Google Groups no longer supports new Usenet posts or subscriptions. Historical content remains viewable.
Dismiss
Ex-CBCer Patrick Brown to Global in Beijing
134 views
Skip to first unread message
DanNospamSay
Sep 15, 2011, 7:33:02 PM9/15/11
to
Patrick Brown? The multilingual (English,
French, Chinese, etc.)
long-time TV, then radio-only) Asian
correspondent with a wife
who played cards with high officials' wives.
And whose end-of-CBC term biography "Butterfly
Mind."
(House of Anansi (2008), 304 pp.) revealed a
massive
drinking problem.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Brown_%28journalist%29
http://www.walrusmagazine.com/articles/2008.10-book-review-butterfly-mind-patrick-brown/
http://www.charlesforan.com/writings/reviews/2008-08-09-butterfly-mind.htm
Commenting on Global TV news network changes,
Howard Bernstein
said after many paragraphs on changes in Global
TV news ....
http://hlbtoo.wordpress.com/2011/09/07/global-gets-serious/
....".More surprising however, was the announcement that Patrick Brown
was hired to be the Beijing correspondent. Nobody in the business, at
least anyone that I have ever spoken to, questions Brown’s ability as
a fine foreign correspondent. He had a long and distinguished career
with CBC and earned all the accolades he has received with excellent
work. I have never worked with Patrick but I know he has reputation
for being very prickly, very difficult to work with. I can’t say
whether that too is well earned. What I do know is that a Beijing
Bureau is a very expensive proposition and demands a lot of travel
around China and Asia, this exactly the kind of expense that was
unheard of during the past ownership of the network."
Prompting.....
8 Responses
Peter McCluskey says:
September 7, 2011 at 4:29 pm
In defence of Patrick Bown and the reference to him being
‘prickly.’ I’ve worked with Patrick for extended periods over the past
20 years, including a two-year stint in Vancouver where we shared the
same office and I can assure you he is no more prickly than any other
reporter – and Patrick at least has the ability to back up his
gravitas, unlike many other prima donnas in the industry. Those
occasions when he might get prickly usually happened when he was under
enmorous stress in Poland, or Yugoslavia, or East Germany, or
Afghanistan, or Iraq. I once ran the raw videotape of Patrick and
cameraman Rick Dobrucki being caught in the middle of a firefght in
Timisoara. As I remember he filed four times that day – twice for
radio news and twice for TV .. in English and French. You try and keep
your calm when the Zomos are firing live rounds and some desk editor
in Toronto suggests you’re missing the important part of the story. I
hope the producers and desk editors at Global know what a great
journalist and consumate professional they’re getting. If they’re
smart they’ll learn a lot from Patrick.
Jeffrey Dvorkin says:
September 8, 2011 at 1:10 pm
As Patrick’s boss at CBC Radio News, I know that he was often
regarded with respect (and not a little fear) by his peers. Prickly?
Perhaps. But so what? Good correspondents often give their bosses
heartburn. It’s part of the deal. Pat earned his reputation as being
fearless in filing from some of the worst places on earth. We kept
asking the impossible of him (in retrospect, maybe too often) and he
always delivered. Global’s got one of the best I’ve ever seen. I just
hope they know what a jewel they have.
Brian Denike says:
September 8, 2011 at 3:11 pm
Its interesting to look at a list of experienced, respected on-
camera journalists who are no longer working for the CBC. Patrick is
the latest in what I expect is a longer list than immediately comes to
my mind….Don Murray, Tom Kennedy, Paul Workman…and I know there are
more. You have to wonder at the mind set of CBC management that will
allow that kind of invaluable experience, and to go along with the
theme of your blog, audience recognition and credibility, to get away.
Prickly? Damn right, and CBC News used to be so much better
because of it.
George Wolff says:
September 8, 2011 at 7:11 pm
As a former Global reporter I can certainly confirm this
perspective of Global News back in the day. After leaving Global I was
for a time a junior manager at CTV and led the raids to pluck Global’s
best journalistic and camera talent for the expanding newscast there.
I don’t know Patrick Brown but I do know of Global’s latest
acquisition, Claude Adams, a journalist of the first rank (even though
some at local news desks in BC found him “prickly”. His blog about
that experience is justly famous.) Congratulations to Global for
showing it is getting very serious.
hlbtoo says:
September 8, 2011 at 7:28 pm
Hi George…I didn’t know Global hired Claude Adams too. I
worked with Claude at CBC. He is a great writer, a fine journalist and
will be a major asset. One more good one for Global.
George Wolff says:
September 8, 2011 at 8:09 pm
Thanks for a fine post Howard.
George Jamieson says:
September 9, 2011 at 2:39 pm
I think another factor might be involved in these hirings. (I have
no evidence, but modern journalists don’t consider that much of an
impediment, so I’ll tell you my theory anyway.)
There can be a brutality of supply, demand, and price. The people
we’re talking about were all let go by their employers. Some
delicately, some indelicately, some with promises of future projects
or a continuing relationship. Those promises likely withered like a
sheep’s testicles after the farmer applies the elastic ligature.
You’re good at your job, you want to keep working, and your
prestigious network tells you it’s time to go in a different
direction. You look around. There are not so many openings. At some
point you consider options that you once dismissed as down-market.
The folks in charge aren’t demons. They talk nicely to you, give
you a bit of respect — something that wasn’t a big part of your
departure from the last job. They make you an offer that doesn’t look
so bad these days. Probably the best offer you’ve had for a while.
Maybe the only offer. You could say no, but what then….?
Global gets serious reporters with major cred, for not too much
money. I bet there’s a big difference between the salaries today and
what they would have been a few years ago. I also bet there’s a
shockingly small difference between what Global is paying these guys,
compared to what it would pay to hire middling reporters or eager
beginners for the same jobs.
I don’t believe this phenomenon applies only to senior
correspondents. I know at least one person working for SUN TV who in
no way fits my stereotype of a “Sun Media Journo”. That person is no
longer working for the CBC or one of the other employers, but if you
want to work, you go where the work is.
That said, I hope Global is upgrading its programs. Not that I
would notice. I get my tv news from CHEK — the only CBC affiliate
station in existence, and the only station owned by its journalistic
staff. Yes, they put Tony Parsons on the air, but at least they have
an excuse — he’s one of the owners.
George Jamieson
Marc David says:
September 9, 2011 at 5:11 pm
The CBC has been hiring it’s journalist via the bottom line for
years now. It is not who is the best corespondent for the job anymore,
but who will do the work for the cheapest possible salary. Most
veteran reporters have being replaced by junior staff at half the
price. It’s also about control, great journalist will stand up to
Toronto for what they believe in, Toronto hates that! With junior
staff, Toronto barks the reporter jumps. Most scrips are re-written by
Toronto writers, who don’t particularly like arguing with the
reporter. So veterans be gone is their policy, not thinking that most
of their audience will leave with them.
French, Chinese, etc.)
long-time TV, then radio-only) Asian
correspondent with a wife
who played cards with high officials' wives.
And whose end-of-CBC term biography "Butterfly
Mind."
(House of Anansi (2008), 304 pp.) revealed a
massive
drinking problem.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Brown_%28journalist%29
http://www.walrusmagazine.com/articles/2008.10-book-review-butterfly-mind-patrick-brown/
http://www.charlesforan.com/writings/reviews/2008-08-09-butterfly-mind.htm
Commenting on Global TV news network changes,
Howard Bernstein
said after many paragraphs on changes in Global
TV news ....
http://hlbtoo.wordpress.com/2011/09/07/global-gets-serious/
....".More surprising however, was the announcement that Patrick Brown
was hired to be the Beijing correspondent. Nobody in the business, at
least anyone that I have ever spoken to, questions Brown’s ability as
a fine foreign correspondent. He had a long and distinguished career
with CBC and earned all the accolades he has received with excellent
work. I have never worked with Patrick but I know he has reputation
for being very prickly, very difficult to work with. I can’t say
whether that too is well earned. What I do know is that a Beijing
Bureau is a very expensive proposition and demands a lot of travel
around China and Asia, this exactly the kind of expense that was
unheard of during the past ownership of the network."
Prompting.....
8 Responses
Peter McCluskey says:
September 7, 2011 at 4:29 pm
In defence of Patrick Bown and the reference to him being
‘prickly.’ I’ve worked with Patrick for extended periods over the past
20 years, including a two-year stint in Vancouver where we shared the
same office and I can assure you he is no more prickly than any other
reporter – and Patrick at least has the ability to back up his
gravitas, unlike many other prima donnas in the industry. Those
occasions when he might get prickly usually happened when he was under
enmorous stress in Poland, or Yugoslavia, or East Germany, or
Afghanistan, or Iraq. I once ran the raw videotape of Patrick and
cameraman Rick Dobrucki being caught in the middle of a firefght in
Timisoara. As I remember he filed four times that day – twice for
radio news and twice for TV .. in English and French. You try and keep
your calm when the Zomos are firing live rounds and some desk editor
in Toronto suggests you’re missing the important part of the story. I
hope the producers and desk editors at Global know what a great
journalist and consumate professional they’re getting. If they’re
smart they’ll learn a lot from Patrick.
Jeffrey Dvorkin says:
September 8, 2011 at 1:10 pm
As Patrick’s boss at CBC Radio News, I know that he was often
regarded with respect (and not a little fear) by his peers. Prickly?
Perhaps. But so what? Good correspondents often give their bosses
heartburn. It’s part of the deal. Pat earned his reputation as being
fearless in filing from some of the worst places on earth. We kept
asking the impossible of him (in retrospect, maybe too often) and he
always delivered. Global’s got one of the best I’ve ever seen. I just
hope they know what a jewel they have.
Brian Denike says:
September 8, 2011 at 3:11 pm
Its interesting to look at a list of experienced, respected on-
camera journalists who are no longer working for the CBC. Patrick is
the latest in what I expect is a longer list than immediately comes to
my mind….Don Murray, Tom Kennedy, Paul Workman…and I know there are
more. You have to wonder at the mind set of CBC management that will
allow that kind of invaluable experience, and to go along with the
theme of your blog, audience recognition and credibility, to get away.
Prickly? Damn right, and CBC News used to be so much better
because of it.
George Wolff says:
September 8, 2011 at 7:11 pm
As a former Global reporter I can certainly confirm this
perspective of Global News back in the day. After leaving Global I was
for a time a junior manager at CTV and led the raids to pluck Global’s
best journalistic and camera talent for the expanding newscast there.
I don’t know Patrick Brown but I do know of Global’s latest
acquisition, Claude Adams, a journalist of the first rank (even though
some at local news desks in BC found him “prickly”. His blog about
that experience is justly famous.) Congratulations to Global for
showing it is getting very serious.
hlbtoo says:
September 8, 2011 at 7:28 pm
Hi George…I didn’t know Global hired Claude Adams too. I
worked with Claude at CBC. He is a great writer, a fine journalist and
will be a major asset. One more good one for Global.
George Wolff says:
September 8, 2011 at 8:09 pm
Thanks for a fine post Howard.
George Jamieson says:
September 9, 2011 at 2:39 pm
I think another factor might be involved in these hirings. (I have
no evidence, but modern journalists don’t consider that much of an
impediment, so I’ll tell you my theory anyway.)
There can be a brutality of supply, demand, and price. The people
we’re talking about were all let go by their employers. Some
delicately, some indelicately, some with promises of future projects
or a continuing relationship. Those promises likely withered like a
sheep’s testicles after the farmer applies the elastic ligature.
You’re good at your job, you want to keep working, and your
prestigious network tells you it’s time to go in a different
direction. You look around. There are not so many openings. At some
point you consider options that you once dismissed as down-market.
The folks in charge aren’t demons. They talk nicely to you, give
you a bit of respect — something that wasn’t a big part of your
departure from the last job. They make you an offer that doesn’t look
so bad these days. Probably the best offer you’ve had for a while.
Maybe the only offer. You could say no, but what then….?
Global gets serious reporters with major cred, for not too much
money. I bet there’s a big difference between the salaries today and
what they would have been a few years ago. I also bet there’s a
shockingly small difference between what Global is paying these guys,
compared to what it would pay to hire middling reporters or eager
beginners for the same jobs.
I don’t believe this phenomenon applies only to senior
correspondents. I know at least one person working for SUN TV who in
no way fits my stereotype of a “Sun Media Journo”. That person is no
longer working for the CBC or one of the other employers, but if you
want to work, you go where the work is.
That said, I hope Global is upgrading its programs. Not that I
would notice. I get my tv news from CHEK — the only CBC affiliate
station in existence, and the only station owned by its journalistic
staff. Yes, they put Tony Parsons on the air, but at least they have
an excuse — he’s one of the owners.
George Jamieson
Marc David says:
September 9, 2011 at 5:11 pm
The CBC has been hiring it’s journalist via the bottom line for
years now. It is not who is the best corespondent for the job anymore,
but who will do the work for the cheapest possible salary. Most
veteran reporters have being replaced by junior staff at half the
price. It’s also about control, great journalist will stand up to
Toronto for what they believe in, Toronto hates that! With junior
staff, Toronto barks the reporter jumps. Most scrips are re-written by
Toronto writers, who don’t particularly like arguing with the
reporter. So veterans be gone is their policy, not thinking that most
of their audience will leave with them.
0 new messages