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(Titles and employers of interviewees are those in effect at time of interview)
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Don Bastien
Senior Vice-President & General Manager
CFCF (CTV Television)
Montreal
A year ago, during the ‘Fall Launch 2002-03’ that CTV television station CFCF makes to Montreal advertising media buyers and planners, Don Bastien appeared rather stiff and ill at ease in his short welcoming speech.
Bastien had only months before been immersed into his new position from a background that for close to 30 years was entirely in broadcast sales.
This year, during CFCF’s ‘Fall Launch 2003-04’, Bastien’s comfort level in his new position was more evident as he spoke in an easier and more relaxed manner and then chatted with the gathered throng enjoying the station’s hospitality.
"It was difficult at the beginning, in part because CFCF had been in limbo, with its ownership under trustees, and it was only starting to put all the changes into place as a CTV-owned station," says Bastien. "While there wasn’t a resentment that CFCF was now part of CTV – after all, it had been an affiliate – people didn’t know what to expect. CFCF had always been very much a part of the local fabric and it was important to emphasize that it was still very much part of the Montreal community."
There had been several ownership changes since 1997. The Pouliot family, long-time owners, had sold the station to Vidéotron whose objective was to secure CF cable. Vidéotron divested itself of the broadcast operations, selling the station to WIC Television Ltd.. And after a short period, WIC Television assets were sold to CanWest Global.
But Global had recently set up in Quebec with a re-broadcasting station in Montreal of CKMI-TV in Quebec City, so the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission ordered Global to sell CFCF. CFCF was in limbo under a trusteeship until the purchase by CTV in mid-2001.
Finally: Investment
"During the changes, there had been no capital investment," says Bastien. "When CTV came in, it meant an $18 million capital infusion. It provided the funds and infrastructure to build a brand new digitized station, a technical facility with the opportunity to change the news editing system from analogue to a linear (digitized) Leitch system. It also invested in 15 new ENG (portable) cameras.
"This ownership change meant that the station would operate not only differently on a corporate level, but on a technical level. We also moved to new office space, with new furniture. We only had to move people – to a new state-of-the-art work environment."
It was into this changing environment that Bastien was dropped in November/01, charged with overseeing news, programming, sales, marketing, community relations, operations and administration. He knew sales. He had been leading CTV’s national sales in Quebec for 10 years as senior vice-president sales. In fact, he had joined CTV in 1972 when it was Baton Broadcasting Inc., working first in radio and then moving into TV where his various positions earlier included director of sales, television, eastern Canada, and vice-president sales.
Learning About Operations
But he had a lot to learn about the other aspects of his new position.
"Operations was the most difficult," he says. "I was totally unfamiliar with understanding the logistics as its relates to the product, particularly in what’s required in putting a newscast to air, the interface of news to camera and studio crews, and how that all comes together, and managing all that as cost-effectively as possible."
With CFCF local news, known then as Pulse, being the top newscast in the market, it was essential to familiarize himself quickly with that area. He had to ensure that the new studio being built and all operations around that sector be geared to keep it at the top. (CTV’s early evening news and its National Newscast with Lloyd Robertson are number one in Canada.)
Since all other production for the past 10 years had moved more and more to independent producers – "a more creative and more efficient system," says Bastien – the new quarters needed only one major studio for the news.
A Move to the Broadcast Zone
The first year for Bastien was also demanding in other ways. First, there was the relocation from the familiar 405 Ogilvy Ave. to Montreal’s eastern sector at 1205 Papineau Ave., in the ‘broadcast zone’ with RDS and MétéoMédia in the same building, some Astral Media properties across the street, and, within a few blocks, CBC/Radio-Canada, TVA, Global and Télé-Québec.
"We had to make the move in a short time and be fully operational the minute we flipped the switch," says Bastien.
Then there were certain issues and complexities inherited from the previous owners, none of whom were around as CFCF completed the licence period and faced licence renewal. This required a lot of scrutiny, examination of the product and reorganization of operations.
As part of all this, CFCF had to take on one-fifth of former owner WIC’s benefit fund commitment for the licence period remaining, and, then, with CTV’s acquisition, a new $14 million benefit fund was also created. (These are monies promised by the media owners when they receive their licence, to be used mainly towards funding independent productions.)
With these changes completed, Bastien felt more comfortable speaking at the ‘03-’04 fall launch.
"I don’t dislike speaking in front of large groups, but I don’t thrive on it," Bastien admits. "I don’t mind if it needs to be done and I can make a significant contribution. The first year was very demanding, and there was this complex move. This year I felt closer to the product and more representative of what we’re about." Not much really makes him nervous, he says, "except lack of revenues."
Despite not loving the public speaking role, Bastien thinks his personal strength is in communications and dealing with people.
"CFCF was and is a very successful station with a lot of good talent. Every ship needs a captain and a rudder, and that’s my role. Under the previous structure, no one was running the ship. It was unfair to the employees. CTV came in as the stabilizer. We have an excellent newsroom with huge seniority. The only real changes we had to make were operational with the technical, the engineering. Our master control was no longer needed, since it was centralized out of one building in Toronto and we share the signal. And we have lots of resources, lots of depth we can call on if necessary, with any of CTV’s affiliates.
"A big benefit is that we can access CTV’s research department and its tools at a moment’s notice. And if we want to do anything on our own, it’s available to us. We no longer have to go outside.
"The events put me on a fast learning curve, to be able to make the call on certain issues. I had to rely on my communications skills plus the depth of knowledge of people with the system. Personally, I’m technically inept."
Family Life and Interests
The demands of the job were time consuming, but Bastien says that his family environment was particularly important to him and that his family has been supportive. Married for 31 years to Lise, a translator who also does medical legal work, the couple have two adult daughters, Dani, advertising manager at Métro, and Anik, an elementary school teacher.
He golfs, skis, and travels "when I can or can afford." Holidays and weekends are focused on family and these activities. "We’re in Quebec so we may as well enjoy winter," he says.
Bastien also has one major interest outside the broadcast industry: He’s vice-president of the executive committee of the Foundation for Mental Health and chairman of the organization’s fundraising committee. His interest was originally spurred by his now-deceased brother being diagnosed in his late teens as schizophrenic.
"I got to understand what such problems did to the individuals and their families," he says. "In the past, people didn’t talk about such things. The Foundation was formed in the early ‘80s, and I pledged to myself that I’d participate. It’s something I’m very passionate about. Every so often I think about leaving, but I don’t. It’s something in which I’ll probably always be involved, as long as I can make a meaningful contribution."
His other outside position is as a member of the board of directors of TQS French-language TV network. TQS is 40% owned by CTV (60% by Cogeco) and Bastien fills one of CTV’s four seats on the board.
"We examine synergies. We share some communication lines in the city and some facilities. For example, at CFCF we have a satellite truck that TQS accesses and we, in turn, access its microwave trucks. And we share news pictures if TQS wants them."
Bastien has always stayed in the broadcasting field by his own design. "My friends share my interest in it," he says. "It’s invigorating, demanding and passionate. The young generation doesn’t look for a career in one field the way I’ve spent all my time in broadcasting. Young people today look at their careers more in 10-year slices and are more adaptable."
Keeping an Eye on the Industry
He has been watching industry developments with interest.
"Whether the digital networks will get seriously established enough to be a business is still being evaluated," he says. "People are still watching as much TV as in the past, but the offerings are substantially larger. All these stations have two revenue streams: advertising and subscriber. It’s the base on which they were built, and they require both to be financially viable. In some cases the audience or advertising revenue stream just isn’t big enough to allow them to continue."
As for High Definition Television, as consumer demand grows, the prices for the products will continue to go down, he says. "CTV is in the process of merging to the HDTV signal over time, and we’ll know details on those plans in the fall."
Managing Staff
Before Bastien took over at CFCF, he had been managing a small staff of eight people. With his move, he was thrust into managing 140. It’s one of the things that he found most difficult and something to which he’s still adjusting. The small group who had been repping CTV stations was brought over intact and the CFCF and CTV group had to be integrated into the new joint environment.
"There’s a director for each department and I’ve had to rely on them as my first line to keep things running smoothly," he says. "But I want to get to know everyone. They’re all individuals and entitled to total transparency. I feel strongly on those points."
While Bastien had worked for CTV representing stations like CFTO, Toronto, he has lived in Montreal all his life and was reasonably familiar with CFCF.
"I realized that there was a lack of understanding of the role that CFCF plays and can play in the media equation of the market," he says. "CFCF is labeled as an English station. My objective is to have it known as a Montreal station that broadcasts in English but represents all Montrealers. We have a more diversified viewer base than any station in Montreal. We impact the anglophone, allophone and francophone communities. In fact, more than 25% of our viewers are bilingual francophones. I don’t feel that BBM Bureau of Broadcast Measurement and Nielsen Media Research samples truly represent the linguistic, ethnic and cultural makeup of this city."
While CTV’s primary issue wasn’t to decrease labour costs, there were some opportunities to do so. The master control, because of technology, could be centralized in Toronto; a financial department was needed but could be smaller; and part of the traffic department’s work could also be centralized. A total of 29 people were cut from the staff.
On the other hand, because of national needs, five jobs – some of which existed but were not permanent – became permanent new positions. Total sales staff, including support people, now numbers about 17.
Growth and Visibility
Market share is up, comparing spring/03 to spring/02, by 11%.
"It’s largely because of our strong entertainment and news that viewership has gone higher. CFCF’s 6 p.m. news, among the 25-54 age group, has a 63% share, and its share for the 11 p.m. news is in the high 40s."
There were few negatives in becoming part of CTV, the main one being that unilateral moves can’t be made without approval, because those moves could be undoing something else that you’ve been unaware of, says Bastien. Another was the name change of Pulse.
"We had three brands: CTV, CFCF and Pulse. It was cluttered. We want everything we do to be branded as CFCF/CTV. The recognition of the Pulse name was extremely strong, but we felt the change could be done without affecting the viewership and the franchise value of the product. It worked, but it was a sensitive issue."
The new east end location has pleased most staffers, since it is more accessible to and from major highways, has a better selection of restaurants nearby, and is closer to downtown Montreal. Since the old address was so well ingrained in the minds of station viewers, Bastien is looking at ways to familiarize them more with the new address, including better signage on the building to make CFCF more visible.
Within all the changes, Bastien was also faced with CFCF’s renewal of licence and he reached out to the community for support.
"From the consumer viewers’ standpoint, we more than met the conditions of licence," says Bastien. "They were happy with the way the news is handled. And in terms of the industry, our development and support of independent producers got approval. Of the 350-plus interventions to the CRTC, there were only two negatives. These dealt with the obligations of licence in terms of the previous ownerships – that they had not been entirely fulfilled – and the comments weren’t entirely wrong. The WIC benefit fund was very large, and had been hardly touched. That’s where we agreed to take on the one-fifth left for what remained of the previous licence period." (CFCF’s next licence renewal will coincide with that of all CTV stations in 2008.)
One would think that the station wouldn’t have much possibility for growth. Not only is CFCF tops in News, it also leads Montreal’s English-language TV market in entertainment with eight of the top 10 shows, and 17 of the top 20.
"How much more successful on that end can we get, realistically!" Bastien says. "But there is strong concentration on investments in our Canadian initiatives, in the development and support of Canadian shows: drama, movies, series."
Government ‘Issues’
Government support for Canadian drama is always an issue, says Bastien.
And, on the subject of governments, Bastien has a major beef: "CFCF doesn’t get any advertising during political campaigns from Quebec. They don’t seem to think they have to buy. All the efforts are on the French stations."
As for the station’s own marketing, "There’s no cookie cutter pattern," he says. "The station works with The Globe and Mail on some projects." (Both CTV and The Globe and Mail are 100% owned by Bell Globemedia, a property of Bell Canada Enterprises.)
The Future
"The great thing is that there’s a great pool of talent in Montreal, and our impact and success are such that people aspire to work here," says Bastien. "It’s easy to find good people when we need to recruit."
As for Bastien’s own future, he says, "For me, coming to CFCF, having the opportunity to manage a station right in my own backyard is an accomplishment and a turning point in my career. I was hoping that one day I’d have the opportunity to run a television station somewhere. To have that happen in my own town would only happen if CFCF would one day be purchased by CTV. It happened.
"Long term? It’s not even on my radar screen yet!
"Short term? Learning these new responsibilities, I’m still on a learning curve. That’s the immediate future."
Presumably, he’ll sound even more comfortable for the 2004-05 fall launch.
(July 14/03)
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Copyright (c) 2003 Rice Wine Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Articles may be referenced but proper credit must be given to PubZone(tm) as the source. Any other use of this material requires the written consent of the publisher.
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