All eyes are on the CBC after the federal government announced it would cut 10 per cent of its budget. It’s likely Kirstine Stewart, the broadcaster’s executive vice-president in charge of English programming, is feeling the weight of that gaze more than anyone else at the CBC.
In a story that first appeared in Toronto Life‘s May 2012 issue, Toronto-based writer Jason McBride profiles Stewart, who has raised ratings while dodging rumours about her personal life and championing shows like Dragons’ Den and Being Erica on her mission to “to connect Canadians and facilitate conversations.”
An updated version of the profile, entitled Can This Woman Save the CBC?, is available as an ebook through Kobo and Amazon.com.
This the second title in the Canadian Writers Group‘s nonfiction ebook series that launched last month with Russell Smith’s unflinching memoir Blindsided. It was the top-selling non-fiction title on Kobo’s list of Top 50 ebooks soon after its release and is now available for Kindle readers.
CWG will release a third title, Bones of Contention by Leslie Anthony, in May.
Synopsis for Can This Woman Save the CBC?:
Kirstine Stewart, the CBC’s executive vice-president in charge of English programming, has the most difficult job in Canadian media. Up against huge budget cuts, the Internet, corporate media giants, and millions of taxpaying critics, she is fighting back with an array of mass-appeal reality TV and sitcoms such as Dragons’ Den and Mr. D. Ratings have never been higher; nevertheless, the CBC is on increasingly tenuous ground. Jason McBride went behind the scenes with Stewart to write a feature profile for the May 2012 issue of Toronto Life that gets to the heart of the national drama.