How unfortunate that in the rush to crucify horizontal banking correspondent Amanda Lang for breaches of journalistic ethics (wat dat?!—ed.) the integrity police have ignored certain of her CBC colleagues who also leverage their public broadcasting celebrity for lucrative speaking gigs.
Granted, Amanda was the top draw among Corpse televisual personalities. In the nine months between April-December 2014, CBC records reveal she made 27 paid appearances.
At $10,000-$15,000-a-pop, that works out to at least $300K in extracurriculars for Lang last year.
But Peter Mansbridge, CBC’s chief bingo caller, had 22 gigs, 13 of them paid. At Peterkins’ going rate of $15,000-$20,000, that works out to a minimum of $195,000—in addition to his estimated $900,000-a-year salary.
There are some high-minded souls in the news biz who claim that journalists who accept cash on the side put themselves not only in a perceived, but a direct conflict of interest.
Clearly, they have never walked in Peter’s Guccis.
The glabrous newsreader has always maintained that he gives a portion of his speaking proceeds to charity–just how much we don’t know–but in this new era of CBC transparency, doubtless that information will soon be forthcoming.
Heather Hiscox, host of CBC-TV’s News Now, had nine speaking gigs, including two days of tidy earners with the Trillium Book Awards.
Evan Solomon, Mansbridge’s hair apparent, ranks fourth in the CBC Sellout Sweepstakes.
The host of Power and Politics and The House, Solomon had eight paid speaking appearances last year.
Solomon’s rate runs between $7,500 and $15,000. According to insiders, he pocketed $15K for a one-hour gum beater for the Canadian Nurses Association clambake in Winnipeg last June.
What with $225,000 a year from the Corpse, plus the lucrative speakers market, well, before you can say, “Good evening, ladies and germs!” he’s up to more than $300,000 a year!
It’s all about Canadians telling Canadian stories — with the meter running.
This all started when they let Percy Saltzman take his chalkboard map on the rubber-chicken circuit.
People actually pay to hear Heather Hiscox? That’s newsworthy in itself.
Heather = Nails on a chalkboard!
Let us not forget Stuart McClean’s weekly infomercial that allows him to flog merch and his travelling sideshow year round.
Clyde Gilmore he ain’t
Poor Aussie bastard Stuart Mclean.
“From 1978 until 1982, McLean made documentaries for the radio program Sunday Morning for CBC Radio, and from 1982 until 1984 he acted as the show’s executive producer. During the 1980s and 1990s he was a frequent guest and sometimes host of Morningside with Peter Gzowski. He was a contender in 1989 to become cohost with Valerie Pringle of the CBC’s television newsmagazine series Midday, but the role went to Ralph Benmergui.”
[ wiki ]
He was forced to retire from Ryerson (sure!) in 2004. Now he has nothing but the Ghomeshi circuit of groupies and the books, LPs, CDs to flog across Canada to support his small pension.
Sad.
Unfortunately Stuart was beknighted in 2011, as they didn’t find out his sins.
Thus joining the much greater racounteur and musicalist Sir Clyde Gilmour O.C. 1975 (1912-1997) in the Order of Canada mob.
Other honours are (were?):
Served as Honorary Colonel of the 8th Air Maintenance Squadron at 8 Wing, Trenton from 2005 to 2008
[ What did they find out? ]
Honorary degrees
Nipissing University (EdD(H))
University of Windsor (LlD)
Trent University (DLH)
Saint Mary’s University (D.C.L.)
University of Calgary (LL.D.)
Concordia University (LL.D.)
McMaster University (LL.D.)
University of Calgary (LL.D.)
In addition, allowing Alex Trebek to run trivia contests at Homes for the Aged also fanned the fire.