Author Talk with Diane Dakers
In 2009, Victoria's CHEK-TV became the first employee-owned television station in North America after corporate owner CanWest Global threatened to shut it down. The David-and-Goliath story made national headlines and reawakened a belief in local, independent broadcasting. In the five years since the employee purchase of the station, CHEK has weathered the challenges of independent ownership and remains proudly local, in every sense of the word. While the future of media is unpredictable and the feasibility of local television continues to be challenged, CHEK Republic is, at its core, a success story, chronicling the long history, near downfall, and rebirth of a truly one-of-a-kind media outlet.
Diane Dakers is the author of CHEK Republic: A Revolution in Local Television. She has also written one work of fiction and seven non-fiction books for teens. A print and broadcast journalist since 1991, Diane specializes in arts reporting (focusing on news and political and business aspects of Canadian culture) and science journalism. She holds a Master of Journalism degree from Carleton University in Ottawa and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Guelph.
=0D=0A=In 2009, Victoria's CHEK-TV became the first employee-owned television station in North America after corporate owner CanWest Global threatened to shut it down. The David-and-Goliath story made national headlines and reawakened a belief in local, independent broadcasting. In the five years since the employee purchase of the station, CHEK has weathered the challenges of independent ownership and remains proudly local, in every sense of the word. While the future of media is unpredictable and the feasibility of local television continues to be challenged, CHEK Republic is, at its core, a success story, chronicling the long history, near downfall, and rebirth of a truly one-of-a-kind media outlet.
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