Raise the Hammer

Thanks to Fred Youngs for his comments. To be honest, I'm much less concerned with where staff are from than I am about the quality of what they produce while they're here in Hamilton. Having said that, I must ask a few simple questions for clarification.

1. How many of the current staff (full time and part time and contract) have worked for the CBC in the past, distant or immediate?

2. If, like many corporations, the CBC has a promote from within guideline (versus policy), exactly how could a non-CBC, Hamilton-based, qualified journalist get the job? Is Hamilton a training ground for young CBC staffers? OK if it is, but let's say so if this is the case.

3. What role does the CBC think is played by hiring local journalists for a new outlet when previously no such outlet existed, both in terms of local knowledge and understanding, and in terms of the optics to the citizens of the community where the new outlet is being launched? I know Mr. Young is not saying we don't have any good, available journalists in Hamilton, but seems to be saying that the ones who were hired were of better quality. If a key factor was also affordability, then he should say so, but by doing so he would be saying there were no local candidates willing to work for the full time wages offered by the CBC.

4. What balance between non-local, qualified journalists and local, qualified journalists does the CBC think is advantageous to the quality of the broadcasting "product" from a new outlet where one previously did not exist? Would it be 50/50? 80/20? 100/0? Something else? Why?

Like I said, I'm not all that concerned with the immediately previous address of the journalists working currently at CBC Hamilton, but simply saying "we hire the best" may be a good talking point, but it might bear some further explanation.

Again, thanks Fred for commenting. I don't want CBC Hamilton to go away, I just want it to be better.