CBC response to listener complaint re termination of Don Hill

From: CBC Input
Subject: Re: Don Hill's termination (Wild Rose Forum - Alberta)

Dear V.A.:

Thank you for your email where you express concern regarding the redundancy of the Wildrose Forum Host position. I understand and appreciate your concerns, and would like to take this opportunity to share some of the reasoning behind this decision on behalf of Don Orchard, CBC Regional Director for Alberta.

Don Hill’s position was one of three in Alberta which were made redundant a few weeks ago. This was solely a business decision.

As part of the business planning process, CBC Radio must make difficult budgetary decisions in order to protect the program schedule. These decisions are always difficult but are a necessary part of managing our resources in a responsible and businesslike manner.

I can assure you that Mr. Hill’s departure from Wildrose Forum was not the result of political, government or corporate pressure as you suggest, but rather a fiscal decision that we, unfortunately, have to make from time to tome. As a public broadcaster, CBC cannot be subject to the kind of pressure or influence you are implying. In fact, our journalistic, editorial and programming integrity is our mandate and guide.

The ideas, opinions and questions of our audience are important to the CBC if we are to remain relevant as the national public broadcaster.  Your comments and questions will be entered into our Audience Reaction Report which is circulated among our senior producers, programmers, and executives, including our President and CEO, Robert Rabinovitch.

Sincerely,

Blane Hogue
Regional Communications Manager
 
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Sunday, March 13, 2005

Robert Rabinovitch - President and CEO, CBC
Jane Chalmers - Vice President, English Radio, CBC

Dear Mr Rabinovitch and Ms. Chalmers,

I am forwarding a letter (see below) that I sent by email to Mr. Don Orchard (regional Director, CBC Alberta), and by post to CBC Audience Relations in Toronto on March 6.  To-date, I have not had a response from either party.  What is happening to the CBC??  Is it your goal to disappoint and alienate your audience even more than we already have been by Don Hill's termination by not even showing us common courtesy?  Are the words "AUDIENCE RELATIONS" even in your dictionary??

Currently, I'm reaching my hand over to my radio to tune my dial to CJSR 88.5 on the FM dial and getting ready for the protest rally in front of the CBC studios in Edmonton on Monday, March 14th from 12:30 to 2:00 p.m…..if you care.

Sincerely,

V.A.
Edmonton, AB

-----Original Message-----

Sunday, March 6, 2005

Don Orchard, Regional Director, CBC Alberta

Dear Mr. Orchard,

I am writing to express my extreme disappointment and frustration regarding the termination of Don Hill's position as host of Wild Rose Forum.

I am a big fan of the CBC and I depend on our national broadcaster for informative, interesting and timely reporting that covers the full spectrum of views regarding topics that affect and engage Canadians.  When Don Hill joined the Alberta "team", I was drawn to Wild Rose forum for the first time and began to listen to the program daily - something that I did not do before he became the host.

I found Don's approach - his eclectic and knowledgeable mix of politics, philosophy, science, history, psychology, etc. - to be very refreshing and engaging and very well suited to the forum of the show and the mandate of a public broadcaster.  He was always a polite host who allowed all views in the political spectrum to be expressed and he was an extremely competent moderator whenever emotions ran high.

I find the timing of Mr. Hill's termination to be suspicious and I truly worry that it is an attack on freedom of speech and freedom of the press.  One of the things that made Wild Rose Forum so interesting with Don at the helm was that often the topics were controversial and probing questions were asked about provincial and federal government affairs and the affect that government policies have on the citizens on Canada and the role our country plays internationally.  I find it extremely troublesome that Don was one of the VERY few radio personalities who dare to take this approach these days...and his position was terminated - can one blamed for having these thoughts of conspiracy?

As a loyal listener of the CBC and a "shareholder" of our public broadcaster, I respectfully ask that Don Hill's position as host of Wild Rose Forum be reinstated.  Only then will my faith in democratic public radio be restored.  Sadly, because of Don's sudden, forced absence, I won't be tuning in to CBC during the 1:00-2:00 p.m. time slot any longer as Wild Rose Forum does not have the same value for me or hold my interest any longer.

Sincerely,

V.A.
Edmonton, Alberta

(Copy sent by mail to Audience Relations, CBC Toronto)