his course

for CBC

Jim Byrd is settling into the vice-presidency of cbc English television networks with an eye to changing some elements and leaving others well enough alone. His approach to the job is crystal clear: ‘I don’t agree with a one-person vision driving everything that happens here – the country’s too big, the issues too broad, and the community is too talented.’

Byrd aims to tackle regional reflection and primetime scheduling problems (including whether to move Prime Time News). He is also working to establish ties with the independent tv production community in Toronto.

More distant issues for Byrd exist within the industry’s crystal ball of info highways, interactive tv and 500 channels – paving the way for change for everyone including the corporation. Depending on vision, power and resources, Byrd might well be the cbc’s champion or its fall guy.

Byrd, who stepped into his present position March 10, was named acting vice-president English television networks last November following Ivan Fecan’s departure for Baton Broadcasting.

He brings many years of administrative experience, an understanding of regional programming and 25 years in the corporation’s infrastructure to the job. He first joined the St. John’s cbc-tv studio in 1969 as a pa and has since bounced from the East Coast to Toronto in at least 10 roles, including regional director for Newfoundland and manager of production administration for network drama in Toronto.

But he’s not well known outside the cbc, causing some industry members to wonder just what does this fortysomething redhead bring to this pivotal position?

Playback sat down with Byrd recently to find out.

thing redhead bring to this pivotal position?

Playback sat down with Byrd recently to find out.

Playback: How will you be making your programming decisions?

Byrd: Number one is that the corp has a pretty well-defined mandate. And we have a good solid nucleus of hands-on programming people here.

Playback: So you’ll initially be in touch with your team rather than having direct access to programming yourself?

Byrd: It will be a mix. There are some things I’m going to have to decide myself, like the decision about the nine o’clock or 10 o’clock news. In the end, that’s going to have to be my call, and then subsequently what goes around it will be my call.

Playback: We’ve heard that CBC Prime Time News is going to be moved back to its old 10 p.m. time slot.

Byrd: Well, we should know in a couple of weeks. We just want to be sure that whatever move we make this time around has a solid basis. There are too many people putting too high a hope on what will happen if we move the news. So I think we should do it with realistic expectations. I mean, the marketplace has changed even in the two years since the news was moved – we have to consider that.

Playback: How would you define the change in the market?

Byrd: Significant. The biggest change I guess was the three or four specialty channels provided under basic cable and that meant a lot of additional competition, especially for the cbc. Also, there are more independent players in the field. And I would be surprised if the crtc doesn’t license several of those specialty applications.

Playback: Will you wait for the crtc to select the specialty channels before shifting the entire primetime schedule?

Byrd: I would say that if the decision is to move the news, we won’t wait for the crtc to make its decisions about the specialty channels. But for the other (shows) that fall around it, we might keep (the schedule) a bit flexible for a couple of months. The whole specialty channel shakedown wouldn’t be the only reason. There’s mip, buying in l.a. in May, and we’re still working on financing for a couple of projects.

Playback: Is there a dominant force that is driving this decision?

Byrd: The biggest one for me is: ‘What does the public think about it?’

Playback: The public was not thrilled with the change in the primetime schedule.

Byrd: There is no question that our audience in the nine to 12 o’clock period declined, and I would bet that there are a number of reasons for that. I don’t think the show (Prime Time News) is the only reason. Now it’s a question of positioning it in the schedule in the best way. Then, it’s up to us to provide better public relations, promotion and do a whole marketing job.

Playback: What’s getting renewed or chopped for the new season?

Byrd: I can’t tell you now. We should know by May or early June. Some projects are already conveyed, some are committed pending financing.

Playback: With the plug pulled on Friday Night! with Ralph Benmergui, the public lost a venue for showcasing Canadian talent. Are there any plans to replace that venue?

Byrd: We will have a show playing that role in our schedule by fall. It may not be at that time in the schedule, but it will be a primetime, weekly, hour-long show. I say that now, but who knows? The plan may fall flat on its face.

Playback: You’re not well-known in the independent community here. Do you have any plans to remedy this?

Byrd: For the independent community here, or west of here, my personal relationship is based on reputation and product only. But in the last couple of weeks I have been meeting as many individual producers as I can and there are many more meetings coming.

Playback: How do you see your role in the independent community?

Byrd: I don’t agree with a one-person vision driving everything that happens here – the country’s too big, the issues too broad, and the community is too talented for any one person to ride roughshod. I see my job as creating a climate for the independent producers to get as much produced as we can in the most efficient way.

Playback: What does creating a climate entail?

Byrd: Creating a comfort zone for people. I think most creative activities happen best when people have a sense of where they belong, what the guidelines are, what the money situation is, what the resource situation is and what the editorial limits are. I think the worst thing that could happen would be if we couldn’t keep the momentum going.

Playback: How will you address the concern that cbc English tv is looking more and more like a private network (based on satellite broadcasting plans, dependence on ad revenues and American daytime programming)?

Byrd: Let’s separate the business of our (satellite) ventures in the United States – they are all post-broadcast, they have no, or little, influence on what we produce. The only way it may have any influence is if they were to invest money in some projects. I see the venture as a way to export Canadian product.

In terms of ad revenue, I don’t know of any public broadcaster in the world which is completely free of any kind of commercial involvement. This is about a $400 million operation and roughly $200 million comes from sales. Unless the cbc, the government or the country comes up with an alternative, we’re dependent on that revenue.

Playback: Have you got any plans to increase regional programming?

Byrd: Yes, I have plans. Nearly half of our schedule comes from the regions now and the network is dependent on that programming. So the issue is regional reflection (which) is an issue of better attention to quality. I’ve got plans for one (regular) part of the schedule in which regions could play a role.

Playback: Any plans to increase interaction with French network cbc?

Byrd: What we have now in primetime is probably as much as the schedule can take in terms of balance. But there’s lots of room to continue to do specials and one-shots.

Playback: How do you respond to Keith Spicer’s accusation that the cbc is headed toward oblivion?

Byrd: At other times of the hearings Spicer said things about the quality of what we’ve done and the value of this place, so I wouldn’t put a whole lot of stock in those comments.

I don’t think we’re headed towards oblivion at all. Our numbers in primetime have leveled out (after replacing American programming with Canadian) but I don’t think our numbers will drop any further.

Playback: How is the cbc English network planning for the looming 500-channel universe?

Byrd: People can talk about a 500-channel universe all they want but the public is not going to pay for all that. And there is limited advertising support out there. I think that the public is going to rely on a particular package of those channels, and what’s going to be important for us is to fit into as many of those packages as possible.

Playback: What about programming in this future?

Byrd: I think our programming is going to stay consistent, but what we’re going to have to do is to market it better. There are 58 channels here now and if you divide it arithmetically, the best you can hope for is a little under 2%. We’ve got 13. So I don’t think that spells disaster. I think we’re better off in the long-term future with a Canadian schedule that is distinctive.