dept. of Actual Entertainment ?
I used to love the CBC but- except HNC - I haven't tuned in for at least a year and a half. Please won't somebody just shoot the darn thing and put it out of its misery now!

[johnnykap]

Sony, you are so spot on. For every new manager hired, they lose another ratings point, which they make up for by jacking up your taxes. Thank god I live in South Carolina, home of the most conservative governor in the nation, where we don't have to put up with that nonsense. And at this point, Antonia is just STARTING to wonder if they're top heavy. What will it take to convince her? She's in bed with all those CBC people. And the other posters complain how the new Heritage minister is conflicted. Physician, heal thyself.

Sooey, I know you will eventually read this so please take note that the department is "Factual Entertainment", not "Canadian Factual Entertainment". Perhaps you could organize some of your brethren to protest that on the streets for a few days. Maybe organize a rolling hunger strike like your hero Cindy Sheehan. Now if you don't mind, I've got some other "rolling" to attend to.

[sooey]

wrong again, johnny kap, if there's a legover here, shurely it's with ctv. although... it's hard to keep track of these corporate media mergers. and cindy sheehan's your hero, by the way. a true blue american patriot. you're welcome.

[jim king]

I'm really glad you live in South Carolina too, johnny kap, we have far too many of your ilk in the Great White North just now anyway.

Glad to say we also get pretty decent health care with our taxes too - unlike some fine, and some not-so fine, American folks I know. A few bucks thrown away on some pathetic management changes at the mother corp won't break us. And, last time I checked, Canada's national debt per capita was about 60% of yours down there and I guess we'll be able to keep selling you all those barrels of Alberta crude for a while longer - so, not to worry.
The CBC is in trouble, on that we do agree. If it doesn't kill itself soon, the idiots currently trying to figure out how things actually work in Ottawa will kill it. As long as I'm not forced to watch either Fox News or CNN and Newsworld stays in business I won't mourn overlong about the corpse.

[bvw75]

Global Currents don't start airing until the Fall and from what I've heard Sandra is wise to bail out before viewers realize "she was directly responsible for developing and overseeing the social issues documentary strand ‘Global Currents’."

[Robert McClelland]

"Factual Entertainment"

Why does that sound like a codeword for rightwing propaganda?

[arthurdecco]

I moved over into the "Kill the CBC" pack last Monday or Tuesday morning while listening to the 7 am CBC National Radio News on 99.1 from Toronto.

With everything happening in Gaza, the CBC chose to go with how Palestinian soccer fans were getting really creative in their attempts to watch the World Cup.

Because, as we all know, Israel had just destroyed the main electrical generating plant for Gaza a few days before. Over 700,000 Palestinian civilians were now without any electricity, therefore no water, no refrigeration, no lights, no computers, no air-conditioning...you get the idea... and no cable. No TV.

No TV?

The story didn't lead, it was somewhere in the middle of the broadcast, as I recall.

Imagine making the news from Gaza be about what Palestinian soccer fans were doing to watch the games instead of asking if hospital patients were suffering of if children were being hurt or hungry because of this act of war against the civilian population.

It might have been a great segue, tying in to their report from World Cup Central's hot spots in Germany, I don't know. I turned it off right then. Propaganda and Mood Management as news. Imagine! A hot-as-Hades, over-crowded, impoverished nation filled with innocents have their main electrical generating centre destroyed by their oppressor, (ostensibly to help them rescue a captured tank crew member!) This story ignored and replaced with feature on the dilemma faced by Palestinian soccer fans unable to watch the World Cup because they have no power?! FOX News, North?

Sorry. Stop the bus. I feel sick. Let me off.

This is how I forever left the CBC.

[johnnykap]

Artdeco, your sympathies for the Palestinians are misplaced. They knowingly elected a government comprised of terrorists. Therefore they have to live without electricity for a while, until they learn. It may take a while, based upon their previous learning curve. What you libs fail to recognize is that we live in a world governed by the aggressive use of force. No one likes that. We all wish it were different. But it isn't. So accept it and quit living in your liberal fantasy panacea. The Pals have only themselves to blame. If they put the same energy into developing sewage systems and farming that they did into trying to watch the World Cup, they'd be a lot better off. I think we are now in total agreement.

[Jinoole]

"They knowingly elected a government comprised of terrorists."

So, the Israelis can elect 'knowingly' nutbar known as The Butcher Sharon, with no political consequence. But Palestinians cannot be allowed to elect their own.

What is this?

So, they cannot even now allowed to express their political thoughts through ballots.

Well, it eventually came to this, though no surprising considering how Israel is destroying, demolishing everything and broken every known international rules and norms, but now even it is unacceptable what Palestinian elect.

Tell me, how many people killed, maimed, injured, imprisoned [including the elected officials], houses demolished, indiscriminately shelling the city, no water, no electricity -- all this collective punishment because in the name of one soldier who was captured in the line of duty and is prisoner of war under the international laws.

[arthurdecco]

I felt dirty just reading your post, johnnykap. How does one live with oneself, thinking as you do, I wonder?

[Dwight Williams]

But that government's not *exclusively* composed of terrorists, ex-terrorists and sympathizers. There *is* an opposition party in their legislature now, is there not? Several, with varying degrees of influence, if memory serves.

And what leads you to believe -- to want to have us believe, while we're at it -- that they've made no effort at all on the sewage and farming fronts?

Just nosy.

I suspect the whole World Cup thing is part of the Story of How the Palestinians Are Trying to Keep from Going Completely Insane From the Pressures of the Moment as described by the last two posters on this thread. If you're in that sort of mess, you want at least one lifeline to the rest of the world to keep you from just losing it completely over this posturing-by-kidnapping and shooting-each-other nonsense that we now have. Mental health maintenance measures constitute a story in and of themselves, do they not? They certainly do on *this* side of the Atlantic.

I am increasingly inclined to believe that the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit was timed to undercut or destroy the (political impact of the) acceptance of the Prisoners' Document.

[sooey]

i think they can fairly blame the british a bit, too, johnnykap. but it's like anything, i suppose. if americans put the same effort into elections as they do into watching the superbowl... they might not have a bunch of lying war profiteers running their country.

Antonia - you sure are attracting a better class of neocon these days!
Let's see - South Carolina- last time I visited - they looked to still be having difficulty adapting to racial integration - (never mind how they love the Palestinians)!
Now - remind me again - which part of their Constituition (I mean their law) covers that?

[wonderdog]

Johnny Kap, I wasn't aware that the CBC had the authority to jack up my taxes every time they lost a ratings point.

[william fudger]

Why do I have the feeling that if I mentioned something as earthshaking as the high price of lollypops Jonny-klap will proclaim it the fault of PE Trudeau. He has all this time for discourse because there's absolutely nothing wrong in his country except that maybe the suv's are too cramped.

[Ti-Guy]

"Therefore they have to live without electricity for a while, until they learn."

What, like children, domestic pets, or barnyard animals? You're quickly losing what little charm you've had, J-Kap.

I stopped reading that patermalistic garbarge right there.

[johnnykap]

Well, aren't we all fair minded individuals. That's great that they democratically elected their government. But that doesn't give them a free pass. They must live with the consequences of electing Hamas. I've never seen a sorrier bunch of pathetic liberals than those who responded to my post. Well, except for the Huffington Post. Do any of you have any sympathies to the Jews? Or is it all a one-sided rant? The Palestinians are as capable as anyone of dragging themselves out of the gutter but the choice is theirs and theirs alone. I certainly hope they do it but based on past experience, I have my doubts. In the meantime, they can use candlelight until they get their power back on. It's a rough world.

[william fudger]

North Carolina's got their Kap-gun loaded and lobbing t--ds at our poor northern outpost that hasn't learned to genuflect to the south. Tragically they're planting little bushes here in an attempt to destroy our freedom too.

[johnnykap]

A couple more of you need to be straightened out. Sooey, you seemed to be in agreement with me but then went off into kookville with your comment about lying war profiteers. If you own any mutual fund, then you are a war profiteer. Virtually every fund has some defense stocks in it. Now will you divest yourself of all your investments so you can remain intellectually pure?

As for South Carolina having racial integration problems, that was certainly true in the past and even today it isn't perfect. But I've also lived in Canada for a long time. And there's plenty of "pure" neighborhoods that still exist in every city in Canada. So continue to falsely give yourself credit for being morally highminded. No one else is fooled.

Wonderdog, you are actually correct and I was mistaken when I posted that. Thank you for informing me on that matter. I shall be eternally grapefruit.

Mr. Fudger, the only reason I would blame Trudeau for the high price of lollypops is because he implemented price controls at one time. Anyone with even a cursory knowledge of basic econ would know that his price controls would lead to a shortage of lollypops. And I for one, would be disappointed about that.

Ti-guy, if I had very little charm to begin with, then nothing's really changed. So I will overlook your harsh tone and instead comment on the substance of your post. At no point did I compare the Palestinians to children and deliciously tasty barnyard animals. I am merely recommending that they put more effort into developing their own society and spend less time hating the jews. All that energy with a proper focus would change their society within one generation. Surely you must be in favor of that. Or should someone else be responsible for stepping in to assist them, like one would do for a child or a tasty barnyard animal?

[Bill-Muskoka]

JK,

'They knowingly elected a government comprised of terrorists.'

Hmmm, now could that possibly fit other countries whose war mongering leads to constant violence for the satisfaction of the few at cost to the many?

I would hate to mention any specific names, but my thoughts tend towards the vowels!

[arthurdecco]

I've just realized after reading more of the insufferable johnnykay that he must be an agent provocateur - paid to bomb intelligent blogs (as opposed to the conservative/right wing kind) by some shadowy, right wing organization.

It's either that he's being paid to disrupt this blog, or alternatively, that he's seriously, mentally ill...

I hope he has health insurance - the expensive kind, just in case.

[Jim King]

Certainly wouldn't want anything to get in the way of your candy, kappy, you guys with the oral fixations are usually pretty easy to please and it makes you a cinch to spot in a crowded mall. That exporting democracy thing, how's that working?

And the US National debt, pretty sanguine about that too, eh! How much do you actually owe the Chinese now? Soon they won't need a missile, they'll just call in the loans.

[sooey]

i think johnny kapp is sweet on sooey, although he DOES have an uncanny knack for missing the point in every post - which requires us to repeat them ad nauseum, i suppose (nothing new for sooey anyway, as you've probably noticed, dear readers). i was referring to haliburton and the clean up contracts, mr kapp, and the fact - the american fact - that cheney is betting heavily AGAINST the u.s. economy in his investment portfolio - which, for some fantastimagical (?homelandsecurity?) reason he handles himself. in any case, i actually have a question - AND IT'S NOT WHETHER OR NOT JOHNNY KAPP POSTS WITH HIS UNDIES ON HIS HEAD! - it's my understanding that cbc news is our only television news outfit to have a written down journalistic code of ethics. true? false?

[Stephen Reeves]

Arthyur,
I was thinking it was you who was paid to disrupt this blog, some of you guys, are getting in a muddle now,your thought process cannot handle normal debate.Like typical lefties you start name calling, or calling your opponant a liar, you can never actually address the issues can you !.