Communities in Focus is a CBC Manitoba project aimed at interacting with and sharing stories of the life and work of cities, towns and villages around the province, and Manitoba’s Oil Capital fit the bill.
From Sept. 11 to 15, several staff members, including reporter Josh Crabb and Community Connection Producer Nadia Kidwai, set up a community news bureau at MJ’s Coffee Bar & Bistro in downtown Virden. The popular coffee spot served as the crew’s home base for the week as they produced various stories for radio, the web and the nightly television newscast.
It was the first visit to Virden for both Kidwai and the host of Information Radio, Marcy Markusa, who anchored her morning current affairs show on location on Sept. 13.
Along with the news of the day, the program profiled local venues like Tundra Oil & Gas Place and the CP Station. Following the live broadcast, listeners were invited to drop in to MJ’s for a meet-and-greet reception with Markusa and other members of the team.
Markusa began with CBC in 2001 following time with the now-defunct Videon community television operation in Winnipeg.
“It was volunteer-based, with a small group of paid staff,” she said. “I lost my job there when the company shut down. It was funny because when I went to CBC, they actually said ‘Why are you so in touch with the community? We want to hire you in part because of that.’ It was all because of my community television work. It was an amazing place to work. I loved those days.”
Markusa moved back to Winnipeg after working rurally and brought her love for being out and about to her new position.
“I landed at CBC doing live reporting in the community,” she said. “At that time, they were looking to be increasingly connected in that way. It was just a moment in time where there was an opportunity. I’ve covered small-town councils. I did morning show hits, became co-host and the next thing I knew I was hosting the show.”
Fox Lake, Thompson, Norway House and Steinbach have been “In Focus” so far and in comparison, Markusa finds Virden intriguing.
“What’s similar is the intention, and that is to listen,” she said. “You’re on the ground listening to what people want to come and bring to us for stories. I think what’s different about here in Virden is that you have a southern Manitoba sensibility.… You are reminded when you come here that this is not Winnipeg. There’s different issues, different industries, different (economic) drivers. In this part of the province, you’re so intertwined with Saskatchewan as well and that’s unique.”
Kidwai explained that the In Focus project helps to reflect the diversity of Manitoba, both urban and rural, on the air.
“Every place is completely different, and what strikes me is how every community welcomes us,” she said. “I don’t take that for granted. The reason why we’re doing this project is we know we have to do a better job of telling stories from different parts of the province. We’re CBC Manitoba, we’re not CBC Winnipeg.”
Kidwai stressed the importance of building connections that will remain after the team moves on.
“Even though we’re just here for a week, the relationship continues. People have put faces to names, and hopefully anyone here knows they can call us or send us an email when they have a story idea.”
“I’m just here for a morning show, but I also visited the Costume Closet and did some television stories at the Aud (Theatre),” added Markusa. “Those stories will be shared on CBC in the days and weeks ahead. The idea of it is to make a more real and lasting connection….”
Markusa explained that while venturing beyond the perimeter of Winnipeg has tangible benefits, the necessary adaptations can be daunting.
“The technical requirements are sometimes a bit of a challenge,” she said. “There’s parts of Manitoba where cell service isn’t that great. That’s a practical challenge, certainly for the people that live here. Logistically, when we gathered an interview on the streets of Virden yesterday and wanted it on the air this morning, that has to be processed in a certain way and then it takes double the time to get sent back into the studio in Winnipeg.
“Meanwhile, I’m trying to edit on a little laptop wherever I am, in the café or in the hotel. The frustration, and it’s a good one to have, is when everyone wants to talk to you, it’s hard to get a story on the air….”
Markusa oriented her CBC audience to an area of Manitoba they may be unfamiliar with and she, too, learned from her brief time in Virden.
“The vibrancy here was somewhat of a surprise,” she said. “It’s not to say that I thought that all small towns would be sleepy, but it’s not the case in Virden. I was surprised at how welcoming and open people were to share with us. How much they have a love for their community and how really connected everyone is to each other here. You hear everybody talk about it.
“I know that this is the oil patch…I know that you have seasonal workers…I know what the stats are, but I didn’t know that your politicians actually see themselves as builders and want to be seen as people who contribute to their community. I heard that from multiple politicians…we live here, we work here, we love the people here so we’re going to take on these leadership roles because we want to build Virden. There was a sense of commitment here that was lovely to find.”
CBC’s next Communities in Focus will be four remote fly-in First Nations communities in Northern Manitoba, including Red Sucker Lake, Garden Hill, St. Theresa Point and Wasagamack later this year.
