September 12, 2005 Source: University of Toronto:
http://www.news.utoronto.ca/bin6/050912-1614.asp CBC Radio Metro Morning broadcasts live from CIUT It's probably the most unexpected and surprising phone call Brian Burchell has received since becoming station manager for CIUT-89.5 FM. Would he be interested in having the cast and crew of the popular CBC Radio show Metro Morning camp out at his radio station and produce a top-notch program while the CBC lockout was on? Burchell jumped at the idea. “This has never been about advocacy or taking sides,” said Burchell of the approximately 20 locked-out workers who are busily chasing down news stories and filling in story boards for each day’s show called Toronto Unlocked. “I’m Andy Barrie, one of CIUT’s newest volunteers, and I have the ball cap to prove it,” said Barrie, host of Metro Morning, from the CIUT studio Sept. 5. The show will have an unlimited run according to Burchell, depending on when the lockout, now in its sixth week, ends. The show, which has received national press coverage, is an attempt by CBC locked-out staff to stay connected to their public. “We at CIUT are enjoying this immensely,” Burchell said. “It’s exciting and the calibre of guests dropping by is impressive but it’s obvious that the CBC workers are also having fun here. Obviously, for us here at CIUT, this is a great opportunity for growth and learning.” He added that it was the producer of Metro Morning who first suggested the idea, telling Burchell it would be a “natural fit.” “When you look at radio in Toronto, the closest thing in terms of what the CBC’s fans are listening to would be what CIUT provides in its eclectic program mix,” Burchell said. And one important benefit to the volunteers and staff members of CIUT is the fact that they can observe and learn so much from these seasoned broadcasting veterans while the staff of Toronto Unlocked gets access to the wide-ranging broadcast capabilities of the campus radio station — superior to that of other Toronto colleges and universities. Burchell, who had to find space for the CBC employees (including phones, computers and desks) for this project, said he is impressed with the experiment so far.
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