Something I wrote here almost two years ago has suddenly received a lot of attention. Many people like the idea and see the merits of moving CBC Charlottetown to a new downtown location; others have questioned my sanity for even suggesting it.
It turns out, CBC likes the idea too. I had a great meeting this evening with Andrew Cochran (CBC Managing Director, Maritmes) and Marcel Gauthier (CBC Senior Director, Real Estate Services). Mr. Cochran told me my email to him before Christmas was ?prescient?. They met with CBC Charlottetown staff earlier today and notified them if a business case can be made, the current building would be sold and the station moved.? The current building is too large and costly. Thirty years ago there were close to 100 people working there. Today there are only about 40 and large swaths of the building are unoccupied.
As I said in 2011, ?There has been a corporate-wide cost saving trend at the CBC towards leasing, rather owning their buildings.? This was just an observation. I didn?t know it at the time, but it?s an important part of CBC?s 5 year strategic plan, Strategy 2015. This strategy has resulted in CBC selling real estate and relocating into the commercial core in many of the local markets they serve.
Reducing costs and doing things differently
?We continue to eliminate things that do not move us closer to achieving the goals we set out in Strategy 2015,? says Suzanne Morris, Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer. ?We?ll also implement more streamlined work and production methods, reduce costs of production, consolidate activities where possible, and reduce our overall real estate footprint.?What this will mean
- Preserving the quality of our offering and our ability to keep pace with the current media environment
- Ensuring we are more focused on the objectives set out in Strategy 2015
- A move away from owning real estate, where possible
- $100 million in savings over three years, against our $200 million financial challenge
What it won?t mean
- Doing the same things with fewer people
- A diminished commitment to the regions
As I was told this evening, ?We are not in the real estate business. We are in the broadcasting business?.? We will know the results of the business case study in 4 or 5 months. Anything that can be saved in real estate will be reinvested in broadcasting, which means more stable jobs here in Charlottetown and better programming.
As a fan of our public broadcaster, what?s not to like about that?
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