The dynamics could be quite interesting the next time Richard Stursberg, executive vice-president of CBC English Services, appears before the CRTC.  Stursberg who is viewed as a sharply polarizing force within the CBC and regarded with much suspicion by those on the news side, is profiled in the latest edition of the Ryerson Review of Journalism.

Perhaps, the most interesting aspect of the article, is the notion that CBC executives led by Stursberg, want to divert revenue from the successful ‘CBC Newsworld’ to the main CBC Channel to support entertainment programs not news.  This is especially worrisome at a time when news and current affairs units/programs are strapped for money and when some of the network’s flagship information programs are broadcasting more repeats than ever.

What’s particularly instructive is the following exchange last year between Stursberg and the head of CBC News at the time, Tony Burman.  According to the Ryerson story, Stursberg told Burman that he, Stursberg, had the right to take 12 to 20 million dollars out of Newsworld’s budget and spend it in any way that he saw fit.  The article goes on to report:

It was, says Burman, a tense conversation.

“I said, ‘You can’t do that, that’s contrary to our commitment to the CRTC!”

Stursberg’s response, according to Burman, was: “Fuck the CRTC.”

“You can’t fuck the CRTC as long as I’m still around,” replied Burman.

Well, Burman is no longer around.  He is now a senior official with the Al-jazeera network.

There is much difference of opinion over the CBC’s right to divert Newsworld monies toward entertainment on its main channel but if this happened, it would, in my view, breach the spirit and founding principles of the news channel and clearly undermine CBC’s main franchise, news.