Amber MacArthur Gone from Citytv

Woah woah woah! That's NUTS. Is Rogers insane? Webnation id amazing, and most certainly worth keeping at any cost.

Good luck, Amber. We'll be waiting and watching to see what's next for you.

Waaaah! There goes one of my few reasons for tuning in to CityTV. Bad move from Rogers. (Though I did hear that The Lab with Leo is coming to CityTV. Is that a substantiated rumor?)

Hi BlogTO,

Yes, it's very sad for the whole team (for months we've been promised that "all is good.") We had just finished re-branding Webnation with a snazzy new website (on WordPress), new graphics, and commitment that it would air on a weekly basis on Citytv AND G4TechTV.

It is sad to go, but difficult to stay at a place that does not believe that there is any room for the Internet in its future plans.

I know that other opportunities will come up, and I know that the Webnation team is keen to shop the show around to other venues (I am going to start that shopping next week in San Francisco).

I will definitely find time to post here. This site is a great example of what local news online is all about.

Thanks for your support.
Amber MacArthur

I'm biased, because Amber is my friend and brought me onto commandN, but I really can't help but be happy for Amber. She's super talented and popular because she deserves to be, anyone that can't see that should get out of her way. Sorry Rogers, epic fail.

Wow oh Wow! I can't believe it. There goes their whole under-60 demographic. Can't wait to see who goes next. Is there anyone left there who isn't post-menapausal? ...other than JoJo?

"Rogers obviously has no clue what they're losing here" - When has big red ever had a clue on how to properly serve their customers/viewers/subscribers?

WTF! I love her show!

Rogers is manned by fools....

I'm puzzled... I mean, Rogers has like, how many millions of Internet service subscribers? How does Rogers TV division not understand the value and popularity of tech/Internet-based content???

Great for Amber to move on to somewhere her work will be better appreciated. Rogers is just demonstrating the Canadian old media consensus that the web doesn't matter, just as web video is becoming increasingly commercially viable and a bigger influence on media overall. It's an amazing declaration of irrelevance on their part.

And the exodus continues...

Is anyone keeping track of all the good, hard working people CityTV has lost over the past year?

Five, by my count, and that's just the on-air talent.

@ Jerrold: Because they don't want (to actively participate in) web-based content eating away at their digital cable business.

I think the question to ask is what kind of rating(viewership) the show is pulling? I would be very surprised if it is more than a 2 rating. I am actually surprised that the show runs for such a long time.. sorry not being mean, but Rogers is running a business, and like most networks/stations, will not keep a show on air if it is not paying out..or have enough advertisers support...that's why we now have pay tv or digital stations for those who are willing to pay for s subscription

Rogers is manned by a bunch of dum-dums. They are way out to lunch.

Really? That's just nuts! Sure, they have The Lab now, but imo Amber is much better suited to the 30-ish and younger demographic than Leo LaPorte is. I never managed to catch her on that channel anyways. Stupid timezone difference. :P

Anyway, that's one ball and chain gone and one more way for Amber to express herself creatively.

Hey Amber and the Webnation team, sorry to hear the show is gone. I loved your segments, and not just because you covered my film fest, Toronto After Dark, last year. You actually made CityTV seem like a station that got the whole web 2.0 movement, from blogging to facebook and beyond. Now I guess under new owners, City is going back to the stone age. Keep up the fight!

Sad news.

Thanks for interviewing me Amber, it was great fun. I must find a way to download the video of the citytv site now.

It's about time. Finally someone wised up to the fact that a pretty girl airing her favourite YouTube clips is not news. Now if they would only get rid of that annoying tool Michael Kuss...

I smell corporate politics and battle between mainstream profit and new media passion.

How short sighted can Rogers be to ignore the Web 2.0 phenomena.Amber is a tech journalist that appealed not only to the under 30 crowd but to people like me( over 50 )Once again to reiterate, an incredibly short sighted move. Amber will not be unemployed long.

Hmmm airing her favorite YouTube clips. Last time I checked she did interview folks on the show about new media and other aspects of the internet. Maybe G4TV could pick up her show.

Never mind just saw that Rogers is a majority managing partner of G4TV. I know she'll find a spot somewhere and I'll still be watching.

I believe I just saw a Webnation that had Arthur Kent from Afghanistan on the webcam. I've never seen anything as innovative as that on local TV news in Toronto before.
Amber has also been the only journalist to actually cover AND understand the dangers posed by Net Neutrality and the recent Canadian DMCA laws that may be introduced in the house soon.
I bet you an iTunes gift card that most of the reporters in this town would have to look up who Prentice even is much less do a story about one of the most important issues facing Canadians today. Rogers AND Bell are doing their best to help us forget that they are the ones who have taken the wrong side of the Net Neutrality debate.
Amber is one of the few journalists in this country who has a voice of her own! She had to be set free.
Amber... it's simple - you have vision...they don't

Wow. Thanks for all the positive feedback. I never quite felt as though I fit in at Citytv (not a huge fan of any local TV news coverage), but I definitely tried.

The thing I liked most about Webnation, and other new media news we covered, is that we really did address issues like net neutrality, the rising popularity of citizen journalism, and the power of the Internet to equal the playing field. Oh, wait, maybe that's why a giant telco isn't so keen on the show. Ah, finally, so clear! I kid, I kid. OK, maybe not. Depends on who is reading ;).

See you online!
-Amber

I like Amber, and I think she did a good job reporting on issues I think are important and interesting. But usually if I like it or think it's worth watching it's the kiss of death. While most young, web-savvy BlogTO readers will miss her, most Citytv viewers won't even notice she's gone. I'm sure she will surface somewhere where her talents and insight will be appreciated by both her viewers and bosses. Citytv is not that place. Her show aired on CP24 which is now owned by CTV, not Rogers (both used to be owned by CHUM which was bought and divided up, almost everything but the Citytv brand went to CTV). Now the only place to air her show would be Citytv the channel and I bet the ratings would not generate enough ad revenue. Ironically, if web-savvy, forward thinking people want information on things like net neutrality or DRM they turn to the web, not TV which is why Amber no longer has a job at Citytv. Kinda funny in a way... You're better off Amber, Citytv sucked before Rogers, and will continue to suck long after.

You can do better anyway Amber! Best of luck in your next gig.

See you on Test the Nation!

Well there's a rude way to start the year...why is it some of our most talented Canadians end up being misused, ignored or treated poorly. I hope it doesn't take a strong U.S. dollar (wait a minute, that's not true anymore) to lure Amber away.

Beyond corporate conspiracy, this would appear to be just a dumb business decision and the continuing hollowing out of CHUM.

This is all about net neutrality.

These media dinosaurs are trying to save their propped up asses. Fuck 'em. Their end will come sooner than later, and the Amber Mac's will find good homes elsewhere.

I'm so sorry, Amber. You were meant to be solely on the internet, though. I've been watching CommandN for over a year and I've been listening to you on Twit since Net@Nite was Inside the Net. Like someone commented above, you won't be unemployed for long!

Hard to believe--what are they thinking??

younger people are abandoning traditional media in droves, and I can see why...

This is what Rogers does. It takes over a property and underfunds it. This is a real shame, but I guess not unexpected. A year from now City TV will be unrecognizable from what it has been for years.

Amber is a genuine talent and I do not think there is any doubt she will emerge in a stronger position because of this.

Guys, guys...

Amber's departure was related directly and only to her show being canceled, as far as I understand. Many of you here even confess to not watching it regularly.

As a senior Rogers exec, I can confirm that we've been trying to reach Amber since the deal closed to try to expand her presence online, but she's simply been busy.

There are a number of savvy Internet execs at Rogers, but they're hard to get to and I know for a fact that Amber wasn't able to meet any of them in the short time that we were in the same company.

If we can figure out a way to reach the "web 2.0" audience in Canada in a profitable way, we'll do so, and ideally with Amber if she's still available at that time.

But keep in mind that tech blogs aren't as large as you might think they are - Arrington does about 350K uniques in the US, and 100K in Canada, but neither Mark Evans nor Rick Segal even do enough to be tracked by Comscore (Mark's site says he has under 2K readers). BlogTO registers about 50K, but it's certainly not purely tech.

For us to really get behind something, it has to tip in above 100K at some point. Keep in mind that internally everything fights for attention with stalwarts like Sportsnet.ca, CityNews.ca, 680News, Chatelaine, Maclean's, etc. And that's not even counting the ISP, Cable and Wireless groups, which are organizationally separate.

We're investing pretty heavily in the web, and it's ramped up quite a bit since I joined about a year ago. You'd be amazed (I was) at how long it takes to do something interesting in a large company, but it's not because there are a bunch of idiots working here.

Really.

I know my colleagues join me in wishing Amber well and in lauding her efforts here and elsewhere in the Toronto online community. And if we can collaborate together in the future, we will.

Kevin wrote, "As a senior Rogers exec, I can confirm that we've been trying to reach Amber since the deal closed to try to expand her presence online, but she's simply been busy."

I believe that she is ALWAYS online, has multiple email addresses and has multiple cell phones - the deal closed about two months ago. At that time Amber was working at 299 Queen St. W, she did a story everyday there for CityNews International (BTW Rogers owns that show).

Now as for your inability to monetize a TV show (your core business strategy) that is also online (another platform that Rogers currently leverages)... well let's just say that if you can't figure out a way to compete against shows produced in basements that DO turn a profit...ask Kevin Rose (est. wealth 60 million), Tom Green (famous comedian), and Leo Laporte (one of your own employees at the Lab) then you won't need shades 'cause Rogers' future is not that bright.

As for profitable shows... have you seen the numbers from television newscasts in general? CityNews is no leader (DEAD LAST) and it looks like TV in general is going that way as well and yet Rogers considers TV a priority?

Remember Webnation is not a Blog and it was not a "tech" only show. Have you watched it? It was news that crossed both platforms and reached the audience of the future... the consumers of tomorrow. The ones advertisers want.

P.S. I'm going to take your advice regarding "Altered Carbon" since we both love Gibson... oh wait he was interviewed by Amber on Webnation too wasn't he?

Happy Reading.

I'm not about to share private communications, but Amber can confirm our difficulty in arranging a meeting since I first contacted her in late October.

And if you enjoy Richard Morgan's work, you might also try China Mieville.

But nothing beats Gibson.

Hopefully she will be back as Kathryn Humphreys is.

let's hope that her loyal viewers are flooding city tv with letters asking for the show to be put back on air

Hey Kevin,

As I'm sure you know, Comscore numbers need to be taken with a big grain of salt. Our uniques are about 135,000 a month, not 50,000.

Tim

Tim - yep, should'a noted that. Any sites with a sharp regional focus get screwed up in Comscore (we have the problem with all of our radio sites).

Congrats on the success of this site, by the way - Comscore may screw up the actual number, but it doesn't miss the trend - which is way up.

Sounds like you're doing great! Noticed your name in the "about" section.

Hard to find gluten-free stores, though. :-)

Man, this Kevin guy talks like heavy-politician. "Not about to share pvt communications" -- what an insane suggestion, that an exec could not request (or demand) a meeting with an employee, at anytime. Or know when they're available.

Your honesty seems about as thin as Rogers customer service. Keep climing your corporate ladder, Austin Crescent.

Hi again,

For what it's worth, here's some more background. I resigned (officially) at the end of October because I had two great offers from the US (and I felt as though CityNews wanted to target an older/different demographic than I could reach/thought was important).

In turn, management asked me over and over again to stay put and promised a national show on Citytv and G4Techtv. We worked for two months exclusively on that show (it was looking slick!). Management told me each week that all was good. One senior Rogers exec even met with me in December to reassure me that all was good (not Kevin). Friday I heard abruptly that all was not good (Rogers did not want the show) and they knew, and Citytv knew, that the new show was all I was planning to do. End of story. I ran freely out the door.

Again, I am excited to be working on other projects and I am 100% happy. It might seem odd that I keep commenting here, but the people here are my friends and part of my community - and it's important to me that they hear what went down.

I don't feel as though anyone communicated to me honestly until late Friday, but there is not a lot I can do about that. I wish they let me walk in October so I did not have to go through all of this and I could have jumped on other full-time ops...but wishing honesty is a true waste of energy.

Thanks for all the support ;-).
-Amber

Thanks, Amber - appreciate this and your other communications.

Look forward to your future activities, whether in Canada or down south.

Any way you can work in an Obama interview? :-)

I'm interested in online media, so I had tried to watch Amber's show many times. I never could get into it -- the content, format, and the host were just not compelling enough to get me to come back. Maybe it was just a bad fit and was never going to work. Above, Amber writes "I never quite felt as though I fit in at Citytv" - 'nuff said.

Obama? Hmmm...I don't think he'll take my call, but I'll check :).

Webnation was not for everyone, but we had great #s (subscribers) and it was definitely the thing I did at Citytv, without any budget, that made me (and the team) most proud.

Looking forward to an exciting 2008!
-Amber

Rogers (and Bell) are a plague on society. I dropped their horrendous service long ago. There continuing acts of douchbaggery remind of why my decision was a sound one.

something tells me thiss will work out better for webnation/amber...

cheers

Its amazing how old farts like Gord Martinaeu and Anne Rohmer keep sticking around, obviously they don't want new fresh blood. But keep these sagging has beens for 20 -30 years.

Catherine Humphreys is the only one worth watching.

Reading this also reminded me of the Kathryn Humphreys fiasco/about-turn.

For those taking shots at Kevin, most large organisations suffer from internal organisation issues where one arm will try and do something and get cut off at the knees by another - fair go to him for at least coming on here and giving another view. There is extensive discussion of TTC's problems in that line on stevemunro.ca

To: Kevin Bartus and other Rogers executives who are reading these posts

Your decision to terminate WebNation is a realization of precisely what was widely feared, that you will turn the innovation at CITY into a hollow mediocrity. This is a dissappointment for advertisers and shareholders, not just the audience.

You had a valuable property with a loyal following, and low production costs. But instead of doing the difficult HR/organizational work and merging it into another group that could have leveraged the audience and the enthusiasm of the team (G4 Tech TV and Macleans come to mind), you took the easy way out.

--
"For us to really get behind something, it has to tip in above 100K at some point. Keep in mind that internally everything fights for attention with stalwarts like Sportsnet.ca, CityNews.ca, 680News, Chatelaine, Maclean's, etc. And that's not even counting the ISP, Cable and Wireless groups, which are organizationally separate."
--

Clearly the opportunity for Rogers with WebNation was to GROW its audience nationally by further exploiting it across wireless, cable, print, and web-platforms --rather than rejecting it based on a siloed analysis of its existing web audience. Advertisers are waiting in line for multi-platform campaigns through a single media property and WebNation fit the bill.

Dear Rogers: Please try harder to look like an innovator, the field is wide open.

*Despite the criticism --Kevin -thank-you for posting on behalf of Rogers, the effort is appreciated.

This has been a bit of an experiment for me - responding to blog posts, most of which by nature affect parts of Rogers over which I have little influence (it's always amazing how many people still complain to me about their cable bills).

It does seem to me that the tone of posts became more sophisticated, insightful and balanced after the exchanges with Amber and I, with a somewhat higher proportion of responsible "named" posters, and so for that reason I'm glad I participated.

It's also just hard to sit there and read about what a bunch of morons you work with, when you know for a fact that it's not true.

And I do realize that a bit of vitriol always makes blogs more enjoyable to read.

I look forward to participating in future discussions, and discussing possible future online options with Amber and others. Amber's a fantastic asset to the Canadian web community, and none of us can afford to take that lightly.

Let it be know, if you need to call a meeting, just start posting comments on our site to get the ball rolling as quickly as possible.

Kevin / Amber: I think it's very good of both of you to be participating here.

Kevin, I think it's very progressive to see your views, here, and you should be thanked for sharing them. Truly.

Amber, well, you will continue to be the star you are. For the rest of us it's just a case of being able to say "I knew her when..." :)

Cheers,
Stuart

Disclosure: I know both Kevin and Amber

Amber, you and/or your show will get snapped up before your plane lands. Go where you can really shine but just remember you'll always be ours.

To the Rogers haters, if the numbers aren't there then the numbers aren't there. That's biz. Might as well lay into Rogers for not funding bigger/better wireless apps while you're at it.

Kevin Bartus, excellent of you to join in the conversation and add clarity. p.s. my cable bill is too high.

I know it's fun to hate on Rogers, but at the end of the day it's business and we don't know all the details. Kudos to Kevin for sticking his neck out in this discussion. He didn't have to but he did, and that shows integrity.

Amber is a star both personally and professionally. There is no doubt she will always land on her feet. Unfortunately for us, that may end up being somewhere with Palm Trees.

Amber, you're amazing and we wish you all the best!

Palm trees? I dunno, am thinking I might stay in Toronto and stir things up a little ;).

-Amber

One last thing...if Kevin does check back in here, would love to see him address Duncan Kennedy's post above. In my mind, Duncan has a lot of valid points and it would be interesting to read about Rogers' digital plans for the future from someone on the inside.

I, for one, will continue to watch/listen to Net@Nite, which you should ALL do, as well as Command N. All Amber-riffic!
So alas, no more WebNation, but much more Amber can be found online guys, so turn those frowns upside down!!
Rogers' loss is another stations gain, right??

I've noticed the CITY -TV Brand going down the drain the the last year. The era of the little station that could has passed.
nNow its just another mega-corporate entity..
Im sad to see the way Breakfast television has gone.

Regis..Kathy lee clones?

Rogers is plain nuts ... Amber is just gonna go to Digg
or another busy online site and do her stories from there
hopefully she'll get a cut of all that online ad money ...

Rogers didn't put Amber on any billboards across the city .
They've got the money for all the US dramas and sitcoms and
all the billboards for all the cellphones Rogers has .

Amber worked hard at making stories - good stories that were
educational . It could have been on Discovery , PBS or TVO

I give it a month before rogers deletes all episodes of the citynews website ... people will have to search toorents or youtube for entire episodes. Rogers can't make money off
content that already exists.

The big question is can Amber actually make it without any help from Rogers or Bell.

Amber you should delete any citytv pictures / videos from your social networks ...flickr , facebook.

I'm glad Amber got let go she talked to fast and always had that dumb smile on her face now get rid of Mika from the TTC.

Keep up the great work CityTV.

One more comment I remember Amber doing a story were she dis'ed Rogers regarding their customer service and that was after Rogers bought CityTV. If the producers cared they wouldn't of aired her comment on how Rogers takes forever to get back to their customers.

Well all I can say is I am sure Leo is waiting with open arms to work with you again - just too bad he is working for Rogers - guess that sorta ties his hands

I really think this type of he-said, she-said dialogue serves very little purpose for either party, is counter productive AND unprofessional. Also, if you track back on this thread you will see that it was Amber who initiated this. Look, Rogers made a business decision to cancel a show that had terrible ratings, plain and simple. Amber didn't get her way so she bolted ,while at the same time trying to bring her fan base with her. We've seen this play out before but unfortuanately i will not follow, or support her any longer, she has badly damaged her integrity through this entire process. By her own admission (from above) she states that she's.. ".. not a huge fan of any local TV news coverage ". Huh !!!? Yet, she accepts a job as a tech reporter with the largest and most popular local network in the country !! It seems Amber has been using this forum to air a grievance, and to continue to plug her project of a TV SHOW that she hopes will get picked up by someone else !! Amber didn't like the rules of the game so she quit, as is her right. But what's insulting is to then so transparantly embark on a campaign of self promotion and damage control. I am not a rogers fan, never have been, never will be. I find them to be predatory and unfair but I don't think they did anything here other than cancel a show with poor ratings. The 'star' of the show didn't like it so she created a big fuss as she walked out the door. One little piece of advice to you amber - leave the past behind you, you seem very intent on always having your say on this issue, but know that it is costing you some credibility. I have followed you since the 'early' days of call for help but you have grown bitter recently and I really don't know which form of media you truly aspire to, although I think I have a good idea...

Rogers may have done this for the reason I am thinking. Amber does not have a good presence on TV. I remember cringing when she speaks with a lot of "umms and ahhhs".

I have to agree with Frank W. It is apparent that Amber was knowledgeable about technology, but was not trained very well from a media perspective regarding delivery. On air personalities should get some feedback about not only the content of their shows, but about their voice, tone and delivery. Amber ended a lot of sentences with the awkard inflection in her voice, rambled on too fast at times and sounded unprofessional. If City/Rogers does have any committment to moving forward with a technology based show, they should invest in some consumer research to identify suitable on air personalities and content. With the right mix I believe the concept could become profitable.

Good riddance to one of the most irritating "voices" on television in recent memory. You'd think that it would be a requirement for tv, as it tends to be for radio, that the person's voice wouldn't be enough to seriously grate on people's nerves. Thank you Rogers television!

Apperently CP24 and the rest of the CHUM Limited properties are owned by CTVglobemedia so this means it must have been CTV that may have pulled the plug onn CP24's Webnation V2. Rogers Communications only owns the Citytv stations.

Hi everyone. Well, Amber has been hooked up with one of the biggest names in technology over the internet, the one Leo LaPorte. Of course, Amber was recognized before joining Leo, but now even moreso. Any publicity is better than none, and Amber, I can't wait to keep watching CommandN and net@nite.

More visionary thinking from the minds at Rogers!!!

Does she know what a thyristor is?
Or has she studied the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) Basic Reference Model?
I don't think so. Not a true geek.

Now both Amber(Citytv) and Leo(G4Techtv) both canceled separately in Canada...unbelievable!

Rogers considers it a high tech station with TechTv and loses its two most talented staff in this area.

Kevin Bartus is no longer with Rogers. Let's hope things get better there..

See ya Toe Tapper!