Heather Kitching

I began my CBC temping career in Thunder Bay, working as a reporter, tech, newsreader, associate producer, producer, parade participant and fridge magnet hander-outer.In a small location you get to do it all filling in for anyone who is away. Thunder Bay is also a relatively affordable city, which reduces some of the financial pressures that can come with temping.When COVID hit I was well placed to work remotely because I had already been freelancing for years as a side-hustle so I had a field recording kit at home and was set up to record phone calls on my computer. 

A little ways into the pandemic, my executive producer asked me if I would work remotely for Kitchener Waterloo. That’s when I started working remotely for other locations.At a certain point, I realized that I could be more proactive about reaching out to executive producers about work as a way to bring more stability to my schedule.

I knew that April 1 was the deadline for permanent employees to hand in their summer leave requests, so I would check in with the managers about potential work shortly after that. In the last four or five years I have worked for Windsor, Sudbury, London, KW, the North and Toronto, including producing a network show.

Then, after a few years of that, I kind of fell in love with Windsor and decided to settle down with them.So now I work for them remotely as a digital reporter/editor, which means I do a mixture of chasing, writing stories based on other people’s gathers, writing my own pieces and chipping in the odd radio news or morning show item. 

I still cover shifts elsewhere if asked, and I do continue to temp as a senior writer in the North, which despite the title, is actually more of an editing role. I've found that focusing on a smaller number of stations provides me with the right amount of stability without overloading me. It also allows me to immerse myself more fully in serving the audiences where I work.Though I’m a temp, I’ve never seen myself as a peripheral member of a newsroom. I feel really connected to the communities we serve, and I’m always thinking about what our audience needs, what they’re talking about, and what I can add to what the rest of the team is doing to serve them. 

My advice to people who want to temp long-term is to find ways to keep your expenses down to minimize your financial stress; look for at least one regular freelance gig to cushion you through the seasonal fluctuations in cashflow and, at the risk of sounding like your mother, buy long-term disability and critical illness insurance right away before you develop some minor pre-existing condition that disqualifies you.

I think the long-term temp relationship can be a win-win for both the CBC and temps. We bring experience, versatility and institutional knowledge to our work. And for people like me, it hits a “sweet spot,” allowing us to pursue a passion for journalism, public broadcasting and the vital work of the CBC while also giving us the flexibility to explore different creative paths outside.