| RCI ACTION COMMITTEE Seven Days a Week - Defending Radio Canada International - Canada's Voice to the World |
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| RCI's New Repositioning "Who really gives a crap anymore?!" by Sheldon Harvey I've been reading the information on the recent developments at RCI and, to be perfectly honest, I've just about reached the point of simply saying "Who really gives a crap anymore?!" But, after sitting back and digesting things a little more, I've come to the conclusion that this might be just what RCI's new management was hoping for. It was all the way back in 1990/1991 that the Coalition to Restore Full RCI Funding was formed. For years that group fought and struggled to bring RCI back from the brink on several occasions, with the help of an army of supporters. It was clear that new RCI directors were consistently put in place by the CBC to make RCI go away, once and for all, and if not for the efforts for a small band of merry men and women, RCI would have been just a chapter in the past history of international broadcasting. Whether the majority of current staff, directors and management at RCI know it or not, they have that merry little band to thank for there even being an RCI for them to screw around with today, plain and simple! So much of the media focus in Canada right now revolves around scandal, misuse and misappropriation of funds. No big news there. Misuse, misappropriation, and mismanagement has been a staple at RCI since the current regime was put into place, and nobody is saying anything about it. A $15.2 million budget for RCI is stated, clear and distinctly wherever one was to look. Now, all of a sudden, how does an $11 million figure suddenly surface? I have stated it publicly, and if anyone were to take the time to research it out, it would be blatantly apparent that since CBC, more specifically Radio-Canada was presented with the task of managing and, ultimately, restructuring RCI, RCI has become nothing more than a cash cow for Radio-Canada/CBC. The work of the Coalition, and subsequently the RCI Action Committee, has clearly shown over the years that RCI was nothing more than a burden to the CBC. When RCI finally received secure and stable funding, something which the CBC has never had, and then the task of operating and managing RCI was turned back to the CBC, CBC was fit to be tied. How many times had CBC tried to make RCI disappear, but couldn't succeed. Now it was back again, with stable funding and falling once again under the wing of the CBC. I believe, at this point, the CBC said "fine". If we have to take care of RCI, then we are going to get as much back out of that $15.2 million as we possibly can. So, the procedure began. A new home, state of the art office and studio facilities were constructed for RCI...but where?...in the CBC headquarters building. RCI was always, for the most part, self sufficient. Their humble facilities outside the Maison de Radio Canada were outdated, disorganized and sub-standard, but RCI always got the job done. They required only a limited amount of administrative services from CBC, which they easily covered with funds from their budget. With the move to the Maison, and the switch of management over to the ranks of Radio-Canada, many of the in-house resources of RCI were pulled from them, and replaced with services to be supplied by the parent firm, at a cost of course. In other words, although the $15.2 million budget was tagged for RCI, their dependency on Radio-Canada to supply them with administrative, technical and other services meant that Radio-Canada was now able to claw back huge chunks of RCI's funds into the Radio-Canada/CBC coffers...and nobody is saying anything about it. Now suddenly, Radio-Canada released info is referring to an RCI $11 million budget? Gee, just guess where the other $4.2 million has gone. I would like someone to be able to compare the cost of CBC supplied services to RCI in the past to what RCI is have to dole out today. Want to talk about mismanagement of funds? I think we have a classic case right in front of our eyes. If the heads of Via Rail, Business Development Bank, etc. are being called up on the carpet to answer allegations of mismanagement and misapproriation of funds, I think there should be a session scheduled for the heads of CBC/Radio-Canada to answer questions about...let's call it irregularities, in management of the $15.2 million annual RCI budget. Finally, I'd like to issue one challenge to the rank and file of RCI. Some of you are probably fully aware of the history of RCI over the past decade plus; others may be unaware. But, I challenge all of you to look back on the past, at the actions of a small group of people, whose actions and achievements are the reason that any of you are sitting where you are today. It's easy to be followers, but it takes special qualities to be leaders. I'm sure that many of you who know about the actions of the past, and who have opinions of the current developments, find it simpler and easier to just sit by and let whatever happens happen. It's just easier and requires less effort than rocking the boat. Well, don't say you haven't been warned. The writing has been on the wall for a very long time. That small group of people who accomplished so much cannot be expected to carry the torch alone for ever. We proved that with clear minds, an organized approach and, most of all, the desire to right a truckload full of wrongs, that David truly can defeat Goliath. The problem is that Goliath keeps returning for another battle. I'm just afraid that there just aren't enough Davids out there any longer. The Coalition members are still out there and we're open to share our thoughts, experiences and skills with others, if you have the desire to stand up and fight for what you truly believe in. You know who we are and how to reach us. Instead, if you all choose to sit back calmly and think that you can weather the storm and that everything will come out for the best in the end, stop and think again. Revisit the past, and look seriously at the present, because the future, from my point of view, looks very, very bleak. Sheldon Harvey 24 February 2004 ____________________________________________________ The RCI Action Committee is an inter-union coalition representing RCI's unionised staff. Together with listeners and supporters, the Committee has fought attempts to shut down RCI in 1991, 1995 and 1996. It has presented several briefs to parliamentary committees in Ottawa, and was behind the creation of a Senate inquiry into the 1991 cuts at RCI. Since 2001, the Committee has fought a series of "re-deployment" and "re-positioning" policies that continue to cut RCI services and independence. We can be contacted via: rciaction@yahoo.ca. Our website address is: http://www.oocities.org/rciaction. RCI Action Committee Weblog If you are upset by what is going on at RCI, please make your voice heard. You can find the appropriate people to contact on our Contacts Page. |