Source: Inside the CBC

This is the full text of CBC President and CEO Hubert Lacroix’s note to staff this afternoon. To leave a comment on Lacroix’s note, scroll down to the bottom of this post.

Hubert T. Lacroix: Setting a few things straight
August 10, 2010

A mid-summer note following the events of last week is in order. The news of Richard Stursberg’s departure last week will, of course, generate speculation about what happened, what it means and what it doesn’t. As usual, most of it will be just that, speculation.

So, let me set a few things straight.

I chose Kirstine Stewart to step in as Executive Vice-President English Services not because she was next in line but because she has the leadership skills and the expertise to keep English Services driving forward as hard and as fast as possible while we run our formal recruitment process (which could take up to 9 months). She is not a caretaker. She is not a babysitter. This is not about waiting or slowing down. She is in charge, has full authority and has my complete confidence.

We have several launches coming, a strategic plan to land and then cost, choices to make, a Leaders Forum to organize, a corporate budget to prepare… and that’s only from my vantage point! We are not slowing down. We don’t need to, we don’t have time to.

With the creation of a new strategic plan, this is a good time to review the leadership of CBC. The decision to change leadership was not a sudden decision triggered by any specific incident. And, by the way, we did not escort Richard out of the building (where do people get these rumours?). It was, rather, the culmination of a very long reflection on the future of the Corporation, the culture it needs to adopt in order to change and adapt in an evolving media environment and our ability to agree to a long term plan based on a shared vision.

In essence, the Strategic Plan is about having a clearer definition of what the public broadcaster brand stands for. Our industry is morphing. While we still rely on the conventional broadcasting model we have known , we will, increasingly, migrate to new models that have yet to become clear. Having a shared, compelling and visible set of principles that give shape to the public broadcasting brand will be a roadmap for future decisions. And the brand is about what we do and how we do it and how we communicate it.

However, you should immediately know that there is nothing (and I mean nothing) in our current programming strategies that I don’t stand by: so, those out there who think this is in any way a repudiation of where we stand today will be disappointed big time.

One constant in all this is that CBC/Radio-Canada will continue to fulfill its mandate by responding to the media and cultural challenges facing the country. Implicit in that for me are these points among others:

    * The drama/entertainment strategy that has been a source success in television over the last few years will continue to be a central plank of our future strategy;
    * The integration and modernization of our news services both regionally and nationally remains essential to our mandate and our success;
    * Radio One’s unique role in the media landscape, whether on radio or through new media, will be maintained and nurtured;
    * Our commitment to a music strategy that serves Canada’s music lovers and musical artists will continue;
    * Our commitment to truly reflecting the regions to themselves and nationally is as important a priority as we have;
    * We will not give up our lead in new media;
    * And, by now, I hope that you know how much I care about our people.

This is not an exhaustive list so if your own personal area of activity is not mentioned, please do not conclude that it is not important or not included in the strategy. The point is, we are moving forward from the strong position we hold, not going back to the past.

It is about building a public broadcaster for 2015 that is even more successful, more in tune with the needs and wants of Canadians and more engaged in their lives. It is also about building a public broadcaster that is home to the most ambitious and creative workforce in the country. We have the team right here, right now, to do that. I am extremely proud of you and of what you do, every day.

Hope you have had or will have a good break this summer. We’ll need all your energy and passion as we prepare for the fall.

© Inside the CBC